Leftovers [Paperback]

Heather Waldorf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Fifteen-year-old Sarah Greene's father—chef by day, camera buff by night—choked to death on a piece of steak. It was the best day of Sarah's life. But a year later, Sarah still struggles with the legacy of her father's abuse. While other girls her age are determined to find boyfriends and part-time jobs and dresses for the prom, Sarah is on a search-and-destroy mission: to find the shoe box containing her father's collection of kiddy porn. After a brief skirmish with the law, Sarah is sentenced to do community service hours at Camp Dog Gone Fun, a summer program for shelter dogs. With the love of a big goofy dog named Judy, the friendship of Sullivan, a guy with problems of his own, and the support of a few good adults, Sarah begins to understand her past and believe in a brighter future. (20090515)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The atmosphere of the camp and Sarah's often humorous tone are particularly effective at conveying the story in a way not too bogged down in angst. This would be a good choice for teens with an interest in realistic fiction." (Puget Sound Council for Reviewing Children's Media 20090601)

"There is enough humour in the book to mitigate the tension when necessary, but Waldorf allows the tension to build nicely to the climax of the book. Leftovers is an excellent book... [that] draws readers in, taking them on a journey that is both sad and inspirational and always thought-provoking. Recommended." (CM Magazine 20090721)

"[Waldorf] did an excellent job portraying the emotions that a sexual abuse victim experiences. I found Sarah to be a very believable and sympathetic character...A really touching story." (Random Buzz: Teens at Random website 20090801)

"Waldorf does an excellent job of not allowing Sarah to become a one-dimensional victim; instead, Sarah's response to her abuse forms only one facet of her character...Deals with a challenging topic with tasteful humour and interesting characters that will appeal to older teenage readers. Highly recommended." (Resource Links 20090701)

"The revelation of Sarah's sexual abuse is very emotional, but not graphic in detail. This well-written novel handles a difficult topic well, and is comparable to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. Recommended." (Southwestern Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group 20091001)

"The characters are well fleshed out...The conclusion is cathartic and realistic, featuring layers of themes and character development that will hold reader's interests to the end." (VOYA 20091101)

"Waldorf's respect for her readers comes through not just in the words she puts on the page, but also in the ideas she allows readers to come up with on their own. Leftovers is a frank novel that asks the reader to come to grips with the central character's feelings of shame and guilt - the 'leftovers' of abuse that give the book its title." (Quill & Quire 20100301)

"A fluid, wonderful story of how you can learn to deal with your past and the power of unconditional love and acceptance... A great read for any teen." (What If? Magazine )

"[A] heartfelt and humor-filled story Without being sentimental or judgmental, Waldorf manages to construct a compelling account of an adolescent struggling to find herself. It is beautifully written, a page-turner." (Canadian Teacher Magazine )

"Leftovers really has it all - humor, reality, family drama, and a little bit of romance to satisfy all reader's interests." (TeensReadToo.com )

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I make it to the flagpole second to last. No Poo Patrol for me. Not today. Today I draw the Grooming straw. Forget my own grooming; for three leisurely hours this morning, I'll be washing, drying, fluffing and brushing out the matted and dirt-encrusted coats of a dozen-odd dogs of questionable parentage. Not that my own parentage is anything to brag about. (20090518)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers; First edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551439379
• ISBN-13: 978-1551439372
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,042,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 10, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leftovers (Paperback)

In most cases, when a father dies, their daughter would be distraught, but in Sarah Greene's case relief floods over her. With his death, it means that there will be no more chances for her father to abuse her and take pictures. Along with the relief, though, comes a nagging feeling due to a still-hidden shoebox in her father's old restaurant filled with questionable photos that she is determined to destroy.

When her desperation to find the box hits an all-time high, she takes her mother's car and crashes it - landing her in a whole heap of trouble with the law. Her punishment: doing summer-long community service at Camp Dog Gone, where shelter dogs go for a vacation.

While at "camp," Sarah befriends a big romping dog named Judy - who is just as troubled as Sarah - another troubled soul, Sullivan, and several other people who help her turn her life around slowly but surely. As she comes to realize what is important in her life, she breaks out of her shell that the past created and starts to heal, looking towards a brighter future.

