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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
It’s a little like The Giver meets Pleasantville but not quite as engaging. The author hints that something bad happened from early on, prompting the Lively family to live to Eventown, where everything is perfect and no one has bad or sad memories. However, given the timeliness of the topic once the reader finds out what the bad memory for the Lively family is, I wish it had been addressed in more detail and that more time had been spent on it rather than the last 30ish pages or so.
Haydu's novel is a grief dystopia, similar to THE GIVER in that the characters think they're living in a happy place and have left sadness behind them. The world building here is oddly successful in its simplicity: This creates a meta element to the narrative since it, too, is a story. It does take a lot longer than I'd expect for the protagonist to really start questioning society, and there's no clear incident that changes those questions into demands for change--that gradualness surprised me in a MG.
Spoiler
people tell their stories to story keepers and then those stories disappear.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Elodee and Naomi are identical twins and though in many other ways they are very different, they've always been close. A recent tragedy is threatening their relationship, however. Elodee begins to see them drifting farther apart. Its changed her relationship with her parents, too. Something has happened to the family that is so terrible it is left unspoken.
One of the results of this change in their lives is their mother accepting a position in Eventown, an idyllic planned community they visited once on a vacation. Elodee is angry about the change coming, but is angry also at the awkward treatment her family receives in their old community. In the end, they are all looking forward to a fresh start in Eventown.
Eventown is perfect. It is set in pleasant hills, the homes are all large, stone, and covered in roses. There are no cars - everything is in walking distance. While the rest of her family settles in to the new rhythms of life in Eventown, Elodee is uncomfortable. There's something off about the town and its people, and she is scared to see her sister drifting even farther away as she embraces Eventown's way of life.
I'm not familiar with Haydu's other work, but 'Eventown' was interesting. It examines how people experience emotions, good and bad, and how even the worst of experiences can help people come together. Tranquility can be achieved, but at what cost to yourself and others? The novel drifts into magical realism territory and won't hold up to overly serious scrutiny, but for its age level it successfully addresses these issues.
One of the results of this change in their lives is their mother accepting a position in Eventown, an idyllic planned community they visited once on a vacation. Elodee is angry about the change coming, but is angry also at the awkward treatment her family receives in their old community. In the end, they are all looking forward to a fresh start in Eventown.
Eventown is perfect. It is set in pleasant hills, the homes are all large, stone, and covered in roses. There are no cars - everything is in walking distance. While the rest of her family settles in to the new rhythms of life in Eventown, Elodee is uncomfortable. There's something off about the town and its people, and she is scared to see her sister drifting even farther away as she embraces Eventown's way of life.
I'm not familiar with Haydu's other work, but 'Eventown' was interesting. It examines how people experience emotions, good and bad, and how even the worst of experiences can help people come together. Tranquility can be achieved, but at what cost to yourself and others? The novel drifts into magical realism territory and won't hold up to overly serious scrutiny, but for its age level it successfully addresses these issues.
Kids need this book. Kids need books like this. Kids needs books about loss and love, forgetting and remembering, joy and sorrow.
EVENTOWN is a book that I can immediately put into the hands of several kids so they may feel less alone. Elodee and Naomi’s story is one filled with hard truths and honest imperfections, and that’s what I love most about it. It’s also what some kids need.
I recommend this book with all my heart and will, without reservation, be adding it to my classroom library.
EVENTOWN is a book that I can immediately put into the hands of several kids so they may feel less alone. Elodee and Naomi’s story is one filled with hard truths and honest imperfections, and that’s what I love most about it. It’s also what some kids need.
I recommend this book with all my heart and will, without reservation, be adding it to my classroom library.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My experience with reading Eventown was (dare I say it) uneven. The premise of the book is compelling: how can imperfect humans create for themselves a perfect world? It seems the suppressing feelings, memories, choices is the answer in Eventown.
Sure, you can still have ice cream. Please choose one of these three flavors. Sure, you play in the school band. Here's the song we perform. They're tasty flavors, and it's a nice song, but there is no moving -- or even talking about moving -- beyond those choices.
We know from the get-go that something happened to Elodee and her family; they're escaping something when they move to Eventown. And we know that there is something definitely weird about this town.
