Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Aug 13, 2016TEENREVIEWCREW rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The book Me earl and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews is a perfect read for someone who likes a humorous and somewhat sad story. I enjoyed the plot of following Greg a socially awkward teen through an unexpected tragedy with Rachel, a girl he thought he'd never be friends with. Along with Earl, his best friend who Greg would only refer to as his "associate". Overall a great book for anyone to read. star rating: 5/5 @Richie of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library Greg Gaines has mastered the art of disappearing in high school. Except for making strange films with his best (and only) friend Earl, Greg barely exists. Until his childhood friend Rachel gets diagnosed with cancer and parental units demand that he spend time with her. Cue adolescent awkwardness, cue The Worst Film Ever Made. Cue a hilarious novel about terminal illness that doesn’t try to shove Life Lessons down your throat. Rachel’s looming death is tragic, but the book doesn’t paint her as a martyr or even as an interesting person. She’s just someone who happened to get sick. Greg isn’t some magical boyfriend who appears to make the last months of her life amazing. He’s just a geeky looser that’s forced to hang out with her. And although he fervently denies it, he does go through character growth because of it. Earl was an interesting, fully developed character and arguably the true hero of the novel. This is a book for every teen who’s read the Fault In Our Stars, loved it, but questioned whether having cancer is really like “that.” (Speaking from personal experience, I can give you a firm answer: no.) @viedelabibliothèque of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews, is a high school-themed uplifting, comedic, and touching book about Greg Gaines and Earl Jackson’s journey with their dying classmate, Rachel. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is insanely hilarious, yet inappropriate at the same time. Jesse Andrews did an amazing job of making the book relatable by adding in stereotypical (but often true) ideas about high school. The character development in the story is also well done; we learn the backstories of almost every character, and we get to connect with them later on in the book. The concept of a dying girl wasn’t funny itself; it was rather the events surrounding it. Greg, a socially awkward senior student, is nearly always embarrassed and regretful of anything he says or does. Greg and Earl don’t know how to deal with a dying girl, and frankly, I don’t think anybody does. Anyone who is ready to go on a riveting experience with an often guilt-ridden, confused, and bizarre teenager trying to make sense of an acquaintance's last days alive will enjoy this tragic, yet amusing, book. @_r.a_ of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library