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Sandpiper

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 695 ratings · 80 reviews

"You shouldn't expect much of him. He's...he's damaged." Damaged. What a horrible word. Like a car after a wreck...It was how I'd been feeling myself. Slightly ruined, a big mess.

Lately there have been a lot of guys in Sandpiper's life. In the past year, she's gone through eight or nine different boyfriends -- if you can call them that. She knows the boys are only using he...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published April 24th 2007 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (first published June 21st 2005)

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DCPL 's Teen Love & Sex (Some Romance) Booklist, for OWL

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Apr 18, 2013 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, 2013-contemporary-challenge, abuse, bad-books-have-bad-covers, contemporary, death-by-plot, detailed-reviews, disappointingly-bad, not-so-good-ya, rape, saved-by-prose, thank-god-for-the-lack-of-hype, problem-novels

Meh. I had been excited to read something else by Wittlinger after I read Parrotfish a few months ago. Unfortunately, this wasn't nearly as good as Parrotfish. It had some good aspects (I rated it 3 stars, after all), but it was overall a lot weaker than I expected.

The biggest problem is that Wittlinger doesn't seem to have a handle on What's Important vs. What Isn't. For the first 150 pages, the book continuously switches back and forth between a plot between Piper's sex life and her family lif...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Jaemi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale can't stand her name, or the corny reason her parents stuck her with it, especially now that they've divorced. With her mother set to remarry and her father estranged by her entry into puberty, life is feeling pretty cruel, until she finds her path crossed with that of the mysterious boy around town, whom she dubs Walker. He doesn't talk much, and won't discuss himself, but he's different than the boys in her class who've come to look at her for only one thing. And when...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenagers, sex, sexuality, oral-sex, relationship-problems, relationships, father-daughter-relationships, promiscuity, friendship, families, divorce, fathers, high-school, young-adult-fiction, realistic, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale is a somewhat disturbed young woman. She’s in her sophomore year in high school and already has a reputation for being a slut – this started back in eighth grade when her best friends told her that the only way to get a boyfriend was to give guys oral sex. While this has made Sandpiper popular with the boys, it hasn’t really gotten her a good relationship – and her friends stopped doing it awhile ago, so now she’s all alone.

Sandpiper is really desperate for a change. S...more Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale is a somewhat disturbed young woman. She’s in her sophomore year in high school and already has a reputation for being a slut – this started back in eighth grade when her best friends told her that the only way to get a boyfriend was to give guys oral sex. While this has made Sandpiper popular with the boys, it hasn’t really gotten her a good relationship – and her friends stopped doing it awhile ago, so now she’s all alone.

Sandpiper is really desperate for a change. She meets a guy without a name who she sees walking around everywhere and simply calls him “the Walker.” They both have some things they need to work through, so they form a sort of walking friendship where they walk around and Sandpiper tells him things, and he tries to keep his secrets from her. It’s different from any of her other relationships with guys, and Sandpiper is intrigued by it.

What we learn is that Sandpiper’s dad has been a player all the time that she’s known him. And although he and her mother had an amicable divorce, he’s always checking out other women and going through them similarly to how Sandpiper has gone through all of these guys she knows. What’s worse is that Sandpiper’s dad couldn’t deal with her when she suddenly became a woman – he didn’t know how to talk to her anymore, and he was afraid that she was overly promiscuous and that all the guys would be after her. She just wanted his attention and love to be the same as it was when she was a little girl, and he didn’t know how to be her father anymore.

At the same time, the guys that Sandpiper has been with are annoyed that she loved them and left them so quickly – she dates most of them less than a month – and one of them in particular has vowed to get revenge. He’s actually dangerous, and soon he’s threatening not just Sandpiper, but her little sister and her family, too. She’s not sure how all of this is going to turn out, and readers will be on the edge of their seats waiting for it.

Lots of good issues in this book – growing up, development, oral sex, estranged fathers, drunk driving, rape, reputations, etc. Fans of the teen issue novels and drama will be delighted. Having said that, it’s not completely over the top.
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Nov 30, 2007 Mokamonkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-books

This book has gotten a lot of controversy, because the main character, Sandpiper, talks candidly about oral sex. She does it on lots of guys, because she likes that new relationship feeling and giving a guy oral sex makes her feel powerful in some way. But the overall message is a good one - she realizes that the good feelings of a new relationship go away quickly, if you don't take the time to find someone you really like.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 11, 2008 Jessica Camara rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book because I noticed in a volume of School Library Journal that it was challenged in a high school library (I forget exactly where). So, I wanted to see what that was all about. I have since added it to my library collection and think it's a good book that explores some issues that students would normally find difficult to discuss.

