Eleanor & Park

"Eleanor & Park is a book about two teenagers who fall in love. But more than that, it’s about feeling lost — because of bullying, because of abuse, because of race — and feeling loved. It captures the pure, visceral thrill of a high school swoon, but it never forgets that those feelings are real and important. Rowell’s willingness to portray real ugliness and real pain means that when Eleanor and Park are daring to hope for something wonderful for themselves, the stakes feel enormous. It’s called a young adult book, and indeed, it’s a fine thing to give a sensitive kid. But there’s nothing unsophisticated or less than serious about this empathetic, beautifully rendered novel."