Eleanor

Gr 7 Up—This is a fast-paced paranormal story of love and family, remembrance and survival. Eleanor Anders lost her family at a young age due to a tragic incident. As the sole survivor, she fled into the forest for safety. When she was finally saved by Tabitha, she was not quite certain how long she had been in the woods. All she knew was that she needed Tabitha and miraculously, Tabitha needed her. Ten years later, Eleanor is in high school in the small town of Jamesford, Wyoming. She is shy and withdrawn and hopes to go mosty unnoticed. Tabitha is close to death from cancer and Eleanor is petrified of a future alone. Tabitha is the only person on earth that she can trust, and the only person that knows her true secret. When the tall, dark, and mysterious David Venn comes back into Tabitha's life, Eleanor doesn't understand why she's so drawn to him and almost risks exposing her secret to stay by his side. This first installment of the three-part series is based on a Navajo legend. Worthen's handling of the volatile issues of racism, societal inequalities, gossip mongering, peer pressure, bullying, death, and abandonment will provide readers with numerous opportunities for in-depth discussion.—Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA