Unforgettable

Unforgettable

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3.66 of 5 stars 3.66  ·  rating details  ·  193 ratings  ·  49 reviews
Baxter Greenisn’t like everyone else. While most people would forget about the little details of everyday life, Baxter never forgets—not pain, not hurt, not embarrassment. In fact, Baxter never forgets anything—not even a string of account numbers, flashed before his eyes by his mother’s criminal boyfriend, Dink, for use in a credit card scam. Years after his testimony has...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published September 27th 2011 by Walker Childrens
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Kristi (The Story Siren)
Earlier this year I read a novel called Forgotten by Cat Patrick about a girl who can't remember anything. Then I read the summary for Unforgettable and was instantly intrigued. What if you were the exact opposite of the character in Forgotten? What if you remembered everything?

That’s exactly what Baxter does, he remembers everything. Not only remembers certain events, but also experiences the emotions and feelings that happened at the same time. Can you imagine experiencing the pain of loosing...more
Nathan
Jan 04, 2013 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: My sister
Recommended to Nathan by: No one. I found it on the shelf at the library.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Karen  Yingling
Ever since having a concussion as a young child, Baxter Green has been able to remember EVERYTHING. When his mother wants to move from southern California to escape a criminal boyfriend, Baxter nudges her to move to Wellington, Minnestoa, where he remembers Halle, his elementary crush, moved. After Baxter uncharacteristically gets a bad grade on an assignment, Halle is assigned to be his tutor. Only problem-- she doesn't remember him! Baxter settles in to school and his new life with his waitres...more
Terri
I love Loretta Ellsworth for two reasons: she is from Minnesota (I have had the chance to meet her several times and she is terrific), and she writes about things no one else writes about (shrouding women, organ donation, great literature, and now synesthesia and photographic memory). I read so much young adult literature with the same tried and true storylines, that something new always (at least initially) grabs my attention. Ellsworth's latest book, "Unforgettable," is her best book yet!

Befor...more
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
Wouldn't it be cool to never forget anything? I thought so when I first heard about this book, which is about a teenage boy named Baxter who after an accident remembers everything. I mean like every little detail, which at first seemed something that would be pretty amazing, but as I started to get to know Baxter, I realized it's not as cool as I first thought. I can't imagine remembering everything little thing, the good, the bad and the real tragic like Baxter does. What I started out being co...more
Cindy Hudson
Baxter remembers everything since he was three. Doctors say a fall from a swing rewired his brain, and now he remembers every detail of everything that has ever happened to him, particularly the events surrounding his court testimony that sent Dink, his mother’s boyfriend, to jail.

Elementary school, where he was known as the Memory Boy, was a disaster, and after three years being homeschooled, he has a chance to start over in a new town where people don’t know he’s a freak. He’s especially inte...more
Danielle
This “unforgettable” novel by Loretta Ellsworth twists a realistic teen romance tale into a unique exploration of a true medical phenomenon. Our hero, Baxter Green, is a typical lovesick fifteen-year-old. This would be challenging enough, but Baxter also has a secret. Previously known as “the memory boy”, his photographic memory is not something he wants to advertise in his new Minnesota home, where he has just moved with his mother to escape a dangerous past. A strong sense of place pervades th...more
Kelly Hager
Baxter can't forget anything. No, really. Ask him what he did on March 3, 2004, and he can tell you. It doesn't make him popular, but it makes getting good grades pretty easy. But things aren't great. He and his mom just moved to Minnesota, because he had to testify against her ex-boyfriend. (Said ex-boyfriend, Dink, had a credit card theft ring going. And you know what's really helpful in those rings? Someone who can remember things...like, say, credit card numbers.) So yeah, he's in Minnesota....more
Christianne
BAYA draft review

