Dessen, Sarah.
ALONG FOR THE RIDE
New York : Viking, 2009
IL YA
ISBN 0670011940

(4 booktalks)

Auden is trapped between a cold-hearted bitch for a mother and a distant, failed author for a father, so it’s no wonder she doesn’t have much of a life beyond being good at school. It is a surprise, even to her, when she decides to spend the summer before going off to college with her father and his new family. Auden hasn’t been able to sleep at night for a few years now and it’s no different in a new town, she just doesn’t have the good all night diner to go to anymore. So she wanders around – and that’s how she accidentally meets Eli. Eli was one of the gang in this small town, up until his best friend Abe was killed last year. Now Eli can’t sleep either, and he and Auden form a tentative bond over late night coffee and errands. But, as in every Sarah Dessen book, Auden can’t let things stay as they are.  (Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2011)

Booktalk #2

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce - or since the fighting started. With no other plans for the summer than pre-reading the texts for her first semester at a prestigious university, Auden makes the snap decision to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live. A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, and their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, another loner and fellow night owl who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests. For Auden, to experience the carefree childhood and teenage life she’s been denied, including a food fight, riding a bike, going to a club, delivering papers, and a prom. For Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.  (Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2011)

Booktalk #3

It's been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents' divorce--or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

(booktalk by the Bookscreening Team: http://bookscreening.com/2009/06/03/along-for-the-ride-by-sarah-dessen/  Evergreen Young Adult Book Award 2013)

Booktalk #4

The moon reflects on the ocean, waves gently wash onto the shore, and at 2:00am in a sleepy beach town Auden is wide awake. It is the summer before she starts college and in addition to dealing with her parents' divorce and her father's new life which includes a new wife and baby, Auden struggles with her own sense of self. Being raised by parents who focused on intelligence and could not connect with one another, Auden's main coping skill of getting perfect grades and isloating suddenly doesn't work anymore. And while wandering the beach town streets at night she meets another insomniac, Eli. Not only is he very attractive to her but he is also dealing with his own issues of love and loss. Together they forge a friendship that could be something more if Auden's heart will relax enough to allow her to let go. Just like how riding a bicycle takes a balance of letting go and making decisions, she tries to learn how to trust herself and others. But will she be able to learn before the summer, and possibly her chance at love, is over?

(booktalk by Kathleen Dunbar, Cleveland High School Library for Evergreen Young Adult Book Award 2013)