Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman (Illustrator)

                             
                           Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman (Illustrator)
                                        Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 12/27/11

Summary blurb from Goodreads:
 I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

 My Thoughts:
I can’t say that I liked this book. I will sa
y that this book affected me like no other and I am glad that I read it. It is simply a book of love and loss. It showed that teenage romances are not perfect and even if the two people involved are nice people things can always unfortunately go wrong. I wanted to hate Ed for what he did to Min but I found myself feeling sorry for him.. He seemed to really care about Min and I think he was just the typical guy in high school trying to figure everything out. Not that it gives him an excuse because what he did is horrible, but I do feel for him. There were so many times when I wanted to slap Min! I mean come on girl wake up! Look what is in front of you! But as always the character is the last to know.

This book was filled with funny, sad, complicated, and wonderful moments. The author did a great job at explaining every item in the box. I only got to see a few of the pictures as my copy is an ARC and it didn’t have the full color photos, but the ones I did get were awesome. They really added to the story. It was really fun to see all the items that Min kept and know that when I was her age I did the exact same thing as did most girls. Movie stubs, bottle caps, and notes are just a few of the things that she keeps and you feel her heartache when she puts each one back in the box to return them to Ed.

I will always wonder what Ed’s reaction would have been. I wish the author would have given us one little chapter with a letter from him this was Mins story and I understand that she needed to move on.

Overall a great book to read if you want to remember your first broken heart.


4 snowflakes 
 

Copy provided from publisher through Amazon Vine