Maddy Lederman's Blog
September 13, 2016
EDNA IN THE DESERT: New reviews!
Lovely reviews of EDNA IN THE DESERT. So grateful for this thoughtful feedback. Thanks to book bloggers and readers!
From Book Wonderland: 5 Stars!
https://bookwonderlandweb.wordpress.c...
My Rating: ★★★★★
Disclaimer- this book was sent to me in exchange for my honest review.
Edna is a 13 year old Beverly Hills teen. Her snide comments and disrespect towards her parents leads them to abandon her in the desert with her grandparents. Edna is in complete shock by this and now must do chores everyday and be respectful to her grandparents who live in the middle of nowhere. She has no idea how she will survive with no contact to the outside world. She tries everything she can in order to get out of this situation. But when Johnny, a handsome 17 year old that lives in town, appears she realizes that this summer might not be so bad after all.
I truly adored this book and everything about it. Edna is such a funny character which keeps the novel enjoyable and upbeat. No doubt she can be a real witch at times but that makes her even more entertaining. Throughout the book we see her develop from her old, self-centered self into someone who learns to appreciate everything around her and her condition in life. Johnny is another character that sparks lots of interest. It is evident that he is much more mature than Edna but there connection is so amazing.
Besides Edna and Johnny’s relationship, Edna’s relationship with her grandparents is beautiful as well. In the beginning she wants nothing to do with them but once she begins to understand both of them and what they have been through she finds herself looking up to each of them as well as the love they share.
Overall this was such an entertaining, quick read that has much more depth to it than I expected. A big thank you to Maddy for sending me this because it is such a beautiful story with incredible life lessons and morals weaved within. I recommend this book to anyone that is on the lookout for an entertaining and gorgeous read.
Thanks for reading! -Catherine : )
NEXT BLOG:
Nayu's Reading Corner, 9/10E!
http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co...
Book summary:
Edna is a precocious trouble-maker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna’s determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?
Nay's thoughts:
Edna is an ungrateful brat, a drama queen who has no idea how priviliged she is. Her self-centred attitude undergoes a mild reform during her exile, not a radical one, but enough that she starts thinking of others. I smiled when she ends up organising a party which while not having the result she longed for, did help someone else in the long term.
There were several moments when I got teary eyed because of the emotion of the writing. It was fun watching how fed up Edna was without technology as a constant companion, something so many teens are used to. I thought the outcome of her love interest was a positive one, as he was a decent guy and clearly wanted someone who understood the desert way of life. However, this is also the part I wasn't keen on in the book, not because I have little interest in romance but there's one point where the strength of the romance felt too strong for the characters involved, it felt unreal and awkward.
Aside from that I loved unravelling the reasons behind Edna's grandparents living where and how they did. I had no idea that PTSD could be that severe, and in that unusual a form of symptoms. I felt so sorry for her grandfather, and for her grandmother who remains faithful and cares for him even though she gets no love back. I sincerely hope that Edna doesn't go back to her old ways on returning to civilisation.
Find out more on Maddy's website: http://www.maddylederman.com
February 3, 2016
EDNA IN THE DESERT Author Maddy Lederman is on the 2016 Scholastic Writing Awards Jury!
EDNA IN THE DESERT Author Maddy Lederman is on the 2016 Scholastic Writing Awards Jury!
http://www.maddylederman.com/talented...
“It was hard to believe that these stories came from writers who are so young, and it was even harder to judge this contest: Every entry had its own strengths. Some were so moving they brought me to tears (I made sure I brought tissues the second day!). What an incredible variety of topics and talent! Scholastic is doing a great job highlighting student writers. I had so much fun, and I’m proud to join their distinguished list of jurors!” --Maddy Lederman
Edna in the Desert
http://www.maddylederman.com/talented...
