Squashed (Dolphin Books)

by Joan Bauer

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I chose this book on a whim, because I needed a book set in Iowa for my 50 States Reading challenge, and what an awesome treat this was. The synopsis doesn't do this book any justice, if you ask me, because at its heart, this was a tale of girl and her pumpkin.

Ellie was a grower. She put her heart, soul, and life blood into nurturing her Big Max Giant pumpkin. Her passion for growing was so inspiring to me! I never thought the story of a giant pumpkin would captivate me in this way, but it did.

I grew up in Brooklyn, where my grandfather, who had farmed back in Poland, had a little city garden. I loved visiting and tending the fruits and veggies, but I had no clue how much really went into making the garden grow. I loved when Ellie shared all her knowledge about caring for Max with me. It was interesting, and I was awed by her knowledge and dedication.

But, there was a lot more to this book than growing. This was really a story about Ellie, who immediately owned a piece of my heart. I loved her voice, her humor, her passion. I just could not resist wanting to know more about her.

She was a young woman, who had lost her mother at a rather young age, and was desperately trying to connect with her father. This was the part that really hit me in the feels, and is currently bringing tears to my eyes. It was a special treat seeing Ellie and her dad build that bridge back to each other as they attempted to mend the mom-sized hole in their hearts.

But, she was also an average teen, who had a crush on a new-to-town grower, Wes. Wes and Ellie were two peas in a pod, and their courtship was rather endearing. I smiled until it hurt as I watched these two grow closer and closer, as Max grew bigger and bigger.

Bauer drew these wonderful parallels between Max's life and Ellie's life. They both went through a growing cycle together, and I cheered and shed tears for them both.

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