Ellen Wittlinger – författare

In this long-anticipated companion novel to the Printz Honor Book Hard Love, which critics called "A bittersweet tale of self-expression and the struggle to achieve self-love," Ellen Wittlinger offers a novel just as emotionally honest and deeply felt.Marisol Guzman has deferred college for a year to accomplish two things: She will write a novel and she will fall in love. How hard could that be? She gets her very own apartment (with her high school best friend as roommate) and a waitressing job at a classic Harvard Square coffeehouse. When she enrolls in an adult education class -- "How to Write Your First Novel" -- there are two big surprises waiting for her: John Galardi, aka "Gio," a fellow zine writer who fell head over heels for her last spring (despite the fact that she''s a lesbian) and her instructor, Olivia Frost, the most exquisitely beautiful woman she''s ever seen.     But as Marisol ventures into what seems to be her storybook romance with Olivia, things start to go off track. Between the ups and downs of her new relationship, her strained friendship with Lee (a newly out lesbian who is crushing big-time on Marisol), and her roommate''s new boyfriend (who is equally afraid of Marisol and their cat) moving in, Marisol starts losing sight of her goals. Is she too blinded by love to see the lies?

With keen insight into teenage life, Ellen Wittlinger delivers a story of adolescence that is fierce and funny -- and ultimately transforming -- even as it explores the pain of growing up.Since his parents'' divorce, John''s mother hasn''t touched him, her new fiancé wants them to move away, and his father would rather be anywhere than at Friday night dinner with his son. It''s no wonder John writes articles like "Interview with the Stepfather" and "Memoirs from Hell." The only release he finds is in homemade zines like the amazing Escape Velocity by Marisol, a self-proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." Haning around the Boston Tower Records for the new issue of Escape Velocity, John meets Marisol and a hard love is born.    While at first their friendship is based on zines, dysfuntional families, and dreams of escape, soon both John and Marisol begin to shed their protective shells. Unfortunately, John mistakes this growing intimacy for love, and a disastrous date to his junior prom leaves that friendship in ruins. Desperately hoping to fix things, John convinces Marisol to come with him to a zine conference on Cape Cod. On the sandy beaches by the Bluefish Wharf Inn, John realizes just how hard love can be.

What do you say to someone whose mother is dying?Nathan and his adorable little sister just moved in across the street from Liz Scattergood, and both of them could use a friend. Liz just isn''t sure she''s the right person.      Liz has been coping with tough questions all summer. Ever since Liz''s grandmother Bunny died, Liz''s mother hasn''t been the same; she''s even started attending a spiritualist church that claims it can contact Bunny on the Other Side. Liz isn''t sure she believes it, but she does know the service gives her mother comfort -- something no one else can seem to do at all.     As Liz and Nathan become closer, and the summer draws nearer to its bitter end, questions of faith, mortality, and spirituality come to the forefront of their intimate friendship. There are no easy answers, but together they may nonetheless find hope, comfort, and love.

A summer disappointment turns into a cross-country discovery.Robin can''t believe it when her boyfriend, Chris, tells her that his parents have enrolled him in a summer program in Rome. It''s their last summer together before he goes away to college, and now they won''t even have that time together. It feels like the worst thing that''s ever happened to her.     Since Chris is leaving, Robin agrees to join her aunt and cousins on a cross-country road trip, in spite of her reservations -- she and her younger cousins have never really gotten along, and since their father''s death they''ve become even more problematic than before.     Soon the four of them are zigzagging through the West on an eye-opening journey. They explore parts of the country Robin never dreamed existed -- and she discovers inner resources she never imagined she had.

One summer can change everything...Kenyon Baker is not happy about moving to Cape Cod halfway through high school, but his parents have decided to retire there to run a summer cottage colony. At least they''ll let him have his own darkroom, provided he helps prepare the colony for guests. The early hours and hard work compound Ken''s unhappiness, but just when he thinks he''ll never make it through the summer, he meets Razzle Penney.     Skinny, buzz-cut Razzle isn''t afraid to act differently from everyone else, and she simultaneously becomes Ken''s friend and his muse, as he takes a series of inspiring photos of her. However, Razzle also introduces Ken to beautiful, aggressive Harley, causing a rift in their friendship. Just when it seems things can''t get more complicated, Razzle''s mother breezes into town, and Razzle learns more about her past than she wants to know....

Nobody should have a night like this...8:30 P.M.: It''s been four years since Michelle was killed. Leo can''t stand to be at home with his mom -- she''s crazy with rage. He''s got anger of his own and pictures of his dead sister he can''t get out of his head.      9:00 P.M.: Bree parks her mom''s car and locks the doors. She''s in a bad part of town, but she knows the bar has to be around here somewhere. All she wants is to escape for a while and have a good time.      9:15 P.M.: Leo, out for a drive to get away from his mom, spots Bree. Why is this girl alive while Michelle''s not?      By 6:30 A.M., when their long night is over, everything has changed

They are four best friends who've shared joy and secrets, love and memories, and since the beginning, Lorna was the one who held them all together. Then, the unthinkable happens. During a storm, Lorna is swept out to sea, leaving the three survivors with nothing to cling to except grief and questions. How did this happen? Why was Lorna in such danger, and was she alone? When her body is never found, the mystery deepens. Did Lorna really die? Or has she made a crazy bid for freedom? Inevitably, the dynamic of the four friends' everyday life is changed forever. But the pain and confusion go deepest for Jackie, who must face her feelings of unrequited love for Lorna's boyfriend as well as try to put to rest her own questions about Lorna's presumed death. Does one of the boys in their inner circle know more than he's letting on? Will Lorna's fate ever be discovered? And how will Jackie become her own person in the wake of a wound that may never close? In this beautifully written, intense novel, one girl has to travel through loss and disillusionment to make sense of her own future. "Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love was one of the books that inspired me to write young adult novels." ~John Green, author, The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns

Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl, but it’s a shock to everyone when she cuts her hair short, buys some men’s clothes, and announces she’d like to be called by a new name, Grady. Grady is happy about his decision to finally be true to himself, despite the practical complications, like which gym locker room to use. And though he didn’t expect his family and friends to be happy about his decision, he also didn’t expect kids at school to be downright nasty about it. But as the victim of some cruel jokes, Grady also finds unexpected allies in this thought-provoking novel that explores struggles any reader can relate to.

October 1962. Juliet Klostermeyer''s world is turning upside down. All she hears from her parents and teachers and on the news is the Russian threat and the Cuban Missile Crisis. And things aren''t much better at home. Her best friend, Lowell, doesn''t seem interested in being her friend anymore--he''d rather hang out with the new boys instead. When Patsy moves in, things are looking up. Patsy is fearless, and she challenges the neighborhood boys to see who''s better, stronger faster: a war between the boys and the girls. All the talk of war makes Juliet uneasy. As the challenges become more and more dangerous, Juliet has to decide what she stands for--and what''s worth fighting for. This is a powerful middle-grade coming of age novel from teen powerhouse Ellen Wittlinger.

You never know what, or who, will touch your heart.Now that Bess Cunningham is in middle school, she''s determined to get noticed. With her new glasses, her wild thrift-store clothes, and her job as stage manager for the school play, she''s sure her days of being invisible are over.     Being forced to volunteer with her parents at the local soup kitchen doesn''t exactly fit into Bess''s popularity plans, especially since she finds the place so creepy. But when she meets Gracie Jarvis Battle, an elderly homeless woman, Bess can''t help but feel compassion for her. Bess grows more involved with trying to feed and shelter the older woman, but as the weather turns colder and Gracie grows thinner, Bess begins to wonder--will her help be enough?