title: The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily
author:  Laura Creedle 
description: Gr 8 UpLily Michaels-Ryan, a 10th grader in Austin, TX, craves normalcy and peace; instead, she breaks things, runs away from unpleasant situations, invades people's personal space, and arrives chronically late for everything. She is a slow, though avid, reader and is living with ADHD and dyslexia. Her handsome and uber-smart classmate, Abelard Mitchell, is socially awkward, experiences anxiety attacks, has processing delays, and deals with sensory issues. He has Asperger's. Together they unwittingly get into trouble and are sent to the principal's office where Lily impulsively kisses Abelard. Emulating the 12th-century love letters of their intellectual forebears, Abelard and Hlose, they find solace by communicating via the written word, i.e. texting each other. Their blossoming romance hits roadblocks as Abelard and Lily cope with their neurodifferences alongside the treacherous waters of family, fellow teenagers, and school. Abounding with literary references and rich imagery, Creedle's debut novel achieves appealing and authentic voices as it explores the theme of differences. Lily desperately wants to be normal but at the same time despairs of losing her real self in the medications and treatments pushed on her. Her humorous insights appear at just the right moment, often related in naturally flowing dialogue. A full array of well-developed secondary characters, including Lily's younger sister Iris, her best friend Rosalind, and her mother, accompany fluid pacing as Lily faces important decisions about her future. VERDICT A thought-provoking story to fill that empty space on YA shelves for tales of realistic fiction, romance, and humor.Kate Reid, The Allen-Stevenson School, New York City
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  _Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations_ The Adventures of
  
  
  The Grapes of Wrath
  
  
  One Hundred Years
  
  
  Huckleberry Finn
  
  
  Great Expectations
  
  
  of Solitude
  
  
  The Age of Innocence
  
  
  The Great Gatsby
  
  
  Persuasion
  
  
  Alice’s Adventures in
  
  
  Gulliver’s Travels
  
  
  Portnoy’s Complaint
  
  
  Wonderland
  
  
  Hamlet
  
  
  Pride and Prejudice
  
  
  All Quiet on the
  
  
  The Handmaid’s Tale
  
  
  Ragtime
  
  
  Western Front
  
  
  Heart of Darkness
  
  
  The Red Badge of
  
  
  As You Like It
  
  
  I Know Why the
  
  
  Courage
  
  
  The Ballad of the Sad
  
  
  Caged Bird Sings
  
  
  Romeo and Juliet
  
  
  Café
  
  
  The Iliad
  
  
  The Rubáiyát of
  
  
  Beloved
  
  
  Jane Eyre
  
  
  Omar Khayyám
  
  
  Beowulf
  
  
  The Joy Luck Club
  
  
  The Scarlet Letter
  
  
  Black Boy
  
  
  The Jungle
  
  
  A Separate Peace
  
  
  The Bluest Eye
  
  
  Long Day’s Journey
  
  
  Silas Marner
  
  
  The Canterbury Tales
  
  
  Into Night
  
  
  Song of Solomon
  
  
  Cat on a Hot Tin
  
  
  Lord of the Flies
  
  
  The Sound and the
  
  
  Roof
  
  
  The Lord of the
  
  
  Fury
  
  
  The Catcher in the
  
  
  Rings
  
  
  The Stranger
  
  
  Rye
  
  
  Love in 