What's in a Name

by Ellen Wittlinger

Book Overview

What's really going on here?

There's something brewing in the town of Scrub Harbor and it's not just about changing the name from Scrub Harbor to Folly Bay. O'Neill has a secret. Adam is starting over. Christine has a crush. Gretchen has a cause. You'll get an earful getting to know them

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416984828
• ISBN13: 9781416984825
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

great book

This tells the story of a small Massachusetts town, Scrub Harbor, during a time when some people want to change the name to Folly Bay to make it sound better. It is told through ten different high schoolers, each with a different opinion. Ms. Wittlinger uses all the basic high school stereotypes: the outcast, the nice-to-everyone girl, the jock, the popular rich girl, the new kid, the shy girl, the smart kid, the weirdo, and the exchange student. Each of them has a different opinion on the name changing, and each of them realizes that, maybe, it's not something's name or label that matters, but what's inside. This book made me see how limiting stereotypes could be, and how they grow old and don't always fit anymore.

Field Day

I read the bulk of What's In a Name? in one sitting. The story is actually 8 chapters - 1 narrator per chapter - and set in a small town which is debating over changing its name. Each story has a character exploring his or her identity and the meaning of their popularity, sexuality, long term boyfriends/girlfriends, family, friends, school, future and so forth. It was a very quick and enjoyable read. I enjoyed Ellen's writing style. The teens were thoughtful, not vacant; they spoke like kids but also didn't say "like" or curse every other line. I only wish there had been one final wrap-up chapter to catch us up one last time with all of the characters we had met. However, I like the book as a hold and recommended to friends who liked small town coming-of-age novels.

AMAZINGLY EXCELLENT!

This book really potraits the different sides and things that teenagers go trough. I got this book from a friend of mine and I totally fell in love with this book. As a teenager, it is a very great book to read and see other people like you with their own little problems.

Excellent

I was given this book for my birthday. When I started to read it, I couldn't stop. The book takes place in a town named Scrub Harbor. Each chapter has a different teenager's view, opinions, and life. Some people of Scrub Harbor wish to change the town's name to Folly Bay. The town soon becomes separated into Scrubs and Follys and so does the high school. This book is for anyone who has ever asked "Who am I?" and for anyone that likes to read.

Wittlinger does it again

Ellen Wittlinger has written some truly wonderful young-adult novels, and WHAT'S IN A NAME lives up to the standards set by her other books. The format here is slightly different from her others: ten different characters tell their own stories while also contributing to the overarching plot, which concerns the efforts of some of the residents of Scrub Harbor to change the town's name to Folly Bay. As always, Wittlinger's stories are character-driven, so the plot never seems contrived; she also has a knack for making you sympathize with characters that you probably didn't think you would like. For me, this happened with the characters of Quincy and Gretchen, both "popular" kids in their high school. I expected their stories to be less interesting than the other characters', who are a little quirkier, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Quincy's and Gretchen's stories drew me in just as much as those of the other kids.I have to disagree with one of the editorial reviews, which said that the characters all seemed defined by their circumstances. In my opinion, one of Wittlinger's strengths is that she never allows her characters to just be caricatures. As I said above, they have their quirks, some more than others, but in the end, they are all real (and interesting) people.I highly recommend WHAT'S IN A NAME.