Fiona Lewis Age 14, Piedmont Middle School

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman (YA)

Why We Broke Up

In a letter to her former boyfriend, Ed Slaterton, teenager Min Green tells the story of why they broke up. The letter accompanies a box she leaves on his doorstop filled with mementos of their relationship, from a ticket stub to a protractor to a fistful of dried rose petals. Each chapter of the book describes the significance of each of these items to Min. In this YA novel, Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) takes a classic breakup letter and spins it into a whimsical, charming tale of first love and heartbreak. Kalman’s spare drawings of the objects perfectly complement Handler’s writing.