“It was hard to believe that these stories came from writers who are so young, and it was even harder to judge this contest: Every entry had its own strengths. Some were so moving they brought me to tears (I made sure I brought tissues the second day!). What an incredible variety of topics and talent! Scholastic is doing a great job highlighting student writers. I had so much fun, and I’m proud to join their distinguished list of jurors!” --Maddy Lederman
Edna in the Desert
January 29, 2016
EDNA & EMPATHY
EDNA IN THE DESERT was thoughtfully reviewed by "Our Digital Daughters" on January 25, 2016:
Today’s review is of YA Novel Edna in the Desert by Maddy Lederman.
Edna in the Desert
Drive-in movie theatres are romantic, iconic and offer a screen like no other. In Edna in the Desert, by Maddy Lederman, the drive-in sets a sweet scene and a dramatic contrast for 13-year-old troublemaking, narcissistic and cellphone-addicted Edna:
“Edna’s stay in the desert had established the longest time she’d gone in her life without looking at a screen. This one was framed by the windshield from inside the jeep and suspended in front of the stars.”
Yes, this is a coming of age YA novel about young love and first kisses, but more poignantly, Edna in the Desert tells a timely story of the importance of empathy in the age of cellphones and social media. It looks at our screen-obsessed kids and what is at risk when meaningful human contact and face-to-face interaction becomes secondary to a smart device that becomes their third limb, mirror and hiding place.
When we first meet Edna, her harried parents are driving her away from her posh life in Los Angeles to her grandparents’ remote cabin in the desert. Banished to live in Dream Valley for the summer, “where the best thing to do is daydream,” Edna has no Internet connection and no semblance of her accustomed cushy lifestyle. Edna is faced with long empty days where she must cope with a list of chores spelled out by her reticent and stern grandmother and her only entertainment are books about pioneer women of the Old West.
“In the real world, a million things would have happened in Edna’s day by nine. Many of them would have been texts.”
But then in a truly cliché but well-painted scene, Edna is saved by “the best-looking boy she’d ever seen.” According to Our Digital Daughter Ambassador Maia, “She complains a whole lot and it is very annoying to listen to, until luckily she meets a hot guy named Johnny who saves her when she walks into the desert to try to run away. Johnny is seventeen and the age gap turned me off a bit. But I did like the relationship between Edna and her grandma.”
The book turns, as do the pages, as you happily experience Edna’s life away from Twitter and Facebook where there are such things as unstructured time, a desert oasis and a drive-in. You root for her as her narcissism fades and you realize that only through learning empathy will she herself be worthy of love.
Originally published by "Our Digital Daughters," http://ourdigitaldaughters.com/2016/0...
Today’s review is of YA Novel Edna in the Desert by Maddy Lederman.
Edna in the Desert
Drive-in movie theatres are romantic, iconic and offer a screen like no other. In Edna in the Desert, by Maddy Lederman, the drive-in sets a sweet scene and a dramatic contrast for 13-year-old troublemaking, narcissistic and cellphone-addicted Edna:
“Edna’s stay in the desert had established the longest time she’d gone in her life without looking at a screen. This one was framed by the windshield from inside the jeep and suspended in front of the stars.”
Yes, this is a coming of age YA novel about young love and first kisses, but more poignantly, Edna in the Desert tells a timely story of the importance of empathy in the age of cellphones and social media. It looks at our screen-obsessed kids and what is at risk when meaningful human contact and face-to-face interaction becomes secondary to a smart device that becomes their third limb, mirror and hiding place.
When we first meet Edna, her harried parents are driving her away from her posh life in Los Angeles to her grandparents’ remote cabin in the desert. Banished to live in Dream Valley for the summer, “where the best thing to do is daydream,” Edna has no Internet connection and no semblance of her accustomed cushy lifestyle. Edna is faced with long empty days where she must cope with a list of chores spelled out by her reticent and stern grandmother and her only entertainment are books about pioneer women of the Old West.
“In the real world, a million things would have happened in Edna’s day by nine. Many of them would have been texts.”
But then in a truly cliché but well-painted scene, Edna is saved by “the best-looking boy she’d ever seen.” According to Our Digital Daughter Ambassador Maia, “She complains a whole lot and it is very annoying to listen to, until luckily she meets a hot guy named Johnny who saves her when she walks into the desert to try to run away. Johnny is seventeen and the age gap turned me off a bit. But I did like the relationship between Edna and her grandma.”
