Review and Signed Bookmark Giveaway

Sean Griswold's Head
by Lindsey Leavitt
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published March 1st 2011
by Bloomsbury USA
Children's Books
ISBN 1599904985
4 stars

According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object—an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas—it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

I won an autographed copy of Sean Griswold's Head on twitter...well not his actual head, but the book about his head. And, in correspondence I noticed was how genuinely nice author Lindsey Leavitt is. Her cute and tender story tugged at my heart strings.

Payton is a straight A student, slightly obsessive compulsive and highly organized person until one day she accidentally stumbles upon her father's MS. Life at home and the world is unraveling fast. Payton is recommended to the school counselor by her parents who suggests she pick a focus object to write about...something to get her mind off of the grief and fear. What better than the head of the boy sitting directly in front of her desk? Blonde, with spiky hair, a scar and an orbit bigger than the average noggin.

What starts out as a purely scientific self-help project ends in Payton wanting to learn more about the boy, Sean who is attached to that head. The two begin biking together and in the process discover there may be more to their close proximity than just their last names. Both are facing meddling best friends with an agenda of their own. Leave it to Peyton's overbearing bubbly BFF since birth, Jac and the goth vampire of the town to complicate matters. Sean and Payton may not work out after all.

In a sweet, fun contemporary read, Lindsey Leavitt taught me about the power of forgiveness and overcoming personal roadblocks. This is a book I would recommend to all readers over age 12. Lindsey has generously donated two author signed bookmarks to our blog followers. Simply comment below to enter. Open internationally and ends April 15, 2011.