Squashed [Paperback]

Joan Bauer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 2, 2005

Humor, agriculture and young love all come together in Joan Bauer's first novel, set in rural Iowa. Sixteen-year-old Ellie Morgan's life would be almost perfect if she could just get her potentially prize-winning pumpkin to put on about 200 more pounds—and if she could take off 20 herself...in hopes of attracting Wes, the new boy in town.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Have you ever played the "if only" game? Well, if only Ellie's potentially prize-winning pumpkin would gain 200 more pounds in time for the Rock River Pumpkin Weigh-In, and if only Ellie could lose 20 or so pounds herself, her life might be perfect. Well, at least it would be perfect enough to give her the courage to make friends with Wes--the cute new guy at school. She's well on her way to winning big on all counts when frost and pumpkin thieves begin to attack! The thing is, Ellie has the sass, humor, and smarts to be a winner--whether or not her pumpkin breaks the scales ... if only she would realize it. Smashing! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In the small farm town of Rock River, folks take competitive agriculture pretty seriously--and none more so than 16-year-old Ellie Morgan, who is staking everything on a massive pumpkin named Max. With the help of her new "grower" boyfriend, her staunch grandma and even Max's steady, 611-pounds of support, Ellie wins both the respect of her doubting father and the blue ribbon in an exciting Harvest Fair weigh-in climax. A winner herself--of the Delacorte Press Prize for a First YA Novel--Bauer underscores Ellie's bid for top honors with the reassuring rhythm of the cycle of life. She gently and powerfully affirms Ellie's need to nurture Max in her grief for her dead mother, and celebrates with both sadness and joy the end of Max's life, as Ellie returns him to the earth to nourish the fruit of his own seeds. Squashed is fast-paced and engrossing entertainment that startles the reader with its underlying strength. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: Speak (June 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142404268
• ISBN-13: 978-0142404263
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I had moved from journalism to screenwriting when one of the biggest challenges of my life occurred. I was in a serious auto accident which injured my neck and back severely and required neurosurgery. It was a long road back to wholeness, but during that time I wrote Squashed, my first young adult novel. The humor in that story kept me going. Over the years, I have come to understand how deeply I need to laugh. It's like oxygen to me. My best times as a writer are when I'm working on a book and laughing while I'm writing. Then I know I've got something." Joan's first novel, Squashed, won the Delacorte Prize for a First Young Adult Novel. Five novels for young adult readers have followed: Thwonk, Sticks, Rules of the Road (LA Times Book Prize and Golden Kite), Backwater and Hope was Here (Newbery Honor Medal). Joan lives in Darien, CT with her husband and daughter.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellie Morgan: a sixteen year old who grows giant pumpkins. January 1, 2002

By conrad

Format:Paperback

Unlike the title, the book Squashed by Joan Bauer is completely the opposite.

Ellie goes through the typical problems of normal teenagers; being overweight, lusting over a new kid in town, and growing giant pumpkins for competition isn't exactly easy, you know.

But, despite the startling plot ("A girl who grows pumpkins. Gee, that'll go far!"), Joan Bauer really makes this book flow; Ellie's feelings, her communication problems with her father (who, actually, dislikes the agricultural side of life, despite living in the middle of Iowa), and the gentle evolution of confidence Ellie has for herself (mainly due to her getting a boyfriend, even being overweight) really makes this book unique. This book is amazing; I cannot stress how little my praise truly means until you read the book - trust me, a complete stranger; once you read the first page, you'll be in love with Ellie for the rest of - and after - the book.

The writing is stunning; I still find myself laughing every few minutes, even though I've reread the book about six times. Joan Bauer made this book as if she was Ellie, living her life and her emotions; one thing that really made me roar with laughter included how Ellie told Max [her pumpkin] parts from motivational tapes of her father's.

Several problems in this book, that I could find, included how the ending never seemed to come - you think, "Gee, this HAS to be the ending!" and in fact, you're nowhere close to it. That is, however, a good thing, considering Ms. Bauer's writing abilities.

Another problem was how, sometimes, the book got slightly 'mushy'; all romance-filled and sad and such. But then again, I AM a teenage male - we think these things.

To stress Ms. Bauer's talents, the whole party scene made me embarassed for Ellie; all of her feelings were mine, for that point in time. I had to constantly look away from the book - this rarely happens, unless the book is so horrible I want to fling it against the wall. This was, however, fantastic; I love it when I feel true empathy for characters in books.

This book is fantastic for all ages, as well; I forced my mother to read the book (seeing as we have similar tastes in books) and she agrees with me: Ellie is a true heroine.

The five stars were, pretty much, all explained; I advise you to buy this book - this is one buy you will never regret.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Squashed August 23, 2001

By "aquagrl"

Format:Mass Market Paperback

squashed was another example of joan bauer's hilarious, scarcastic, down-to-earth writing style. this book is about a girl named ellie who strugles with self-confidence the thought of approaching her crush, wes, and then there's max: her soon-to-become champion sized pumpkin which she is entering in the county fair. her main competetor is a grungy, disgusting man named cyril pool (who has a sign reading "home of the whopper" over his surprisingly large pumpkin entitled "big daddy".) i found myself laughing out loud at all ellie's cynical remarks. also, the story draws you in, and i got really excited and even a little bit nervous for ellie and max as the big competition drew closer and the tension mounted. joan bauer took a common young adult plot and put a fun spin on it that made it more intereting and hard to put down. congrats to bauer on another great book!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gain a new perspective on pumpkins September 1, 2000

By Ivy

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Joan Bauer's books have a few things in common: a spirited, talented protagonist, an unusual quest, a family obstacle, and good triumphant. In Squashed, the first and, IMO, best of her books, this formula works to great effect - you'll laugh, you'll rejoice, and you'll never see pumpkins the same way again.

Ellie Morgan has just two goals: to lose 20 pounds, and to grow a pumpkin big enough to win the Annual Rock River Weigh-In, the pumpkin festival to end all pumpkin festivals. Unfortunately, a few things stand in her way: her motivation-obsessed father, who despises agriculture ("the Absolute Dead-End of Existence"), Cyril, the 35-year-old grower (with a heart of evil) who usually wins the competition, and her history teacher, who, strangely, thinks that school is more important. On Ellie's side she has her cousin Richard, baseball semi-star and pumpkin spy, her Grandmother, a pillar of growing wisdom and strength, and her friends.

From the beginning, the reader knows it's all going to come together in a major showdown at the Weigh-In. But the question is - how will Ellie make it that far? And the answer is purely hilarious. Sprinkled with humor and agriculture wisdom, Squashed is a highly appealing novel for young adults and adults alike.