One of the Best YA Heroines and Why She Is

Sometimes, I get stuck on what to blog about here on The Muffin. I've been doing it for years (Yes, you think, we know), and there are so many wonderful bloggers on here that cover such interesting topics--I get stuck. So I often review my files or blog posts I've written for other sites to brainstorm some ideas and possibly repurpose an old post for this lovely blog.

While, oh let's call it, "researching" this post, I reviewed some old posts I wrote for The Lit Ladies blog. Two really stuck out, and you will be so glad that I decided to repurpose this one below about Eleanor and Park, instead of the post where I wrote about going to the Ozark Creative Writers conference in Eureka Springs with my daughter and parents in tow. See, Katie found TWO piles of dog poop in our room, AFTER we had slept there all night. What does that have to do with writing in the present? Well, this coming weekend I am going to participate in the wonderful Missouri Writers Guild conference, and my advice with that "number 2" post was to always check your hotel room! (I won't forget this weekend, or ever again.)

But instead of dog doo-doo in hotel rooms, I want to tell you about an amazing young adult book I read a couple years back--one of my all time favorites. Since I have written in the last few months about other young adult authors, Jay Asher and Andrew McCarthy, I felt it only fitting to stick with the rule of three and let you know about Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. Ah-Mazing book!

If you love YA or if you write YA, here's why you need to check out this book:

First I’ll tell you Eleanor is a high school girl and Park is a high school boy. From Park’s family watching Wheel of Fortune after dinner to Eleanor thinking all she knows about kissing from the Fonz on Happy Days to the mix tapes and walkmans, the 80’s references are wonderful and took me back to my own high school years. But this is not the only reason why this book is amazing. One word. . .

Eleanor

She is the model for strong, unique girls who aren’t afraid to be themselves. She’s one of the best young adult heroines I have ever read about, and this list includes Katniss and Hermione. But, Eleanor is strong, smart, and beautiful in such a different way than the other two.

A little background about the novel: Eleanor is new at school because her mom let her return home after being kicked out of her house by her step-dad for an entire year. Eleanor now lives with her four brothers and sisters, her mom and the fictional-character-I-would-most-like-to-punch-in-the-face Richie the step-dad in a two-bedroom house–one room for the kids and one for the adults. They have one bathroom with NO DOOR off the kitchen. Richie is an abusive, creepy drunk, and all the kids fear him. Eleanor’s strategy is to stay out of his way when at all possible, and this includes taking a bath when she gets home from school before he’s home. Her clothes are from Good Will, and her belongings fit in a trash bag, including one small fruit box, which contains a few personal, important items, such as a walkman with no batteries. Eleanor is poor and large and awkward with bright red hair.

She also has to ride the bus to school. The kids are mean–they each have their own seat, and no one wants her to sit down with them on the first day. Finally, Park moves over and lets her sit down, not very nicely, and this starts the beginning of a beautiful friendship and love story, but not right away. Eleanor won’t look at him or talk to him. She wonders why the “weird little Asian kid” even let her sit down, but she is interested in his comic books. He notices she reads over his shoulder, and so he starts to leave the pages open a little longer to make sure she can read them all. Then without speaking, he lets her borrow some; and then finally when they talk and discuss these stories, they realize they both have a love for music, too.

Eleanor is a survivor. She survives getting kicked out of her house for a year, away from a mother who has chosen an abusive husband over her own children. Eleanor survives boredom and abuse by turning to music and comics. She survives bullying by trusting a few kind souls. She fights until it’s too dangerous to fight anymore. She knows when to flee and when to start over. She is brave. She is stubborn. She is not afraid to show her style, regardless of the stares and smirks. Even Park’s Avon-lady mom who is petite and caring in stone-washed denim mini-skirts tries to change Eleanor’s look, but Park loves her for her. And Eleanor learns to love herself and see her beauty through his eyes. She’s not perfect–she’s sarcastic, withdrawn and stubborn, but she is a strong girl.

I know you want to rush out and buy it now. I know you want to get to work on your manuscript and create a beautiful character like this. :) So I'll stop here, and let you.

Margo L. Dill is a writer, editor, teacher, and mom living in St. Louis, MO. For more information about her books, please check out her website, where she also blogs about being a single mom and writer. You can also check out her novel writing course here in the WOW! classroom.