published by: Candlewick Press
publish date: January 5, 2004
For sixteen-year-old Ben Bancroft — a kid with cerebral palsy, no parents, and an overprotective grandmother — the closest thing to happiness is hunkering alone in the back of the Rialto Theatre and watching Bride of Frankenstein for the umpteenth time. The last person he wants to run into is drugged-up Colleen Minou, resplendent in ripped tights, neon miniskirt, and an impressive array of tattoos. But when Colleen climbs into the seat beside him and rests a woozy head on his shoulder, Ben has that unmistakable feeling that his life is about to change.
Ben is living with his rich, uptight, overbearing grandmother. He spends every friday night alone at the Rialto Theatre watching old movies learning about cinematography. Then Colleen stumbles in one night and all the sudden he isn't alone anymore. Colleen urges Ben out of his shell and his self-imposed exile at school. He begins to practice cinematography instead of just watching and learning and Ben helps Colleen get clean for maybe the first time.
The characters in this book were great. Ben's overcompensating grandmother reminded me other people I've known with handicapped children. They go all overboard making them look super proper, when it's making life more difficult for them, and it further ostracizes them from the other kids. Colleen's addiction was textbook and the way she viewed herself was very typical of how a lot of girls with addictions problem see themselves. I felt very bad for her.
Once again this was just a random pick from the library. I liked the cover and the title. These picks always end up being the best books. I should go with this method of picking books from now on right?
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