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About the Book


Squashed

Ellie Morgan is allergic to giving up, and she puts it all on the line to battle tradition and her father’s wishes in her quest to grow the biggest pumpkin in Iowa.

Humor, agriculture and young love all come together in Joan Bauer’s first novel, set in rural Iowa. Sixteen-year-old Ellie Morgan’s life would be almost perfect if she could just get her potentially prize-winning pumpkin to put on hundreds of more pounds–and if she could take off 20 herself… in hopes of attracting Wes, the new boy in town.

  • Winner of the Delacorte Prize for an Outstanding First Young Adult Novel
  • Nominated for 13 state awards
  • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

"This is a funny, fast-paced book about an ordinary girl with an extraordinary ambition."
-- The New York Times

"This laugh-out-loud story is a delight...Ellie proves herself an all-around winner. So is Max and so is this book."
-- School Library Journal, starred review

"Squashed is fast-paced and engrossing entertainment that startles the reader with its underlying strength."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Delightful fun!"
-- Kirkus Reviews

"This laugh-out-loud story is a delight...Ellie proves herself an all-around winner. So is Max and so is this book."
-- School Library Journal, starred review