HIgh school freshman Baxter Green can remember everything. He can remember events, feelings, information, and everything else from his life following a traumatic head injury when he was a toddler. This is burdensome for the Memory Boy and distances him from his classmates. And it lead to trouble when his mom's sleazy boyfriend Dink involves Baxter in a credit card scam. Dink ends up in jail and Baxter and his mother move to Minnesota to start a new life. Baxter chose the small t...more
Jen
So in this book, 15-year-old Baxter Green is the kid who never forgets. Ever. Nothing ever. He had a head injury when he was 3, and he's remembered everything he ever saw, heard, or experienced since then. Naturally, when his mom's crappy ex-boyfriend Dink found out, he took advantage by forcing Baxter to memorize credit card numbers so he could steal. And naturally, when Dink got caught and Baxter testified against him...and stole the stolen cash from his office...that pissed Dink off. So when...more
TheBookSmugglers
3 1/2 stars. Original review posted on The Book Smugglers HERE

I am a bit of a geek when it comes to reading books that have “memory” as a central theme because I find the subject fascinating; I especially like the exploration of how memory relates to emotions and growing up/old. This is why I tend to love unreliable narrators as most of the time, there is something wrong with their memories of the events that are being narrated. This is why I love Peter Pan so much: the way I interpret it, Peter...more
Krista Jones
Loretta Ellsworth amazed me in this heart warming story. Baxter Green is fifteen and just moved with his single mother to a new town from their home in California. They are moving to get away from his mothers ex-boyfriend Dink. When Baxter was three he fell off a swing hitting his head which lead him to an amazing memory, now he dosen't forget anything, hints the name 'Unfogettable'. Dink uses Baxter for his memory to steal credit card numbers and Baxter eventually turns him in. Eventually Dink...more
Brian
This YA book was just all right for me. The main character, Baxter has fled his home with his mother, after his mother's boyfriend exploits Baxter's ability for high memory recollection. Baxter can remember feelings and details about his life that most people can't. He remembers falling in love in kindergarten with a guy named Halle who moved away, and when his mother asks him where he wants to move when they are looking to flee, he chooses the place Halle moved to. This book was a tiny bit far...more
Martha
I had a strong connection to this book because I'd been listening to a piece about people who have incredible memories on the radio. My grandma had a really good memory, she could remember what she ate and where she ate it. She could also remember names and places but I don't know if she could remember exact dates and what the whether was like.
Baxter is a freshman at a new school and doesn't fit in, not unlike many of our students. He takes off on an adventure that is interesting.
I'd like to ge...more
Shannon
Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Unforgettable was definitely not unforgettable. Get it? It was okay. It's the story of a boy (Baxter) who cannot forget anything. This includes his first love. From kindergarten. Halle (the kindergarten love interest) moved to Minnesota at the end of that school year. When Baxter and his mother are forced to flee their home after Baxter testifies in court against Mom's boyfriend (long story), Baxter tricks Mom into moving to the same small town in Minnesota where Halle mo...more
Susie
This book was a lot of fun, and very thoughtful. It makes me want to go back and read The Great Gatsby again (hated that the first time, and fell asleep in the movie, even with Robert Redford). It is a bit contrived (but, then again, the whole story line is), but it was a pleasure to read, laugh, and think about the implications of good and bad memories, both the events and the abilities.

Once I learned that Ellsworth is from Minnesota, I understood the dig at North Dakota a little more. I was su...more
Abria Mattina
I’ve had this book on my shelves for a couple of months, but finally decided to give it a try. I wish I’d known how good it was, or I would have made it a priority to read sooner. While Unforgettable didn’t hit it out of the park on all fronts, there were some characters and elements that I really enjoyed. I was particularly excited when I found out that Baxter has synaesthesia. It’s always great too find something relatable about a character.

Unforgettable progresses at a comfortable pace. There...more
Magan (Rather Be Reading)

In my quest to read more books with male characters, I was intrigued by Baxter – a boy who wishes there were some things he could forget, even though it was impossible due to his perfect photographic memory. He wishes he could forget how Dink screwed up he and his mom’s lives when he used Baxter for his memory to steal credit card information. With Dink just out of jail, he’s sure to come after them again because Baxter has something he’s sure Dink wants. One thing he’s glad he cannot forget is...more
Sab H.  (YA Bliss)
When I started this book I thought it would be awesome to be like Baxter. To remember EVERYTHING? Never forget a thing? Except, think about it. You'll remember the bad things just as well as the good ones. Every single detail. Gee, poor Baxter.

