Rowell, R. (2014). Eleanor & Park. New York, NY: St. Martins Griffin.
Park Sheridan, is a half-Korean high school kid in Omaha, Nebraska. He feels like in outcast. He loves comic books, is obsessed with music, and doesn't have a lot of friends. However, things start to change with he met Eleanor Douglas on the bus one morning. Chubby, a bright red hair and a habit of dressing in men's clothing. Eleanor is like a target of bullying at her school and Park knows immediately that the same will happen to him. As they both share silent bus rides, they learn about each other. Eleanor lives in poverty and in a very small house and share her room with her four younger siblings. She had recently come back from living with some distance family because her stepfather kicked her out. Richie is an alcoholic and abuses Eleanor's mother, so she is always living in fear. Park, on the other hand, comes from a stable family but he doesn't know if he really fits in with his family. They connect trough reading comic books and they finally hold hands. At first, Park's family didn't quite accept her, but after knowing her, she is felt welcomed. All of a sudden, Richie finds about Eleanor's secret and Eleanor finds out that he is the one writing the obscene messages in her textbooks. She flees and they are both distanced for a long while, until she finally gets a postcard from Park.
This book has great topics to discuss with teens, such as privileged and poverty. The audience for this book is ages 16 and up because of the strong language.
Printz 2014
Author's Website
Teacher Resource 2
Teacher Resource 3
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