Ellen's Book of Life (Ellen Fremedon) - Hardcover

Givner, Joan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0888998538 ISBN 13: 9780888998538

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2008

Synopsis

Ellen is excited. She's just won a provincial public speaking contest, and her new friends Dimsie and Catriona have invited her to visit them in Toronto for a month. She can't wait to sample all the fun of the big city, but she vows to write her mother, now bed-bound with MS, every day. Then, while she's away, the unthinkable happens: her mom dies. As a traumatized Ellen shuts out her best friend, Jenny, her father, brothers, and grandmother all try to cope with their grief and loss — sometimes in infuriating ways. Then she finds a letter her mother has left her, which piques her natural curiosity and sets her on a new mission. Ellen knew that she was adopted, but now she's received the tools she needs to find her birth mother. And she does, though the results are surprising. In Ellen's Book of Life, Joan Givner creates a moving and optimistic story about tolerance, compassion, and the power of family ties. And, as always, Ellen's cheeky twin brothers lighten the mood whenever discussions at the family dining table start getting a little too serious.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5–7—In this adventure, events in Ellen's life move at such a dizzying pace that it's hard for readers to keep up. Ellen is asked to fill in for someone at a debating tournament, and although she has never competed before and the judge berates her for her sloppy appearance, she wins first place. As summer begins, she visits a friend in Toronto, but is quickly called home to Partridge Cove with the news that her mother, who suffered from MS, has died. Mum left a letter encouraging Ellen to find and get to know her birth mother. Although resistant at first, Ellen pursues the matter and discovers that her birth mother is Sarah, the abrasive Vancouver lawyer who judged the debate. As Ellen meets her previously unknown relatives, she is introduced to Judaism and finds her faith deepening. A subplot about a large corporation trying to build up the town's waterfront adds an environmental element, and as Sarah helps Ellen's dad fight the developer, a romantic bond blossoms. Givner portrays Ellen's anger after her mother's death and the family upheaval quite realistically, but the way that the rest of the events unfold so conveniently detracts from what could have been a powerful novel. Purchase only where the earlier books are popular.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
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From Booklist:

Continuing the story begun in Ellen Fremedon (2004), Ellen Fremedon, Journalist (2005), and Ellen Fremedon, Volunteer (2007), this first-person narrative deals with weightier matters than those in the earlier books. After the death of Ellen’s mother in an early chapter, she discovers the identity of her birth mother, Sarah, who seems reluctant to get to know her. In contrast, Sarah’s mother Rebecca welcomes Ellen warmly and enjoys introducing her to the family’s Jewish heritage. Though the novel takes on more issues than it (or Ellen) can handle convincingly, it is bolstered by the clarity and emotional candor of the writing. Grades 5-8. --Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0888998538
• ISBN 13: 9780888998538
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144