This is a beautifully written distopian novel. The characters are interesting and compelling. The world-building is complete. The narrative builds suspensefully. And then the story takes a really wild turn. And Eventown goes from being a distopian novel to a fantasy novel in a way that really changed the story for me.
The issue might be that I am not a fantasy reader. Distopian fiction seems plausible. Fantasy doesn't. So, changing styles/methods midstream was rather jarring to me. And lessened my appreciation for the book. A more seasoned and appreciative reader of fantasy might have a very different experience.
ONE NOTE: I appreciated that Haydu populates Eventown with diverse families. Popular girl Becky has two moms. Elodee's best friend Veena, who was born in Eventown, has parents who immigrated from India. Diverse people are portrayed as part of a perfect community.
Sure, you can still have ice cream. Please choose one of these three flavors. Sure, you play in the school band. Here's the song we perform. They're tasty flavors, and it's a nice song, but there is no moving -- or even talking about moving -- beyond those choices.
We know from the get-go that something happened to Elodee and her family; they're escaping something when they move to Eventown. And we know that there is something definitely weird about this town.
This is a beautifully written distopian novel. The characters are interesting and compelling. The world-building is complete. The narrative builds suspensefully. And then the story takes a really wild turn. And Eventown goes from being a distopian novel to a fantasy novel in a way that really changed the story for me.
The issue might be that I am not a fantasy reader. Distopian fiction seems plausible. Fantasy doesn't. So, changing styles/methods midstream was rather jarring to me. And lessened my appreciation for the book. A more seasoned and appreciative reader of fantasy might have a very different experience.
ONE NOTE: I appreciated that Haydu populates Eventown with diverse families. Popular girl Becky has two moms. Elodee's best friend Veena, who was born in Eventown, has parents who immigrated from India. Diverse people are portrayed as part of a perfect community.
For some reason, kids often get the best stories. Kids’ books can often tell hard truths in imaginative ways. They’re so true. Maybe the difference between kids’ and adults’ books is that as an adult, you can recognize the truth looking back better because you’re past that stage. Adult books are more ambigious because we’re all just winging. Or, maybe kids’ books continue ringing true because some things are always true. Hmm. Either way, a Juvenile Fiction book that gets you thinking about these Big Things is probably a pretty good book. Indeed, in Eventown Haydu gently provides a real gem of a story with a bursting, aching, and brave heart. Expect to cry, and also to hold your head a little higher in real lfe.
Here’s the story: Elodee and her twin sister Naomi are middle schoolers about to ditch their home town of Juniper. Something bad has happened, and everyone is looking at them like they’re cursed. They’re pitied, and Other. Elodee’s and Naomi’s family leaves everything behind and moves to Eventown, a place they’ve occasionally visited on vacation but don’t know much about. They do know that it’s perfect. Beautiful lawns and cozy houses, the most delicious ice cream, the sweetest teachers, the best fields for cartwheels, and friendly neighbors. Elodee should love Eventown. She knows that she should. Everyone else does. But she has a nagging feeling that something is wrong.
As the story unfolds, Elodee has a big decision to make. As you read along, so will you.
Here’s the story: Elodee and her twin sister Naomi are middle schoolers about to ditch their home town of Juniper. Something bad has happened, and everyone is looking at them like they’re cursed. They’re pitied, and Other. Elodee’s and Naomi’s family leaves everything behind and moves to Eventown, a place they’ve occasionally visited on vacation but don’t know much about. They do know that it’s perfect. Beautiful lawns and cozy houses, the most delicious ice cream, the sweetest teachers, the best fields for cartwheels, and friendly neighbors. Elodee should love Eventown. She knows that she should. Everyone else does. But she has a nagging feeling that something is wrong.
As the story unfolds, Elodee has a big decision to make. As you read along, so will you.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Suicide
This is such a wonderfully complex book. I love the way that the author makes feelings concrete and shows difficult feelings through the eyes of a child. This story is equal parts eerie and uplifting.
This middle grade novel was good but not great. I enjoyed the premise of it, but as an adult, I was able to guess where it was going and I grew impatient with the slow build.