ELEANOR AND PARK . . .

Every once in a while, I finish a book and have to share it with others.  Immediately.

The last book I felt that way about was A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness.  Perfect.  Before that, it was THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie.  True and heart-breakingly hilarious.

I just closed another book and must share.

ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell.

When I first saw this cover, I thought it was a picture book with thumbprint characters.  It's not.

This young adult novel is about Eleanor, a misfit on the outside, who defies the world and falls in love with Park.  Park, who feels like an outsider, sees beneath Eleanor's odd clothing, big red hair and large frame.  He's attracted to her like Romeo was to Juliet. 

Eleanor lives in a dire and dangerous home.  I worried for her and hoped for her the entire book.  I stayed up way too late several nights.  Just one more chapter.  Just one more . . .

This novel is written beat by beat, moment by moment, feeling by feeling -- simply and honestly.

If you don't believe me, read John Green's review in the New York Times.  Or the multiple starred reviews.   Or the blurbs from well-known authors -- all on Rainbow Rowell's site.

But really, forget about reading all of that and read ELEANOR & PARK.

There will be only one thing to do when you're done.  Tell someone else.

Should Adults Read Children's Books?

An opinion piece from The Huffington Post made me think about this.  The author's point was that books for children shouldn't have a "Young Adult" designation. 

Actually, her post isn't what got me thinking. 

Scroll past the short post and read the comment by BlackJAC, who states that once you're old enough to vote/gamble/drink, you shouldn't even be reading young adult books.

What?  

There's a hidden (or not so hidden) implication that one's emotional growth must be stunted if one is reading children's books. 

If you're not an educator/librarian/children's book author/parent, should you be reading children's books?

Personally, I read both children's and adult literature.  When I bring our adult children to the library, they head to the adult section and I to the children's section. 

When I research a topic, I always begin in the children's non-fiction section to get a solid overview of the topic before heading to the adult non-fiction section.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from someone who said she enjoyed Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen and flew through its pages.  The author of that e-mail is 31.  

Why limit oneself?  A great story is a great story.

I'm a richer person for having read Patricia McCormick's Sold.  It gave me context for watching the documentary, Half the Sky, about abuse and oppression of females turned on its head by hope-filled, can-do people.  Jerry Spinelli's Wringer, allowed me to see inside the cruelty of the annual Higgin's Pigeon Shoot, which used to take place near my home.  And Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls allowed me to have a cathartic cry about my mom's death from cancer.

Children's literature contains a wealth of timeless/ageless themes -- surviving loss, cultivating individuality, creating compassion, responding to injustice, etc.  It would be a great loss to dismiss the entire canon of children's literature because one "should outgrow it." 

Has a children's book made an impact on your adult life?  Is it okay to read children's books at any age?  I'd love to know what you think.

A Book So Good . . .

Did you ever read a book so good that even though you were dying to find out what happened next, you read slowly because you didn't want the experience to end?

I knew from the first page that A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness would be that kind of book for me. 

Here are the first few sentences:

The monster showed up just after midnight.  As they do.

Conor was awake when it came.  He'd had a nightmare.  Well, not a nightmare.  The nightmare.

Everything about this book was perfect.  Every sentence just right.  It inspired me to ask questions, then answered each with great satisfaction.  It's a sad book, but a healing one, too.  A beautiful book based on the idea by Siobhan Dowd, who died at 47 from cancer.  Delightfully dark illustrations were created by Jim Kay.  The publisher, Candlewick Press, did a fabulous job making this book.  It deserved every single starred review it earned.

A couple other great books for kids that provide therapy of sorts for dealing with loss, especially from cancer are MILO:  STICKY NOTES AND BRAIN FREEZE by Alan Silberberg and MRS. BIDDLEBOX by the late Linda Smith and illustrator, Marla Frazee.

Two other fantastic books I've enjoyed this year are WONDER by R. J. Palacio and THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate.

Which books have you absolutely loved so far this year?  (Or last year?)  Share your favorite books for children or for adults in the comments section.