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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607002729120 | Juvenile Fiction | CREECH | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
From Newbery Medal winner and bestselling author Sharon Creech comes a grand, sweeping yarn that is a celebration of the great and unexpected gifts of love, friendship, and forgiveness. With a starred review from Kirkus Reviews calling it an "enchanting tale to treasure," The Great Unexpected captures the heart and the imagination.
Humorous and heartfelt, this is a story of pairs--of young Naomi and Lizzie, both orphans in present-day Blackbird Tree, USA, and of Sybil and Nula, grown-up sisters from faraway Rook's Orchard, Ireland, who have become estranged.
Young Naomi Deane is brimming with curiosity and her best friend, Lizzie Scatterding, could talk the ears off a cornfield. Naomi has a knack for being around when trouble happens. She knows all the peculiar people in town--like Crazy Cora and Witch Wiggins. But then, one day, a boy drops out of a tree. Just like that. A strangely charming Finn boy. And then the Dingle Dangle man appears, asking all kinds of questions. Curious surprises are revealed--three locked trunks, a pair of rooks, a crooked bridge, and that boy--and soon Naomi and Lizzie find their lives changed forever.
As two worlds are woven together, Creech reveals that hearts can be mended and that there is indeed a gossamer thread that connects us all.
Author Notes
Sharon Creech was on born July 29, 1945 in South Euclid, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. She was in college when she took literature and writing courses and became intrigued by story-telling. Later, she was a teacher (high school English and writing) in England and in Switzerland.
Her novel Walk Two Moons received in 1995 Newbery Medal; The Wanderer was a 2001 Newbery Honor book and Ruby Holler received the 2002 Carnegie Medal. In 2007, Heartbeat was a finalist in the Junior Division (4th to 6th grades) of the Young Reader's Choice Awards, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Library Association. She has written over 15 fiction novels for young readers.
She is married to Lyle Rigg, who is the headmaster of The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, and have two grown children, Rob and Karin.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-Two seemingly unique communities are entwined through history and fate in a way that only Sharon Creech can manage in her story (HarperCollins, 2012) about friendship. Naomi Dean, who has a habit of always being around when trouble starts, lives with her guardians in the little town of Blackbird Tree, and is best friends with Lizzie Scatterding, who "could talk the ears off a cornfield." Things get interesting the day that the charming young Finn boy drops out of a tree and sets in motion some very strange and unexpected events. While the two girls puzzle over his appearance and compete for his attention, two ladies in Ireland are planning a few unusual things of their own. How the author ties all of the characters on both sides of the Atlantic together is slightly contrived, but her hints and clues keep the plot moving smoothly and logically. There are locked trunks, dogs, significant trees, Finns, and black birds in both communities, although the birds are called rooks in Ireland. Heather O'Neill and Erin Moon give each character a delightful and recognizable voice; Naomi's is sweet and charming, Mrs. Kavanaugh's is elegant, Mr. Farley and Crazy Cora sound elderly and gruff. Only the sing-song voice of Lizzie sounds out of place and slightly bothersome. As usual, Creech's language and descriptions are vivid and beautiful. Rich symbolism abounds, and many common threads are woven together at the novel's conclusion.-MaryAnn Karre, West Middle School, Binghamton, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a story that is part folktale, part mystery, and part comedy, Newbery Medalist Creech (Walk Two Moons) traces a series of strange events, beginning with a boy's fall from a tree, which is witnessed by an orphan named Naomi and her friend Lizzie. The boy, Finn, might be part of the Dimmens clan, who live up on Black Dog Night Hill, or his appearance might be more ethereal in nature. In alternating chapters, readers are whisked between two evocative locations: Naomi's town of Blackbird Tree and an impressive Irish estate owned by an ailing mystery novel buff. Neighbors, strangers, and a collection of odd artifacts are all part of a puzzle Naomi tries to solve-and readers will be working just as hard to do so. The fun that drives the book forward derives from Naomi's plainspoken narration (her barely concealed jealousy over Lizzie's interactions with Finn is especially well-done), along with uncovering the surprising connections between characters and wondering whether magic is at the root of the baffling occurrences. Ages 8-12. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.