Anything But Ordinary, Valerie Hobbs

Hobbs, Valerie (2007).
Anything But Ordinary
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
9780374303747
Genre: Realistic fiction

Bernie and Winifred have been in love since they were fourteen, but when Winifred goes away to college, the two must try to forge their own identity.
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Quirky eighth-grader Bernie Federman moves to a new school in New Jersey and has trouble fitting in. He meets Winifred Owens who is also an outsider. They become friends and become inseparable: playing chess, talking on the phone and trading books. The two realize they are more than friends during their junior year; they plan to attend college together. However, Bernie’s mother dies of ovarian cancer which causes Bernie’s father to drink excessively. Bernie loses motivation; his grades drop, and he starts working at a tire shop. Upon graduation, Winifred leaves for college in Santa Barbara without Bernie. Bernie decides he cannot live without Winifred and drives cross-country. He is unprepared for the dramatic changes in Winifred. Winifred has become “Wini” and changed her appearance and field of study. Her behavior and attitude have also changed, and Wini coldly rejects Bernie. Bernie discovers that he enjoys the college environment; he sits in on classes, sleeps in the library and scrounges food. He decides to stay, enroll in classes and get an apartment. On Christmas break, Wini returns home and discovers what is important to her. Anything But Ordinary is a romantic novel about two people who must first discover their own identities before they are able to find happiness as a couple. Hobbs’ portrayal of college life is authentic and believable. College-bound readers will especially enjoy the college life portrayal and romance readers won’t be disappointed.