Love Me Tender

by Libby Hathorn

How can 12-year-old Alan find love in a world that's fallen apart for him? His mother has left the family, there is a terrible bully at his new school, and even with his new friends, Alan looks for trouble. Then the jukebox arrives, and rock and roll brings a new perspective to Alan's life.

Paperback

Published January 1, 1994

About the author

Libby Hathorn is an Australian writer who produces poetry, picture books, drama, novels, short stories, and nonfiction for children, young adults, and adults. Best known in the United States for her critically acclaimed novel Thunderwith, Hathorn has created works ranging from serious stories of troubled youth to lighthearted, fast-paced comedies. She writes of powerful female characters in her novels for junior readers, such as the protagonists in All about Anna and The Extraordinary Magics of Emma McDade; or of lonely, misunderstood teenagers in novels such as Feral Kid, Love Me Tender, and Valley under the Rock. As Maurice Saxby noted in St. James Guide to Children's Writers, "In her novels for teenagers especially, Hathorn exposes, with compassion, sensitivity, and poetry the universal and ongoing struggle of humanity to heal hurts, establish meaningful relationships, and to learn to accept one's self—and ultimately—those who have wronged us."

Reviews

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good YA novel about a kid growing up brought up by relatives after his mum takes off. He learns to come to terms with his life and family and bring some light to the life of his aunt. (I think she was his aunt, it's been a long time since I read it.)

The title refers to the Elvis Presley song which plays on a Jukebox in the diner his aunt owns.