336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (2013)
ISBN: 1250012570
Reading Level/Lexile: 8th grade and up/580L
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Annotation/Teaser: Eleanor is the overweight, weirdly dressed new girl. Park has grown up in the neighborhood but doesn't feel like he fits in. As their relationship grows, they find their favorite part of the day is the bus ride to and from school. Will their budding romance make it through the bullying, harsh family life, and dislike of others?
Plot Summary: In 1986, Eleanor is the new girl in school. After her dad leaves the family, her mom moves in with an abusive boyfriend and takes the Eleanor and her brothers and sisters with her. The first day on the bus, Eleanor is forced to sit with Park. Park has grown up in the neighborhood but still feels he is a misfit. As they ride the bus together every morning and afternoon, their relationship grows into something that even they can't explain. Eleanor and Park both remain uncertain of what will happen with their relationship but both are brave enough to give it a try and keep going even when the odds are against them.
About the Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rainbow Rowell is only very good at two things --- reading and writing, in that order.
People who are good only at reading and writing, and who also want health insurance, usually study journalism. Rainbow earned a journalism degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1995 and at, 24, became the youngest-ever --- and first female --- columnist at the Omaha World-Herald. (Which maybe won’t sound like such a big deal to you, but she was pretty proud of herself at the time and celebrated with lots of Carlo Rossi Paisano.)
Though her first novel, ATTACHMENTS, is set in a newsroom, it couldn’t be less of a true story. She met her husband in junior high and can hardly get him to read her column, let alone her email.
Her second novel, ELEANOR & PARK --- sort of an East Omaha Romeo & Juliet --- comes out in 2012. (If you liked Attachments, you might like this one, too. The stakes are higher. And there’s more kissing.)
When she’s not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing with people about things that don’t really matter in the big scheme of things. She has two sons, and if God hears her prayers, they will grow up just as nerdy and true-hearted as the protagonists of her books.
Rainbow Rowell Bio (n.d.) Retrieved from www.bookreporter.com
Critical Evaluation: I love this book and the reason I love this book is because of the characters. All the characters are teenagers with real flaws and real life problems. Let's start with Park. He is a teenager living in a world that he really doesn't feel he fits in. His mother is Korean and beautiful and his parents have their own great love story. I loved Park's music and comic books and the fact that he knows martial arts (even though it is because of his dad). Park is a skinny, nerdy boy trying to fit in but at the same time wanting to do the right thing. This is how he meets Eleanor. Eleanor comes from a different world than Park. She is the new kid at school and bullied because she is different. She is abused at home by her mom's boyfriend. These characters are developed over alternating chapters which allow the reader to get to know these characters. I love the detail that Rowell gives to each character. We see the real life struggles of teenagers especially the problems that Eleanor faces. Rowell also did a great job with the minor characters in this book. Park's parents are not perfect. Park's dad is a little bit of a bully and tough on Park. I liked the fact that Rowell made Park's mom dislike Eleanor. This made the ,mother-son relationship more real in the fact that this girl, Eleanor, wasn't good enough for Park. The other students at the school were even likeable to me because they acted like real teenagers. This book was my favorite read this semester and I would highly recommend it to people of all ages. I hope there is a sequel to this book so that we can continue the story of Park and Eleanor.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Book Talk Ideas: Talk about how Eleanor is treated at school and how things change for her when she meets Park.
Controversial Issues: Abuse, violence, language
Defense:
Why I Chose This Book? This is a controversial book but I felt it needed to be included because of its controversy. Rowell makes the reader love her characters and any teen who has struggled with bullying will relate to this book.
People who are good only at reading and writing, and who also want health insurance, usually study journalism. Rainbow earned a journalism degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1995 and at, 24, became the youngest-ever --- and first female --- columnist at the Omaha World-Herald. (Which maybe won’t sound like such a big deal to you, but she was pretty proud of herself at the time and celebrated with lots of Carlo Rossi Paisano.)
Though her first novel, ATTACHMENTS, is set in a newsroom, it couldn’t be less of a true story. She met her husband in junior high and can hardly get him to read her column, let alone her email.
Her second novel, ELEANOR & PARK --- sort of an East Omaha Romeo & Juliet --- comes out in 2012. (If you liked Attachments, you might like this one, too. The stakes are higher. And there’s more kissing.)
When she’s not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing with people about things that don’t really matter in the big scheme of things. She has two sons, and if God hears her prayers, they will grow up just as nerdy and true-hearted as the protagonists of her books.
Rainbow Rowell Bio (n.d.) Retrieved from www.bookreporter.com
Critical Evaluation: I love this book and the reason I love this book is because of the characters. All the characters are teenagers with real flaws and real life problems. Let's start with Park. He is a teenager living in a world that he really doesn't feel he fits in. His mother is Korean and beautiful and his parents have their own great love story. I loved Park's music and comic books and the fact that he knows martial arts (even though it is because of his dad). Park is a skinny, nerdy boy trying to fit in but at the same time wanting to do the right thing. This is how he meets Eleanor. Eleanor comes from a different world than Park. She is the new kid at school and bullied because she is different. She is abused at home by her mom's boyfriend. These characters are developed over alternating chapters which allow the reader to get to know these characters. I love the detail that Rowell gives to each character. We see the real life struggles of teenagers especially the problems that Eleanor faces. Rowell also did a great job with the minor characters in this book. Park's parents are not perfect. Park's dad is a little bit of a bully and tough on Park. I liked the fact that Rowell made Park's mom dislike Eleanor. This made the ,mother-son relationship more real in the fact that this girl, Eleanor, wasn't good enough for Park. The other students at the school were even likeable to me because they acted like real teenagers. This book was my favorite read this semester and I would highly recommend it to people of all ages. I hope there is a sequel to this book so that we can continue the story of Park and Eleanor.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Book Talk Ideas: Talk about how Eleanor is treated at school and how things change for her when she meets Park.
Controversial Issues: Abuse, violence, language
Defense:
Why I Chose This Book? This is a controversial book but I felt it needed to be included because of its controversy. Rowell makes the reader love her characters and any teen who has struggled with bullying will relate to this book.
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