This book is unlike any that I have read before. It takes a dark subject - sexual abuse - and turns it into a journey of healing. Using a fun background, the author explores the hurt that accompanies abuse and how other people (or animals, in this case) help to heal. The plot turned out to be really cute and I loved the setting with all of the dogs running around.

The characters were also quite interesting. Sarah was so guarded that at times it was hard to see who she really was, but as the end of the book approached it was neat to see her personality really unfold. I also really like Sullivan. He seemed like such a happy-go-lucky kind of guy until you found out about his secrets, which made him very realistic. Another aspect that really stood out to me was the characterization of the dogs. Each had their own unique personality that made the reader feel as if they were curled up at their own feet.

LEFTOVERS really has it all - humor, reality, family drama, and a little bit of romance to satisfy all reader's interests. It was a great book that I really enjoyed and urge you all to go out and pick up a copy for yourself.

Reviewed by: Tasha

3.0 out of 5 stars Very good., December 27, 2011

By 

Jude - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Leftovers (Paperback)

3.5-4/5
I actually really liked this book. It was an easy read, and it wasn't amazing or anything, but it was good and I genuinely liked it.
It's about a girl, Sarah, who's father has died; a great thing for her since her father used to take kiddie porn pictures of her, leaving her scarred. After crashing her step-father's car, she is sent away to this camp over the summer for delinquents and sheltered dogs. She's not excited about it, and is surprised to see a boy from school there, Sullivan. She quickly becomes close friends, and then something more, with him, and gets attached to a dog, Judy.
I didn't get an overwhelming voice for Sarah, but I liked her, and I felt for what she was going through. Because she's trying to find the pictures that her father had taken without letting anyone know about it. Because her mother doesn't know, and she hasn't been talking to anyone about much because she's afraid. Throughout the book, she struggles with her similarities with her father, with her emotions forming for a guy, her fear of cameras, and with her family problems. It's nice seeing her overcome so many things, and seeing how she does it.
I also really liked Sullivan. He was sweet and adorable and I'd have liked to see more of him. (Not that he didn't show up much, because he was a relatively big character.) And his family was nice, and welcoming to Sarah, which she needed.
I like books with issues like this one. I haven't been through anything like it, and that's perhaps why I find it so interesting. Either way, I do and am always looking for more books with these kinds of things as I haven't read or found all that many. (Feel free to suggest some.) I think that it dealt with it rather well. The outcome was done well, and everyone's reactions were good.
The writing is nice. It's smooth, and simple. It was easy to read, while still being a really good read.
I just really liked this book.

3.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, fast read., December 23, 2011

By 

E. Kristin Anderson "EKAnderson" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leftovers (Paperback)

This one wasn't quite as intense as I'd expected -- one of its core themes is sexual abuse -- and I found the author's treatment of this theme a little too light. However, the story was compelling. Taking place on a small island in the St. Lawrence River (close to Ottowa, Ontario), this is the story of Sarah Greene, who, after stealing and crashing her mom's boyfriend's car, is sentenced to community service at Camp Dog Gone Fun, a charity that treats misfit dogs to a summer of leisure. What her the judge, her fellow campers, and even her mother and her boyfriend, Tanner, don't know is that the reason she freaked out was that having her picture taken freaks her out. So when Tanner got out his brand new digital camera and asked Sarah to smile, all she could think of was the "secret" nude photos her dad had been taking of her up until he choked on a piece of steak and died. At the camp, though, Sarah throws herself into the work, cooking meals for her fellow delinquents and fin ding companionship not only in her special project -- a wild, enormous pup named Judy -- but also in Sullivan, the director's stepson. If she lets herself, this could be the summer that allows Sarah to heal, and her unexpected friendships with everyone at Camp Dog Gone Fun -- four-legged and biped alike, might just get her through. While I would have liked to see more grit in the story, LEFTOVERS ultimately makes a painful story of sexual abuse more accessible for readers who might not otherwise pick it up. Dog lovers will appreciate the canine hijinx and stories of rehabilitation, and Sarah's wacky sense of humor and conversational narrative shine a light at the end of the tunnel. This is a lovely, fast read that will find a place in the hearts of many young readers.