Min and Ed, Ed and Min, an unlikely couple. She's "different" and he's a co-captain of their high school basketball team. Rarely do those two date in reality. Min is writing a letter to Ed explaining all the reasons they broke up but, more than that, she's returning to him all of the keepsakes she's saved from their short relationship. As the box fills she imagines the thud it will make when she drops it on the doorstep of his home. She recalls each keepsake and the event that it came from. Her anger builds as she fills the box yet she is saddened as well.
I imagine as you read this book, you'll either believe that they do break up in the end or that they actually do not, in spite of the title. You'll read with a preconceived notion of how likely a girl such as Min will fit in with the friends and lifestyle of a jock such as Ed. Can he really be falling in love with Min for being different than all the other girls he's dated? Can she convince him that enjoying the more artsy side of life can be enjoyable? Will they stay together? Will she dump the box as he dumped her?
Back to the illustrations - Remember Daniel Handler? The author's pseudonym is Lemony Snicket; the author of the Series of Unfortunate Events books. I'm wondering if Mr. Handler liked the idea of illustrating each keepsake going into the box because those illustrations kept him connected to his younger readers, the fans of Lemony Snicket. What do you think?
Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm
