Casting Call- The Sky is Everywhere

Welcome to our new feature, Casting Call, hosted along with my good friends at Gone Pecan, The Book Addict’s Guide, The Grown Up YA and Teen Lit Rocks.

Each week we’ll be dream casting some of our favorite books and sweet Lordy, isn’t it appropriate that we begin with one of the most gorgeous, swoonworthy books out there? A book with two of my all-time favorite heroes and heroines?  Well, feast your eyes on my cast for The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. And guys, if you’ve not read this book, do yourself a favor and get on it. You won’t regret it.

Alexandra Chando as Lennie

There’s something in her eyes that makes me think of Lennie, something sort of innocent and maybe a bit withdrawn. I’ve always pictured Lennie with eyes that really showed depth and pain and a lust for life (apparently I think eyes can say many, many things).

...but then all of a sudden the breath is kicked out of me and I’m shoved to the hard concrete floor of my life now, because I remember I can’t run home after school and tell Bails about a new boy in band. My sister dies over and over again, all day long. (pg 9)

Rachel Bilson as Bailey

We only get glimpses of Bailey through Lennie’s memories, but the flashbacks paint such a bright picture that I feel I know her so well. Ever the loving, protective big sister, she lived on in Lennie’s stories and her poetry. And in the bond that Lennie and Bailey’s boyfriend, Toby, share.

I had such a hard time casting this one, but I feel that although she’s the older, more mature sister, she has to have a girlishness about her. I wavered between Rachel Bilson and Emmy Rossum, both of whom look young enough to be a teenager, but in the end went with Bilson mainly because she was older than the girl I chose to pick Lennie. Sometimes there’s a method to my madness. And sometimes not.

“…this is it. He’s it.”

“How do you know?”

“My toes told me. The toes knows.” (pg 119)

Zach Roerig as Toby

Oh, poor little Toby. Somtimes I wanted to hug him and other times I wanted to punch him in the face. It’s impossible not to feel something for the guy whose just lost his love and who has connected with the one person in the world who misses her as much as he does.  Zach Roerig is exactly, perfectly how I picture Toby–cute and unassuming, not about to suck all of the attention out of a room, added to this thing where he seems to have layers of emotion underneath a strong exterior (or maybe I think that because I’m just used to watching him deal with ex-girlfriends and their vampire drama on The Vampire Diaries).

I’m sorry, I whisper to Bailey inside my head, I don’t mean to think about Toby this way. I assure you it won’t happen again. It’s just that he’s the only one who understands, I add. Oh, bother. (pg 33)

And…best for last:

Aaron Johnson as Joe

or

Um, yes

The curls, the dark hair, the light eyes. Yep, that’ll do it.

I love this character, from his bright, earth-shattering smile to his joyful disposition, to everything in between. He’s cute, he’s a musician, he’s sort of cool and dorky all at once, and he loves Lennie in a sweet, adorably passionate way.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” I blurt out and want to die because I can’t believe I said it aloud and neither can he–his smile, so huge now, he can’t get any words past it.

He stops again. I think he’s going to go on about Paris some more–but he doesn’t. I look up at him. His face is serious like it was last night in the woods.

“Lennie,” he whispers.

I look into his sorrowless eyes and a door in my heart blows open. And when we kiss, I see that on the other side of that door is sky. (pg 112)

So how would you cast this book? Please be sure to check out my other blog friends and tell us what you think:

Gone Pecan

The Book Addict’s Guide

The Grown Up YA

Teen Lit Rocks

DISCLAIMER: In our development of this feature we discovered that the book blog Lit Snit featured “Casting Call Fridays.” Our Casting Call feature is in no way purposefully copying or stealing this idea and any similarities is purely coincidental. Also, you should check out their casting because it rocks!

Happy Friday!