The book turns, as do the pages, as you happily experience Edna’s life away from Twitter and Facebook where there are such things as unstructured time, a desert oasis and a drive-in. You root for her as her narcissism fades and you realize that only through learning empathy will she herself be worthy of love.
Originally published by "Our Digital Daughters," http://ourdigitaldaughters.com/2016/0...
October 29, 2015
EDNA IN THE DESERT on Baddass Female Lead List!
Edna in the Desert
Edna In The Desert is on Happy Bookshelf's Top Ten List of Badass Female Leads!
http://www.myhappybookshelf.com/10-ba...
And on Get Schooled's Coming of Age titles!
"Books That Prove Growing Up Isn't Easy"
https://getschooled.com/dashboard/art...
Can a Beverly Hills teen survive without a cell phone, Internet or TV?
Edna will find out.
Edna is thirteen, spoiled and wreaking havoc at school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and TV. Edna’s determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?
Edna In The Desert is on Happy Bookshelf's Top Ten List of Badass Female Leads!
http://www.myhappybookshelf.com/10-ba...
And on Get Schooled's Coming of Age titles!
"Books That Prove Growing Up Isn't Easy"
https://getschooled.com/dashboard/art...
Can a Beverly Hills teen survive without a cell phone, Internet or TV?
Edna will find out.
Edna is thirteen, spoiled and wreaking havoc at school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and TV. Edna’s determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?
October 2, 2015
Edna Goes Back To School
Can a Beverly Hills teen survive without a cell phone, Internet or TV? …Edna will find out.
Edna in the Desert
Edna In The Desert author Maddy Lederman visited Carle Place High School where students read the novel over the summer. They talked about Edna and Johnny, social media and the desert, and then participated in a writing workshop emphasizing the use of setting in story-telling.
The students asked smart questions and came up with fascinating settings in the workshop: An underground cave that has a pond filled with bio-luminescent fish, a scrumptious Candyland, an old house with creaky floors and an abandoned insane asylum, just to name a few!
Afterwards, Maddy signed books for students while they enjoyed Pineapple Upsidedown Cake, a treat from the book.
http://www.maddylederman.com/edna-goe...
Edna in the Desert
Edna In The Desert author Maddy Lederman visited Carle Place High School where students read the novel over the summer. They talked about Edna and Johnny, social media and the desert, and then participated in a writing workshop emphasizing the use of setting in story-telling.
The students asked smart questions and came up with fascinating settings in the workshop: An underground cave that has a pond filled with bio-luminescent fish, a scrumptious Candyland, an old house with creaky floors and an abandoned insane asylum, just to name a few!
Afterwards, Maddy signed books for students while they enjoyed Pineapple Upsidedown Cake, a treat from the book.
http://www.maddylederman.com/edna-goe...
July 23, 2015
A Tale Of Four Cities: Liverpool
Dear Readers,
Please check out my article on The Huffington Post about my recent trip abroad. This installment: Liverpool!
Happy reading,
Maddy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maddy-l...
Edna in the Desert
Please check out my article on The Huffington Post about my recent trip abroad. This installment: Liverpool!
Happy reading,
Maddy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maddy-l...
Edna in the Desert
July 9, 2015
"…I’m no different from Edna."
Dear Readers,
Please check out this insightful review of EDNA IN THE DESERT from Tween Book Blog!
"We learn to recognize Edna’s self-absorbed behavior as our own and it makes us think about what we could change to get us to be more in touch with the important people in our lives. Edna and the reader are forced to consider the consequences of our actions, to learn how to love much more fully and live a life that is richer. It’s a coming of age story that asks the reader hard questions without forcing an immediate answer. While the ending is somewhat bittersweet, we, like Edna, will have made a more positive change that we will be able to carry with us into the real world."
https://tweenbookblog.wordpress.com/2...
Edna in the Desert
Please check out this insightful review of EDNA IN THE DESERT from Tween Book Blog!