Then as I started reading, I thought the author had threaded too many plots and themes together and it was just too much and too slow. But as the novel goes on, there was some other aspects that really fascinated me.

1) Baxter has synesthesia which "is a ne...more
Ellen
I've been reading a lot of memory issues books lately. Baxter, the protagonist in this book, has the ability to remember everything that's ever happened to him in excruciating detail (much like the heroine of the new TV series with the same name. Despite this twist, Unforgettable has a rather thin plot. It is a typical coming of age, first crush, mess everything up and make it better again teen novel. OK read for young teens, but nothing exceptional.
Sandy
Baxter Green, age 15, has a photographic memory, which is both a blessing and a curse. Because he testified against his mother's boyfriend in a fraud trial, he and his mother are forced to leave California and settle in a small town in Minnesota. The book gets into Baxter's head so the reader is privy to his thought process and how overwhelming it can be to never forget anything. A unique coming-of-age novel.
Julia Wilson
Good for the 'gentle read' YA crowd. A mystery and a romance set in Minnesota. Baxter Green has a photographic memory. It is both a blessing and a curse. He has convinced his mom to move to this small town because he remembers a girl from kindergarten that he thinks he loved. It's a stretch but the writing is good and I think teens would enjoy it.
Mary
Unforgettable combines a variety of YA themes. An excellent choice for a unique Battle Book for junior high it covers a coming of age story, mother-son relationships, a sweet romance, a little mystery and environmental issues. The main focus is on Baxter Green's unique gifts. He has synesthesia, he hears voices as colors, textures, and sounds and he never forgets anything. Consequently Baxter has a tough time fitting in.
Kristin Haase-alvey
Another silly teen love story - this time from the male perspective. I the book was not over the top as far as Baxter's "superpower" went. I did not particularly care for Halle though. She was inauthentically wise beyond her years, yet also immature enough to run away and hide in a cave for a few days? Story was okay - not great.
Diana
I received this book in a FirstReads giveaway.

Breezed right through this easy-going, nicely written tale of a teenage boy with an extraordinary memory coming to terms with high school, the girl of his(undimmed kindergarten)dreams, and whether his ability is a blessing or a curse. The straightforward nature of the narrative makes it highly accessible to young readers, and the engaging descriptions and inventive details, such as the synesthesia that causes the main character to experience voices a...more
Jen Cotton
"For most people, memory is like sand. It shifts and settles over the open spaces of the mind, piling memory on top of memory until what's left is a fragile sand castle in the brain, one that will crack and leak out all the old memories when the flood of new ones pours in." Page 6 and I'm finally out of my reading slump!
Kenn
I liked this book very much! A fascinating idea- Baxter is incapable of forgetting anything. He feels like an oddity, and, when he and his mother move across the country to flee a bad situation, he sees a chance to reinvent himself. Neat character. Excellent story!
Mira
This was a book that really made you think. It made me ask myself questions, like "would I want to remember every detail from the majority of my childhood?" I also really liked the vivid images that were painted of the characters and their personalities.
Julie
The main character has the ability to "never forget." Over time he learns to accept what makes him different from everyone else. There is also a little bit of suspense with the sub-plot of the mom's ex-boyfriend getting out of jail.
Jeff Raymond
One of the more fascinating types of people I know of are those who cannot forget anything. Those who remember every moment of every day and can recall it at any point.

Unforgettable is about a teen from a troubled family with just that condition. It means that his father involved him in a scam, exploiting the condition. It means a new girl in his new town where he doesn't know anyone is actually someone from his past. It means a lot that he has to deal with.

This was a good, quick read. A really...more
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Unforgettable (Kindle Edition)
Unforgettable (ebook)
Unforgettable (Paperback)
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Loretta received her BA from the University of Northern Iowa, and an MFA from Hamline University in writing for children and young adults. A former middle and high school teacher, she's the author of three young adult novels, The Shrouding Woman, In Search of Mockingbird, and In a Heartbeat. She has four children and one granddaughter, and lives in Minnesota.
More about Loretta Ellsworth...
In a Heartbeat In Search of Mockingbird In a Heart Beat The Shrouding Woman

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