Wendelin Van Draanen

“And as I reseat the tire and pump it full of air, I start thinkin’ about how a tire is like life itself. When it springs a leak, you can moan about the flat, or you can patch it, pump it full of air again, then get back on and ride. ’Course people don’t usually see the patches of your inner tube, which is how a tire and life are different.” --Ginny Rose from The Peach Rebellion

The ultra-gifted and talented writer, Wendelin Van Draanen, treats her reading audience to an show more extraordinary historical novel via the authentic, alternating voices of two courageous, unbreakable teenagers during post World War II California.

This story will captivate you from the heartrending Prologue to the insightful, inspiring words on the last page. It's definitely worthy of reading, re-reading, and will make a fantastic discussion book when it debuts in the spring. In my humble opinion, this one has award winner written all over it.

The timeless themes of friendship, forgiveness, family, social injustices, heartbreak, healing, and love will resonate loudly with readers of all ages and backgrounds. However, what drives this compelling story is the character development of three complicated, multi-faceted teenagers: Ginny Rose, a migrant from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Peggy, a peach farmer's daughter, and Lisette, a banker's daughter. Each girl's story comes with very unique family dynamics.

This spirited trio must find a way to forget their differences and come together to right a wrong and bring peace and closure to a broken family. In the process, these three resilient young ladies discover how strong and unstoppable they are as they unite for a common purpose. It will take them on a wild, heart-stopping adventure that will lead them down a path toward binding up the wounds of the past and embracing a promising future.

No one captures the pain, anguish, failures, joys, triumphs, hopes, and dreams of her characters quite like Wendelin Van Draanen. She has an uncanny ability to articulate, with her impeccable language skills, the essence of who they are and what motivates them to action.

The signature element of Wendelin Van Draanen’s writing is the way she engages her readers and brings them into the heart of her story with her descriptive, powerful words and fast-paced storylines.

This master weaver of stories creates breathtaking, satisfying conclusions. The one for The Peach Rebellion may be the best yet, leaving you very uplifted and possibly in tears.

As a longtime school librarian and proud fourth generation native Oklahoman, I invite you to pre-order The Peach Rebellion, available in bookstores and online in May, 2022. It will be a reading experience that will live long in your heart, soul, and memory as it will in mine. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed "Runaway" and found it difficult to put down. Twelve year old Holly was an engaging character with a wonderful voice. She was sassy and tough, yet at the same time heart-wrenchingly vulnerable and determined to survive. Many an occasion Holly made me smile, but at other times I felt so sorry for her as she constantly battled to find food, warmth and a way to keep clean. I liked the diary format of the book as Holly writes in the journal her English teacher gave her. She show more begins by venting her anger at Ms Leone but gradually she shares her fears, her past and her dreams, and discovers she has a way with poetry. This is second book I've read by this author and am impressed with her ability to write such inspiring stories. I will certainly be looking for her other books. A touching read! show less

Fourteen-year-old Wren Clemmens is pulled from her room in the early hours of the morning, driven to the airport, and taken to the desert in Utah, where she will be forced to participate in an eight-week wilderness survival program. Wren is smart, and figures out how to find water and make fire - but can she figure out what's going on inside her? That is the challenge. Along the way, Wren sometimes rejects help angrily, but she learns quickly, and once she graduates from Rabbit to Coyote, show more she makes friends with the other girls, especially Hannah - who helps her see that her friend Meadow wasn't a friend at all.

Near the end of her time in the desert, Wren goes on a quest by herself, during which she faces coyotes and also her own thoughts and memories: the way people treated her, how she treated them, the impact of her actions, and how she wants to be a person in the world. She writes the letters to her family that she needs to write, and in the end, it's not just her mother or father who comes to collect her - it's both of them, and her sister and brother as well. Wren has transformed, and has hope for her future.

Quotes

"A little rain goes a long way when the land is parched. Sometimes it doesn't take much for what's dormant to bloom." (Michelle to group, 164)

"I like how I feel strong now. All I ever felt before was angry. I used to think it was the same thing, but it's not." (Mia to Wren, 171)

Trust between people is a convoluted thing, because which comes first - trusting or being trusted? (215)

"There's a wisdom passed through the ages that says that if we walk far but are angry as we journey, we travel nowhere." (Mokov to Wren, 237)

Cursing how this wide-open place traps you inside your thoughts. (261)

I've never even thought about who I want to be. The question has always been What do you want to be? You know...when you grow up? (270) show less

First sentence: All I've ever wanted is for Juli Baker to leave me alone. For her to back off--you know, just give me some space. It all started the summer before second grade when our moving van pulled into her neighborhood. And since we're now about done with the eighth grade, that, my friend, makes more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort. She didn't just barge into my life. She barged and shoved and wedged her way into my life.

Premise/plot: Bryce Loski and show more Juli Baker narrate this he-said, she-said middle grade novel. It was love at first sight--in second grade--for Juli Baker. But for Bryce, well, Juli is a pesky, pesty neighbor that follows him--literally--everywhere. But in eighth grade, however, roles seemed to have flipped. She begins to doubt her feelings for him--there's more to attraction that just eyes and smile--and he begins to see her in a whole new way.

This one opens with a flashback scene of sorts showing the introduction or "meet cute" of this unlikely pair. But most of the story chronicles sixth grade through eighth grade. Reader see the same exact events through two pairs of eyes.

My thoughts: I am rereading this one after watching the movie for the first time. I ADORED the movie. It definitely changed some things up. For one, it took the contemporary setting of Flipped and made it a period piece. In the movie, the story unfolds in 1957-1963. And the soundtrack is FANTASTIC. I think one reason--pure speculation--to make this switch is it feels a little less controversial to have a girl literally chasing down a boy and smelling him if you set it in the distant past. Also some of the viewpoints of the characters seem to align more with what you'd expect in days long ago. (Teasing about being having a r****d in the family, etc.) Some of the scenes just have JERKS.

This one is thought-provoking. Love it or hate it. I definitely think the book doesn't address consent or boundaries--a must for a contemporary book being published post #metoo. The main message, I believe, is looking beyond appearances. What makes someone attractive. What makes you "flip" for someone. Juli is best for illustrating this. She's so accustomed to "loving" or "crushing" on Bryce, that she doesn't stop to consider WHO he is. What kind of person is Bryce? What is his character? If she really knew him--actually knew him--would she still love him? Is her attraction all surface-level? As for Bryce, he seems much less self-aware and just a bit clueless and immature. (Not for not liking girls. But just on processing and observing the world.)

The book definitely is open-ended and ambiguous. As is the movie--to a certain degree--but the closing music, "Let It Be Me" and the fact that she joins him outside to help him plant the new tree, does add an element of hope that the book doesn't quite reach. show less