Book Review: Squashed

Friday Spines Book Review Number 23:

Squashed, by Joan Bauer

While the voice and tone of this book are similar to Joan Bauer's other books, the story is fresh and unique even compared to the wide range of literature . 

Ellie, the book's plump heroine, opens the book with a description of her "secret booster solution", which she is about to inject into the stem of her 300-pound-pumpkin. This would be boring in anyone else's words, but Ellie deftly mixes pumpkin chemistry soliloquies, worries about her weight, memories of her mother (who died in a car crash eight years ago), and obsessions about her crush (easy to identify with, but told with a fresh twist that makes it funny). 

"I already have a bad relationship with my father," I said. "I want to have a good relationship with him..."
Richard put down the bat and wiped off his hands. "I think, Ellie, that people respect people that are either like them or people they want to be like."
"So?"
"I think it's a lost cause with your father. Give it up. Be your own person."
"There's got to be something I-"
"Do you have anything in common?" Richard asked.
I thought hard. "Ice cream," I said.
"Then I'd eat a lot of ice cream together and not talk much."
"I'm on a diet."
"You could learn Japanese," he offered, swinging again.

The plot of the book tells the story of the forty-six days left until the Rock River Pumpkin Weigh-In and Harvest Fair, as Ellie tries to lose twenty pounds and Max tries to gain two hundred. There are emotional breakdowns at the pumpkin's side under pouring rain, motivational speeches (written by her father and edited to suit a pumpkin), and midnight tussles with mysterious pumpkin thieves. 

I've heard that a lot of people have trouble getting into this book--I didn't experience that at all. Although the story is by no means a thriller, its interesting, realistic characters and one-of-a-kind subject mixed with everyday themes make it an uplifting book that will call to you as soon as you put it down. The writing is clear but not overly simple, and the content--while appropriate for readers of all ages--can be appreciated more as children mature. I recommend this book for ages 9 and up, although readers in the "too cool" stage might not find it interesting: The simplicity and happy ending can portray a deceptively mundane story, but it shouldn't be disregarded by older readers.

Disclaimer: There is a happy ending. If you tend to think things are unrealistic, you'll probably find fault with it. If you let yourself be caught up in Ellie's story, though, hopefully you'll see it as I did when I first read it, and just smile to yourself and give a big "I just finished an excellent book" sigh.

Other things I like about this book:

• There's a fine line between "perfect" and "absurdly screwed-up" when it comes to characters. Although significant amounts of angst can be tiring, it's hard to be patient with someone who has it all, even in a book. The characters of Squashed are in between: They're have many of the issues any reader might, but they don't seem unrealistically flawed.
• This is the comfort food of books. The story is simultaneously soothing and stimulating, and will make you laugh, cry, and go "Oh, I've done that" through the whole book.
• There are constant references to agriculture and gardening, but they can be appreciated even by indoor types. 
• A heroine is included who isn't ridiculously good at putting on makeup!

Other books you may enjoy: Other books by Joan Bauer; The Princess Diaries series, by Meg Cabot; Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech; and A Corner of the Universe, by Ann Martin.

See you next week--happy reading!

M. Gabrielle