Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell, is easily one of the best books that I read this year.
It is a story of an outcast and a boy barely in the popular group who find themselves slowly becoming friends during their short bus ride to school each morning.
This book felt very real. I understand how cruel kids can be and how little grace they can exhibit just because they are unaware of their actions. In this story we meet a girl who has a terrible home situation that has made her an outcast in school and a boy who against his will shares a seat with her (jeopardizing his popularity). That first step and subsequent sharing of a bus seat everyday starts a friendship that ultimately makes them better people. It shows that although kids can be oblivious, they have the ability to do the right thing and be kind to those less fortunate.
This book will teach you to pay attention to those around you and not be so quick to judge.
