Tackling issues of suicide, depression, divorce, and step-parenting with warmth, sensitivity, and even humor, Someone Else's Shoes chronicles a road trip across the Northeast that unites three young people in search of family and acceptance.
Ellen Wittlingeris the author of fifteen YA and middle-grade novels. Her novelHard Lovewon both a Printz Honor Award and a Lambda Literary Award. Her books have been on numerous ALA Best Books lists, Bank Street College of Education lists, and state award lists. Wittlinger has taught at Emerson College in Boston and in the Simmons College Writing for Children MFA program. Ellen is also the author of Saturdays with Hitchock and Parrotfish. She currently lives in Haydenville, Massachusetts.
Izzy is a 12-year-old surrounded by loss. Her parents are divorced
and her aunt recently committed suicide, leaving her Uncle Hen
barely able to take care of himself, let alone his son and her
younger cousin, Oliver. Oliver quickly becomes Izzy's
responsibility. As if that wasn't enough, her mother is dating a
dentist with an intimidating and possible criminal on and her
father is remarried with a new family. While trying to help Oliver
deal with his feelings, she learns it is not good to keep emotions
bottled up. The characters are well developed and all struggle
throughout the book with figuring out the "right" thing to do.
VERDICT: Tweens who enjoy emotion-heavy realism will relate
to Izzy and enjoy this title.
-School Library Journal
This middle grade book by Printz Honor author Wittlinger
(Saturdays with Hitchcock) shows the grief, anger, and
outright havoc that suicide can leave in its wake. Twelve-year-old
narrator Izzy, an aspiring comic, feels low about her father's new
marriage and impending baby, but that's nothing compared to her
10-year-old cousin Oliver's devastation after his mother commits
suicide. Oliver and his father move in with Izzy and her mother in
the aftermath; they are soon joined by Ben, the tough 16-year-old
son of her mother's boyfriend, who needs a place to stay. Izzy and
Ben's relationship is combative, but Oliver, whose father is barely
functioning after his wife's death, immediately takes to Ben, and
when Oliver's father disappears, the three embark on a road trip to
find him that brings them together. The book, which starts slow,
picks up speed as the trio perseveres despite limited funds and
other setbacks, and Wittlinger's realistic portrayal of loss makes
for a satisfying ending as the three build on their connection.
-Publisher's Weekly
Twelve-year-old Izzy lives with just her mom, until her cousin
Oliver and uncle Henderson come to stay. Since his mother's recent
suicide, 10-year-old Oliver has watched with quiet dread as his
father sinks further into grief and depression. Meanwhile,
16-year-old Ben, the son of Mom's boyfriend, joins the household
for a while, to Izzy's dismay. But gradually she notices that his
harsh words and wild reputation are balanced by unexpected kindness
towards Oliver and, increasingly, practicality and insight. When
Henderson disappears and Oliver figures out his probable
destination, Izzy and Ben put aside their differences and take the
boy on an unsanctioned road trip to find his father. Wittlinger,
whose novel HardLove (1999) was a Printz Honor Book, creates
a cast of well-drawn characters whose personalities, emotions, and
interactions drive the story. The writing is lit with lines such
as, "Izzy tried to return his stare, but his anger sliced her like
a knife," and "Sixteen in human years . . . a lot older in divorced
parent years." The absorbing story of a girl growing up and moving
beyond cliched expectations to broader understanding.
-Booklist
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