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Feb 19, 2013 Stephanie Reiner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this because it is a banned book in most school libraries and im a sucker for banned books. A little disappointed in the book. it started off very slow and took me a long time to get into it. the ending was very good.

Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale has more than a weird name; she's got a reputation for a girl who willingly goes down on boys. Its not about "being liked" by these boys, but rather having power over them, if only for a few moments. But she's ready to move on, only to discover gett...more

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Sep 19, 2007 elissa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of controversial YA fiction

Shelves: youngadult, my_00s_reads, owl

Came out the same year as RAINBOW PARTY (a ridiculously sensationalized flop of a book). Both books have to do with oral sex among teens, and I don't think I even need to say which one handles the subject better. The hardcover of this one has a HORRIBLE cover!

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Apr 11, 2011 Dana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I first heard of this book when I was in Library School and we were discussing books that were banned. While this book was not banned, someone in Texas decided not to return it to her public library because she deemed it "was too inappropriate for teenage girls." Well, when I saw that, I knew that I had to read this book.
In all honesty, I didn't quite understand what the big deal was, so yeah, Sandpiper gave head at school. To a few boys- not the entire grade. This book was more about Sandpiper...more

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Jan 28, 2011 Amanda Martinez Kirby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 01, 2009 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, kids-and-ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really liked this story. It was a very fast read- I started it this morning and finished it in the evening, with work in between. First person narrative but well done- I never felt like throwing the book across the room due to clumsy navigation of the POV.

I wanted to think that everyone was blowing (hah!) her situation out of proportion- she gives a lot of boys blow jobs and moves on and people start to see Sandpiper as a slut. She gets a number of boys angry at her and one of them becomes vio...more I really liked this story. It was a very fast read- I started it this morning and finished it in the evening, with work in between. First person narrative but well done- I never felt like throwing the book across the room due to clumsy navigation of the POV.

I wanted to think that everyone was blowing (hah!) her situation out of proportion- she gives a lot of boys blow jobs and moves on and people start to see Sandpiper as a slut. She gets a number of boys angry at her and one of them becomes violent. But the more I thought about it, the more true and honest the whole thing became. When they're getting head, high school boys love it but once it's over, you're a slut, more or less.

I liked the characters, felt that the drama of the family story was very real. I liked Rachel and enjoyed the fact that she felt like a real person. She's the interloper, in a way, but she was kind and nice and had her own concerns that she was trying very hard to work through. The fact that Sandpiper reacts to Rachel in ways that were both real and not as extreme as some YA novels get really worked for me and made me like Piper all the more.

My only real complaint here is that the end felt rushed. The resolution with Walker- his backstory, how Piper's dad knew who he was, felt a bit deus ex machina even though there was the setup of Rags going to the courthouse. It just felt almost too easy, esp. for the size of Walker's Major Trauma. Adrienne's character change felt weird as well. She was so selfish and self centered in the beginning and felt like a completely different person by the end of the book but not in the sense that she had grown over the course of the narrative, more like the author had finally decided how she wanted to write the character and instead of changing the beginning, just kept going from that point in the book.

Now, I like that Adrienne took Walker in. I like that Piper's family rallied around him for trying to help her. But all of that felt so last minute, as if the author realized that she needed to resolve it but wasn't sure how to make it work and just tacked it on.

I'm a bit upset that there wasn't resolution to the rape case. I get that what the author is trying to do is look at choices and consequences and learning to make the right ones but I wish that she had resolved Derek and his lies. Simply having the bitchy grandmother say that no court would believe the guy is not a resolution of the case and having seen way too many episodes of Law and Order, it didn't make me feel any better about their chances in court.

But all in all, I really liked Piper. I loved the poems that she wrote. I thought the Walker was a cool guy and I liked him- it would be interesting to see something from his perspective. I know that this isn't the kind of book that gets a sequel but I would have liked to see a continuation from his end. (less)

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Oct 11, 2011 Lydia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-contemporary

This is a heartwarming book about family relationships, being a "bad" girl, and salvation. Unfortunately, the book is quite predictable and does not keep the reader wanting to read unless this type of "romance" is what you like.

The name of the protagonist is wonderful -- Sandpiper Hollow Ragssdale. You can't fault that. The portrayal of "Sandy" of "Piper" as a "skank" is probably faitly accurate, however the fact that she has a sensitivity to it seems to come out of nowhere. The impending confli...more

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Dec 24, 2007 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

All teenage girls should read this book. Reality check!

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Nov 01, 2007 April rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has been banned so of course I had to read it.

