44 pages • 1 hour read
Jennifer L. HolmA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“I love puzzles. I like trying to figure out how things fit together. How a curve meets a curve and the perfect angle of a corner piece.”
Jigsaw puzzles make order from chaos. Ellie loves the challenge of figuring out where random things fit together to make a sensible picture. It’s a sign that her mind likes to discover the pattern in the data and bring it forward. It’s one of the most powerful things a brain can do.
“My mom’s a high school drama teacher and my dad’s an actor. They got divorced when I was little, but they’re still friends. They’re always telling me I need to find my passion. Specifically, they’d like me to be passionate about theater. But I’m not. Sometimes I wonder if I was born into the wrong family. Being onstage makes me nervous (I’ve watched too many actors flub their lines), and I’m not a fan of working behind the scenes, either (I always end up steaming costumes).”
Some kids don’t take on after their parents. Ellie sees the world differently from her folks: They work with self-expression, while she’s into problem-solving; they’re artists, and she’s a reasoner. The arts and the sciences often use very different kinds of thinking. Also, either you have the acting bug, or you don’t.
“‘You must’ve been boy-crazy to elope,’ he says. ‘I was in love,’ she says through gritted teeth. ‘A Ph.D. lasts a lot longer than love,’ he replies.”
Grandpa Melvin berates his daughter Lissa for her flighty, romantic life choices. He sees the world in practical, logical terms: For him, a solid career is better than the heights of emotion as a foundation for a good marriage. She, though, views life through the colors of feelings. Ellie listens as they bicker and manages to appreciate both sides of the argument.
By Jennifer L. Holm
Aging
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Daughters & Sons
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Family
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Friendship
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Juvenile Literature
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Laugh-out-Loud Books
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Mortality & Death
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Mothers
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Required Reading Lists
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School Book List Titles
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The Past
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The Power & Perils of Fame
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