Skip to Main Content

About The Book

"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 her for one thing, but she is using them, too.
The Walker is different from the others. He is kind and gentle. Mysterious. And most of all, he is the first guy who doesn't want Sandy for all the usual reasons. In fact, she's not sure if he wants her for any reason.
But she knows she wants to be around him. He makes her feel safe, when all the other parts of her life -- like her family and friends -- just make her feel awful. And when one of Sandy's exes starts harassing her, the Walker may be the only person who can help Sandy confront her uneasy past -- and steady herself for a different future.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Ellen Wittlinger was the critically acclaimed author of the teen novels Parrotfish, Blind Faith, Sandpiper, Heart on My Sleeve, Zigzag, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a Lambda Literary Award winner), and its sequel Love & Lies: Marisol’s Story. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an MFA from the University of Iowa. A former children’s librarian, she passed away in November 2022 at the age of seventy-four.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (June 26, 2012)
  • Length: 288 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781439115794
  • Grades: 7 and up
  • Ages: 12 - 99

Browse Related Books

Awards and Honors

  • CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)
  • Thumbs Up! Award Top Ten Title (MI)
  • Virginia Young Readers List
  • ALA Best Books For Young Adults
  • Kansas NEA Reading Circle List High School Title
  • NYPL Best Books for Teens
  • Pennsylvania School Librarian Association (PSLA) "Top Ten (Or So)" Young Adult Books

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Ellen Wittlinger