Eleanor

June 1, 2014
A teenage wallflower turns small-town Wyoming on its head as she grapples to hide the shocking truth of her identity in this paranormal romance.Eleanor Anders attempts to hide in plain sight as a sophomore at Jamesford High. With senses far keener than ordinary humans and the ability to mimic animal cries, Eleanor's survival instincts tell her it's safer to blend in. Only her terminally ill mother, Tabitha, pays her any mind until a childhood friend moves back to town. Suddenly, everyone at Jamesford High wants a piece of David Venn, but he only has eyes for Eleanor. Thrown into the cross hairs of bloodthirsty teenage bullies and gossiping townspeople alike, Eleanor's strange talents emerge erratically and threaten to expose her for what she truly is: something bestial between gifted and cursed. Worthen deftly sketches a flawed and enthralling character in Eleanor. She's a complex mixture of vulnerable and dangerous that makes characters like David appear a bit bland by contrast. Jamesford pulses with lonely and foreboding atmosphere, setting the stage for the unfolding of Eleanor's ominous secrets. Readers will clamor for more of the lore surrounding her past.A riveting supernatural character study wrought with the pains of first love and the struggles of self-acceptance. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-This is a fast-paced paranormal story of love and family, remembrance and survival. Eleanor Anders lost her family at a young age due to a tragic incident. As the sole survivor, she fled into the forest for safety. When she was finally saved by Tabitha, she was not quite certain how long she had been in the woods. All she knew was that she needed Tabitha and miraculously, Tabitha needed her. Ten years later, Eleanor is in high school in the small town of Jamesford, Wyoming. She is shy and withdrawn and hopes to go mosty unnoticed. Tabitha is close to death from cancer and Eleanor is petrified of a future alone. Tabitha is the only person on earth that she can trust, and the only person that knows her true secret. When the tall, dark, and mysterious David Venn comes back into Tabitha's life, Eleanor doesn't understand why she's so drawn to him and almost risks exposing her secret to stay by his side. This first installment of the three-part series is based on a Navajo legend. Worthen's handling of the volatile issues of racism, societal inequalities, gossip mongering, peer pressure, bullying, death, and abandonment will provide readers with numerous opportunities for in-depth discussion.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.