Eventown
By Corey Ann Haydu
Katherine Tegen Books, 2019. Fiction, pp. 328.
Everything is just right in Eventown. Nothing is out of the ordinary, nothing is too loud, too exciting or too anything. There are just three ice cream flavors, and the roses never get bigger than is appropriate. Elodee and her twin, Naomi, have just moved to Eventown with their parents, and although the town is pleasant, and always sunny, and there are no conflicts or problems, Elodee is having a hard time not asking questions, making messes, or being a little bit different. In the process of asking questions, she begins to wonder if something isn’t quite right about Eventown.
Haydu writes a magical story for older readers, which asks important questions about how we deal with grief, and sadness, and if perfection has anything to do with joy. Haydu’s writing comes to life along with her characters, who have unique likes, hobbies, and personalities. Beautiful descriptions of foods and flavors jump off the page, and deep discussions about how fine the lines are between joy, sadness, and anger ground the book in a strong emotional place. While this story is not really for younger readers who might struggle with some of the heavier topics and more abstract concepts in the book, it will likely resonate with older middle grade readers who are exploring the difficulties of the spectrum of human emotions.
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