Sandpiper
by Ellen Whittlinger
New York
Simon Pulse
2005
ISBN: 0689868022

Plot Summary:
Sandpiper is a bold and intelligent girl with few friends and lots of sexual experience. Her struggle to achieve self-awareness and overcome the bullying and incomprehension of others provide the framework of the novel's evolution.
When another solitary misfit called the Walker inadvertently comes to Sandpiper's aid, she latches onto her perception of him as some kind of rescuer, desperately hoping he can help her discover something else.
Critical Evaluation:
Sandpiper is a highly sophisticated novel, engaging complex and sensitive issues regarding female promiscuity and adolescent alienation with a tone both brave and quiet. Wittlinger intersperses each chapter with Sandpiper's poems, all of which detail the events swirling around her. This technique provides both a unique artistry to the novel, and evokes the character of Sandpiper in a unique and generous way.
Overall, one of the most moving stories I have read in a long while...
Reader's Annotation:
Sandpiper is a very smart girl with alot of issues....
Can she pull it together on her own? Or, will she finally learn how to accept the love and help from her family?
Author Info:
Wittlinger began her adult life as a college dropout, returning to college to acquire an MFA in creative writing, and continuing as an accomplished poet. She turned to playwriting, and was endowed with several fellowships in support of her poems and plays.
Later, after becoming a YA librarian and having children, she turned to writing YA fiction, and has written 13 books. Hard Love won the Printz Honor Award in 2000.
Genre:
Coming-of-age/ romance/ YA fiction/ poetry
Booktalking Ideas:
*Why does Sandpiper become so fascinated with the Walker?
*What kind of influence does her father, Rags, exert over her?
*How do Sandpiper's feelings regarding her stepsister and little sister evolve over the course of the story?
*Describe the effect of poetry on Sandpiper's life.
Reader Level/Interest Age:
High school age and up; novel's complexity provides an engaged read for any age (over teen...)
Challenges:
Detailed explanations of sexual promiscuity, along with the protagonist's continued alienation due to it. Complex substory of trauma and death further add to the mature themes.
Defense to challenges: Wittlinger is an award-winning novelist, her books--while revolving around mature situations--contain inspiring lessons for survival and growth. Her canonical status entails a heavy fanbase of teens and young adult readers, making her presence necessary to any public library.
Why Include?:
Novel highly recommended by course readings. Ellen Wittlinger is a renowned and prolific writer.