Rating: 
Summary: Squash Em, Ellie!
Review: This story is proof that you can't judge a book by its cover. I groaned when I learned I had to read this book for school, but after I started it I liked it so much that I bought my own copy. Ms. Bauer's characters are excellent, and the book is funny, fast-paced, and surprisingly moving. You'll laugh and cry with Ellie, and you will read this book again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Ellie Morgan: a sixteen year old who grows giant pumpkins.
Review: Unlike the title, the book Squashed by Joan Bauer is completely the opposite.Ellie goes through the typical problems of normal teenagers; being overweight, lusting over a new kid in town, and growing giant pumpkins for competition isn't exactly easy, you know. But, despite the startling plot ("A girl who grows pumpkins. Gee, that'll go far!"), Joan Bauer really makes this book flow; Ellie's feelings, her communication problems with her father (who, actually, dislikes the agricultural side of life, despite living in the middle of Iowa), and the gentle evolution of confidence Ellie has for herself (mainly due to her getting a boyfriend, even being overweight) really makes this book unique. This book is amazing; I cannot stress how little my praise truly means until you read the book - trust me, a complete stranger; once you read the first page, you'll be in love with Ellie for the rest of - and after - the book. The writing is stunning; I still find myself laughing every few minutes, even though I've reread the book about six times. Joan Bauer made this book as if she was Ellie, living her life and her emotions; one thing that really made me roar with laughter included how Ellie told Max [her pumpkin] parts from motivational tapes of her father's. Several problems in this book, that I could find, included how the ending never seemed to come - you think, "Gee, this HAS to be the ending!" and in fact, you're nowhere close to it. That is, however, a good thing, considering Ms. Bauer's writing abilities. Another problem was how, sometimes, the book got slightly 'mushy'; all romance-filled and sad and such. But then again, I AM a teenage male - we think these things. To stress Ms. Bauer's talents, the whole party scene made me embarassed for Ellie; all of her feelings were mine, for that point in time. I had to constantly look away from the book - this rarely happens, unless the book is so horrible I want to fling it against the wall. This was, however, fantastic; I love it when I feel true empathy for characters in books. This book is fantastic for all ages, as well; I forced my mother to read the book (seeing as we have similar tastes in books) and she agrees with me: Ellie is a true heroine. The five stars were, pretty much, all explained; I advise you to buy this book - this is one buy you will never regret.
Rating:
Summary: A sweet little book about a BIG subject
Review: You wouldn't think there was anything sentimental about growing pumpkins. To most of us, pumpkins are simply round, plump vegetables without any particularly charming traits about them. But to 16 year-old Iowa teen Ellie Morgan, her huge pumpkin, Max, is a girl's best friend. While Max grows larger, as do Ellie's hopes of winning her town's annual pumpkin weigh-in, an overweight Ellie attempts to grow smaller by losing twenty pounds. Her desire to be thinner grows when she meets a new boy, Wes, whose interest in corn is equal to Ellie's pumpkin infatuation. Life starts to get pretty stressful as Ellie feels the pressures of dieting, pumpkin growing, and being in love. This is a charming, unique young adult novel, that is definitely reccomended to all teen readers
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