Sandpiper

Sandpiper by Wittlinger, Ellen. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780689868023.

Derek really liked me -- at least, he acted that way. I liked him too at first, but it lasted only a few weeks before he was getting on my nerves. And once I break it off with a guy, I dont even want to see him anymore. For a while I feel like I dont want to see any guys anymore, but that doesnt last long either. Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale has a bad reputation. At first she just wanted a boyfriend, but now shes had a dozen and doesnt know what she saw in any of them. When one of Sandys exes, Derek, starts harassing her, a mysterious boy called the Walker comes to her aid. Walker spends his days wandering through town. When Sandy begins to walk with him, he evades her questions, unwilling to reveal anything about himself. Shes interested but wary -- why is Walker so secretive? As Dereks aggressions turn dangerous, Sandy and Walker are forced to confront the pain of their pasts, which each of them would rather forget. Ellen Wittlingers powerful story of two people struggling to overcome personal demons exemplifies why School Library Journal said that her writing "conveys a fundamental truth" and that she "evokes caring in readers and gives them plenty to think about."