Rating: 
Summary: Squashed
Review: This realistic-fiction novel is about sixteen-year-old Ellie Morgan who loves pumpkins and is currently trying to grow a giant one she named Max. Ellie spends most of her time out in the field with Max trying to protect him from the unknown weather that could develop at any time, or any pumpkin thieves. She is competing in a giant pumpkin growing contest in Rock River. Her main problem is Cyril Pool who has won the Rock River Pumpkin Weigh-In every year. This year it is Ellie's plan to win, so she can finally get recognition for what she does. Ellie lives with her over-achieving father, although she is very close to her grandma. Her mother died a long time ago, so sometimes it is hard for Ellie to go on with things. During the whole book, Ellie is trying to lose a few pounds so she will feel more self-confident.
I would recommend this book to 8th graders through high schoolers, because the story is about a teenage girl. People who like pumpkins or growing things would enjoy this book. This book was defiantly a page-turner because the author waited until the very end to tell you if Ellie won the contest or not. I couldn't stop reading! Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on the book because the author didn't explain things in enough detail. I enjoyed this genre because it wasn't like unbelievably fake, but it wasn't so boring that I fell asleep. I thought this book was very interesting and had lots of fun reading it!
Rating:
Summary: A laugh-out-loud journey into a pumpkin-loving teen
Review: "Squashed" takes on a different kind of teenage life that takes us into the world of an Iowa teen that sees the world through a farmer's eyes. Ellie is a teenage girl, who loves nature and the joy of growing her powerful pumpkins. We follow her through her struggles to grow a prize-winning pumpkin, please her farm-hating father, try to get the body-image she wants, catch the eye of fellow agriculture lover Wes, and all the while hold onto the ideals and life lessons that she has grown up with. Some may be turned off by the character's love and respect for growing and nature, but even I, a suburban teen myself, found myself laughing out loud at the wit and the blunt descriptions of Ellie's life and the people who make it interesting. You can't help but relate somehow to Ellie.
Rating: 
Summary: Raising a champion pumpkin is a weighty matter.
Review: Adults who think young adult literature is beneath them should try rotating their reading crop by including Squashed in their diet. Ellie's father produces and sells motivational audio tapes for a living and is certain that if his daughter would only follow his sage advice, she'd be more successful. To be fair, Ellie doesn't feel she needs to write down her goals, she has only two: To grow the largest pumpkin (squash) for the Iowa Harvest Festival, and to lose twenty pounds herself. Ellie laments the hardships of agriculture, particularly raising a specimen as demanding as a squash while fending off the foes who seek to defeat her. A wise grandmother, a baseball nut cousin, and a nasty grower/competitor round out a well-defined cast of characters who help Ellie deal with life, death, and coming full circle. Joan Bauer's use of humor is equally delightful in her other young adult books (Thwonk and Sticks), and should be a lesson to all of us to not take ourselves too seriously. And yet, Ellie's perserverence and fight for what she believes in is a lesson that will remain firmly planted in the reader's mind
Rating: 
Summary: a pumpkin!!
Review: call me stupid, immature, a ditz, whatever... but i really DON'T see what so great about growing pumpkins!! i mean, it's a VEGETABLE!! i'm probably going to get all these "unhelpful note" thing now, but please!! i guess it's kind of interesting reading about how passionate this person is about them, and how she "overcame the odds" and all that (which actually irritated me after a while), and i did start to really hate ceril (that's the only reason i read the whole thing) but when it comes down to it, this book is about a vegetable. not even one i particuarly like. oh well, if you like this, you like it, but you know what i think!!
Rating:
Summary: Something you thought you'd never find in a vegetable...
Review: Ellie Morgan is another one of Joan Bauer's creative characters. She's insecure about herself in every way but one, and that's Max. And Max is a pumpkin. But Ellie is determind to grow him into a prizewinning vegetable, and SQUASHED is all about her attempts. Mrs. Bauer leads us through a tale that will keep you laughing and hoping the whole way through, and you'll enjoy the ride. So what's so great about a pumpkin? Ellie Morgan can tell you, and you'll never think the same way about a vegetable again.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and touching...
Review: Ellie Morgan's father always says to have goals. Ellie's goals are to help her beloved pumpkin Max grow 200 pounds in two months and lose 20 pounds. Joan Bauer's heroine is witty and determined. Each page has over a dozen laughs. Ellie wants to win the giant pumpkin contest horribly. Winning would mean beating Cybill Pool for the first time. Taking off 20 pounds would give her the courage to approach Wes, a new boy who is a grower like Ellie. As Ellie's pumpkin grows, she is faced with frost and pumpkin theives. Ellie learns some of life's little lessons, too. You will surely enjoy this funny and touching novel and love Joan Bauer's herione Ellie.
Rating:
Summary: Humor in literature
Review: I found Joan Bauer's book Squashed to be a wonderful combination of humor and valuable insights into relationships. Her humor makes difficult situations easier to confront and examine in our own lives. My ninth grade daughter couldn't put the book down which is unusual for her when it comes to reading.
Rating:
Summary: Good Summer Reading book.
Review: I thought to myself as I looked at this book. I hate summer reading. It's slow in the beginning, but it gets you hooked for some reason. Every girl can relate to Ellie whether you are 10 or 20. Her feelings and stress is so real that its like telling your own life story. Great book! 4 stars!
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Heartwarming
Review: If you are tired of the normal love story, this is the book for you. It is about a girl very in love with her giant pumpkin. Soon, she falls in love with a boy too. The girl and the boy develope a friendship. Together, they help the girl's pumpkin grow bigger, despite the competition. The ending is unexpected and satisfying. I think Joan Bauer is a great author.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and interesting
Review: In another of Joan Bauer's funny teen novels, sixteen-year-old Ellie Morgan is faced with 2 problems: getting her prize giant pumpkin, Max, to put on some major bulk, and losing some of her own in order to approach Wes, the cute new guy at school. Ellie, who learned everything she knows from her consuming love of growing pumpkins, is set to become the youngest winner of her town's festival's Pumpkin Weigh-In. In her way is her father, who definitely thinks farming is a waste of time, and Cyril Pool, a truly detestable being who wins the weigh-in every year despite his stupidity and odor. Ellie, armed only with her common sense and special secret pumpkin booster solution, must touch the inner strength in her roots in order to suceed against adversity, Cyril, and pumpkin thieves.In classic Bauer style, the story is odd, but you never doubt a word. Ellie is very real to readers, and the story is interesting, funny, and thoughtful the whole way through. My only problem with the book is that Ellie seems shy and unable to defend herself at times, and relies on her friends to speak for her. Come on, Ellie! As she says, "To grow giant pumpkins, you've got to be tough."
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