"We learn to recognize Edna’s self-absorbed behavior as our own and it makes us think about what we could change to get us to be more in touch with the important people in our lives. Edna and the reader are forced to consider the consequences of our actions, to learn how to love much more fully and live a life that is richer. It’s a coming of age story that asks the reader hard questions without forcing an immediate answer. While the ending is somewhat bittersweet, we, like Edna, will have made a more positive change that we will be able to carry with us into the real world."
https://tweenbookblog.wordpress.com/2...
Edna in the Desert
June 27, 2015
EDNA IN THE DESERT is Schools' 2015 Summer Reading!
EDNA IN THE DESERT is Required Summer Reading for 8th and 9th graders for the second year!
Author Maddy Lederman will visit Carle Place High School again in Fall 2015.
http://www.maddylederman.com/edna-in-...
http://www.maddylederman.com/a-great-...
Author Maddy Lederman will visit Carle Place High School again in Fall 2015.
http://www.maddylederman.com/edna-in-...
http://www.maddylederman.com/a-great-...
June 17, 2015
A Tale of Four Cities: Dublin
Dear Readers,
Please check out this link to my article on the Huffington Post about Dublin. I'm doing a series on my recent trip abroad. I hope you enjoy it!
xo,
Maddy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maddy-l...
Please check out this link to my article on the Huffington Post about Dublin. I'm doing a series on my recent trip abroad. I hope you enjoy it!
xo,
Maddy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maddy-l...
May 14, 2015
EDNA IN THE DESERT…in Paris!
“It’s been great fun bringing EDNA IN THE DESERT to English readers in Paris. Their excitement and interest in Edna’s story has been remarkable. They really seem to enjoy Edna’s special brand of precocious sarcasm!” –Maddy
Author Maddy Lederman reads excerpts of EDNA IN THE DESERT at Le Bistro Des Artists in Saint Michel/Odeon and at Culture Rapide with Paris Lit Up in Belleville, May 2015, Paris, France.
Pictures at maddylederman.com:
http://www.maddylederman.com/edna-in-...
Edna in the Desert
Can a modern teen live without her smart phone, WiFi…or anything else she likes?
Edna will find out.
EDNA IN THE DESERT is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.
“The most hilarious and realistic Young Adult book that I have read in a VERY LONG TIME…the precocious but incredibly lovable Edna really struck a chord with me.” –writer Ingrid Hall. ingridhall.wordpress.com/tag/edna-in-...
“EDNA IN THE DESERT really captured the teenage voice…I definitely think more schools should have the opportunity to read it.” –Melissa Mehling, Honors English Teacher, Carle Place High School, Carle Place, NY. maddylederman.com/a-great-time-with-s...
“I absolutely loved Edna in the Desert….4 out of 4 stars for realistic characters, solid writing, and moving storyline…..The author weaves a subtle commentary on modern technology’s impact upon interpersonal relationships.” –Official Online Book Club review.
Author Maddy Lederman reads excerpts of EDNA IN THE DESERT at Le Bistro Des Artists in Saint Michel/Odeon and at Culture Rapide with Paris Lit Up in Belleville, May 2015, Paris, France.
Pictures at maddylederman.com:
http://www.maddylederman.com/edna-in-...
Edna in the Desert
Can a modern teen live without her smart phone, WiFi…or anything else she likes?
Edna will find out.
EDNA IN THE DESERT is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.
“The most hilarious and realistic Young Adult book that I have read in a VERY LONG TIME…the precocious but incredibly lovable Edna really struck a chord with me.” –writer Ingrid Hall. ingridhall.wordpress.com/tag/edna-in-...
“EDNA IN THE DESERT really captured the teenage voice…I definitely think more schools should have the opportunity to read it.” –Melissa Mehling, Honors English Teacher, Carle Place High School, Carle Place, NY. maddylederman.com/a-great-time-with-s...
“I absolutely loved Edna in the Desert….4 out of 4 stars for realistic characters, solid writing, and moving storyline…..The author weaves a subtle commentary on modern technology’s impact upon interpersonal relationships.” –Official Online Book Club review.
