LitPick Review
Ellen is a brave 13-year-old girl living in Brooklyn, New York. As the date for her Bat Mitzvah gets closer, Ellen begins to worry about what kind of woman she wants to be. When everybody in school starts to change their looks and personality to fit in with the crowd, Ellen stays true to herself and her personality. One of her female role models is her mother. Ellen feels that her mother focuses more on others than her. In fact, Ellen’s parents begin having fights because her dad is angered by the fact that her mom is never home. Ellen’s mom is an important doctor who travels not for fun but to help people in need. Her parents’ fights result in Ellen worrying about divorce. When the challenges in her life seem to be insurmountable, her family must mourn the loss of her Zayde (grandfather). Ellen starts doubting herself and is afraid of the challenges in her future. Despite the upheaval in her life, Ellen strives to become a kind and compassionate woman.
Opinion:
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book is a true page-turner because the conflicts Ellen faces are incredibly relatable for teenagers. She deals with the fear of growing up, the divorce of her parents, her crush on Noah, LGBTQ+ issues in her friend group, and grief. Ellen’s personality comes through well in the first-person narration chosen by the author. Readers are invited into Ellen’s thoughts as she tries to ponder her next move. The book teaches you that you should not change who you are to impress other people. An example of this is Ellen’s conviction that a girl should have a boyfriend who likes her for who she is, rather than who he wants her to be. The pace of the book was appealing because it focused on the events in Ellen’s life with incredible detail so that the reader feels a connection with the protagonist. The one change I would make to the book is the title. In my opinion mean is not a good adjective to describe Ellen as she is so kind and caring. I could not understand why the Author called the book "Mean".