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May 30, 2011 JoDee Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a young adult book that I picked up for a quarter at Goodwill. It's an easy read, and gives my brain a break in between all the scy-fy, other-worldly stuff I usually fill my head with. I was pleasantly surprised, however, at how much I liked the book and how much I found myself rooting for this girl to get her life in order! I recommend it to all the teenage girls I know, and to anyone wanting a quick read, with a good story. FYI, however, don't give this to anyone too young, as it as ab...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: engl-420

I thought this book was really excellent. It tackles the very tough issue of teen oral sex and its consequences without being too graphic or gratuitous. I think this is a book that you need to discuss with young adults if they choose to read it in order for them to be able to fully process its meaning and implications. It would be a great way to open up discussion about a difficult subject. I felt that the ending was a little bit too neat (all the ends felt nicely tied up) and a bit predictable,...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

Sandpiper Hollows Ragsdale & her 2 8th grade girl friends find a way to be popular-give the boys b.j. Piper finds this gives her control over boys and the boys don't like it especially Derek. Piper develops a friendship with a boy who she calls "Walker" because he does walk all around her community. Piper seeks out the mysterious Walker to help her out of her bad reputation and the scary threats made by Derek. In turn, Piper brings Walkter/Aiden out of his shell and depression of self pity o...more

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Jan 09, 2011 The BookWhisperer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was very difficult to find a book description to preview here with this review. The one above I felt just does not do this book justice, so here is a little more description about this story. Sandpiper is 15 years old, and found her way into a dangerous lifestyle. In attempts to replace the hole her father seems to be leaving in her life; she has become very promiscuous with many young men in her life. The charged emotions that accompanied sexual acts allowed her to feel, at least for...more This book was very difficult to find a book description to preview here with this review. The one above I felt just does not do this book justice, so here is a little more description about this story. Sandpiper is 15 years old, and found her way into a dangerous lifestyle. In attempts to replace the hole her father seems to be leaving in her life; she has become very promiscuous with many young men in her life. The charged emotions that accompanied sexual acts allowed her to feel, at least for the moment, that she was loved and adored. While she is still a virgin; she is far from innocent. After Piper� s last break up things have begun to unravel leaving a desire for change in its wake. She soon finds that the past is a hard thing to overcome. When her last boyfriend decides that she must pay for breaking his heart; she not only finds herself in danger, but also her family and more importantly her thirteen year old sister. In the midst of the story Sandpiper finds herself drawn to one particular young boy that is known as � The Walker� ; her attraction to this young boy as her caught off guard when it is nothing like what she has experienced in the past. Aidan, aka The Walker, is a loner that is only known for his constant walking of their small town. When Sandpiper drags him into an altercation with her ex boyfriend it sparks a friendship that they never knew would lead them both into a world of trouble. Aidan has his own secrets that he has struggled to leave hidden, but his friendship with Sandpiper gains him some unwanted attention. When Aidan finds that he is no longer the loner with no name he knows that it is time to go, but it seems that he has more trouble leaving than was expected. Although, what Aidan fears most just might be what he needed to save him. Wittlinger adds depth to her story by following each chapter with a poem written by Piper. This gives the readers more insight into the characters feelings and thoughts; kind of like foot notes to each section of the story. Sandpiper is a very realistic story that gives readers a shocking glimpse of today� s societies kids. This story portrays just how easy it is for a young girl to find herself in a position such as this one. The promiscuity of this story is a little hard to handle in parts, but it seems necessary in establishing the true nature of this story. (less)

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Nov 06, 2008 Darby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 29, 2008 Leanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fifteen-year-old Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale was named after the place her parents first met and fell in love. Unfortunately, her parents are now divorced and her mother is engaged to another man.

Ellen Wittlinger’s Sandpiper starts a few weeks before the wedding, weeks full of turmoil for Sandpiper. First, her soon-to-be stepsister comes for the wedding, and she appears to be practically perfect. Second, Sandpiper’s bad reputation starts to haunt her. Her “ex,” Derek, becomes obsessed with enactin...more

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Feb 23, 2008 Kimmay rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone with a teenager

Shelves: young-adult

I can see why this book is contraversial. It has a certain shock value to it :O) I felt that is what is so good about it. It doesn't play around, gets to the point and is of this world... the real world. This is a YA book and certainly confronted real issues facing our youth. I would read it first before letting your teen read it, just to be sure they are at the right maturity level for it. I will say no age because i feel every teen would be different. I liked the fact that the author had sever...more

