Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

Eventown

by Corey Ann Haydu

The world tilted for Elodee this year, and now it’s impossible for her to be the same as she was before. Not when her feelings have such a strong grip on her heart. Not when she and her twin sister, Naomi, seem to be drifting apart. So when Elodee’s mom gets a new job in Eventown, moving seems like it might just fix everything.
Indeed, life in Eventown is comforting and exciting all at once. Their kitchen comes with a box of recipes for Elodee to try. Everyone takes the scenic way to school or work—past rows of rosebushes and unexpected waterfalls. On blueberry-picking field trips, every berry is perfectly ripe.

Sure, there are a few odd rules, and the houses all look exactly alike, but it’s easy enough to explain—until Elodee realizes that there are only three ice cream flavors in Eventown. Ever. And they play only one song in music class.

Everything may be “even” in Eventown, but is there a price to pay for perfection—and pretending? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Review… 5/5 ★★★★★

I absolutely loved this sweet middle grade novel. This book boasted incredible imagination and creativity in communicating a message about not forgetting the past but letting it guide you. I was in love with the message of being able to own your own stories and not ignoring them, even when they’re hard or ugly. I loved the redemptive message of finding what was lost. 

I thought how we slowly learned about Elodee’s past and what brought her to Eventown to begin with was so creatively written. It was dystopian without being dystopian; rather, the author used a creative setting to communicate her message.  I loved Elodee and Naomi and found them both relatable, and appreciated the discussion on their differences as they grew. I really liked how the author did not skirt away from the hard topic of depression, but instead addressed what it might feel like for the children. In today’s world, kids are faced with all sorts of troubles, and ignoring these troubles does them no good. Instead we ought to be offering a good example on how to handle these troubles, as well as hope, which I thought Eventown did a great job of. A creative, intriguing, and inspiring novel that I can’t wait to add to my collection!

Content issues: One side character has two moms and it is implied they came to Eventwon because they were not accepted where they had been.

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