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Apr 15, 2007 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sandpiper Hollow Ragsdale loves feeling needed by guys. She almost doesn't mind the fact that she's lost her best friends, and that she has a reputation at school for being a slut. This all changes, however, when former "boyfriend" Derek threatens Sandpiper and her younger sister. Fortunately, Sandpiper (or Piper, as she chooses to be called) finds an ally in a young man she knows only as "the Walker." Both are estranged from their social circles, for different reasons, and find a bond through t...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA readers,

Recommended to Julia by: I read all Wittlinger

Shelves: ya, contemporary-fiction

Sandpiper is a girl who has oral sex with boys she doesn’t like, because she doesn’t like herself much. Then she meets Walker, he’s a mystery, won’t even tell her his name, but he talks to her and more, he listens. When one of her exes gets crazy with threats and violence, Walker is there for her, as is her whole family, and for Walker, when they find out who he is. And, after every chapter, Sandpiper writes a poem, often based on a famous poem, such as “I Sing the Body Chaotic.”

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Aug 17, 2009 Shaya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2009, realistic-fiction

This is my second Ellen Wittlinger book and I did like it but not quite as much as Hard Love. I really like the creative elements in Wittlinger's book. Sandpiper writes poems which are actually pretty good.

Ellen Wittlinger writes about characters that seem real and believable and therefore have some annoying quirks. Sandpiper is a bit whiny in the beginning, but quite likeable and understandable by the end.

It's a fast read and not something you'll want to put down.

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Jul 22, 2012 Stephanie A. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-ya, girl-protagonists

Title character was relatively bratty and also extra stupid (You "had" to have a boyfriend in 8th grade? really? And you had to listen to your stupid friends saying oral sex was no big deal? And yet you didn't listen when at least your friends grew out of it and pointed out that you were now deliberately choosing the path of continued idiocy?) but I liked all the others, and wanted to hear more from The Walker at all times, because he was fascinating.

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Aug 09, 2010 Addy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sandpiper is a blow-job queen who doesn't understand the consequences of her actions. She meets a boy who seems to have no story, whom she names the Walker. Her mom is getting remarried to a man named Nathan, and she and her sister, Daisy are getting a new step-sister, Rachel from California. Over the summer a whole mess of things ensue, including many troubles with boys.

I won't give too much away. But some people are in some serious danger.

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Nov 02, 2008 *Ridi* rated it 5 of 5 stars

It May Have A Few Inappropriate Pints But That's Is What The Book Is All About Right Now
Sandypiper Hallow Ragsdale -name after the place her parents met- is known for giving blow-jobs to guys because of her ex-B.F.F who told her she should do them to get guys in the Eighth Grade. Now Her Mother is getting remarried and she will soon have a new stepsister who her younger sister, Daisy adores.3 Weeks before the wedding Sandpiper meets a mysterious guy she refers to ask Walker. He is often seen by...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Destinee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually really liked it. It was intense, depressing, happy, funny, all just wrapped in one. I love the character known as "walker", who really went through so much pain, and just let go, and the character of 'piper', who had oral sex with boys she really did'nt care about. All i can say is at least she stopped in the end and realized the power of what she did. Over all, it was a great book, now one of my favorites.

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Apr 24, 2011 Michelle. Tsunami. rated it 2 of 5 stars

The book was OK. I don't think there was an overall "purpose" to it, but it was OK.
Sandpiper/Sandy/Piper was really annoying and she is kind of stupid.
Rachel is one of the two characters I actually like. The second is Walker/Aiden.
I think the book was longer than it needed to be.
Anyway, the book was a time waster so... Yeah.
Read this if you have nothing to do or you want to waste time.

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Jul 26, 2012 Brandi Bette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: booktalks-at-benicia-schools

Sandpiper, 16, is known as the resident slut having had 8 or 9 boyfriends in the last year. Because of this, none of her former friends cares when a classmate starts harassing her. No one will let her leave her history behind until she befriends Walker, a nomad teen with his own baggage.

From Benicia High School Booktalks 2009 & Benicia Middle School Booktalks 2009-10
Benicia Public Library Call Number: YA FIC WITTLINGER

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Apr 13, 2013 Magdala rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars-the-good-books

I remember reading ths, a log time ago, but still remember a part where Sandpiper's ex boyfriend is mad tht she broke up wit him for no reason, so now he wants revenge, thn he does some serious stalking and gets more physical throughout the book. I remember in the end how I thnk he went to jail cause he raped her or abused, whn thngs went down in a middle of a field. While guy(friend, but more than that) helps her fight him. Guy will always be on her side. I liked it, at least no one died. This...more

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About Ellen Wittlinger

Ellen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of the teen novels Heart on My Sleeve, The Long Night of Leo and Bree, Razzle, What's in a Name, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award winner, and a Booklist Editors' Choice). She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University...more

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