Giveaway: Walk Two Moons (US ONLY)

I don't know how it happened that I never read Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, as a child. I read many of her other books but somehow completely bypassed the one that won the Newbery. However, I picked up a copy at ALA recently and sat down to read it, a little worried that, because it's not a book full of childhood nostalgia, I might not love it the way I love other Creech novels such as Bloomability or The Wanderer.

I shouldn't have worried. At all. Walk Two Moons completely, utterly blew me away. It's the kind of children's (MG?) book that everyone should read. Sharon Creech has a way of writing messy, realistic human beings with such love. She tackles profound truths about life and people, family and love, with such simplicity and leaves you feeling so very, very alive.

I finished this book at midnight, tears falling down my face, and so full of good feelings. Like love, understanding, forgiveness, and hope. I totally get it now. I totally get why this is the book that won the Newbery; it's beautiful and so hugely affecting in the best sort of way. Walk Two Moons is the type of book that reminds me things, even very difficult things, are possible. It's possible to go through hard things and come out okay. It's possible to make a mistake and not let it ruin you. It's possible to become a better person, the kind of person you really wish you were.

I know this is a lot for a story, but it's how it made me feel and it's such a huge reason that I love stories so much: they can affect you. They can change you. It's why I'm picky about what I read and crazy for the books I love; I want to be affected by stories, but I want to be affected in good ways and by good stories.

Today I found an older copy of Walk Two Moons at the used bookstore and I'd love to give it away here.

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Deadline July 13th, 2012

A More Grown Up Perspective on Bloomability

The first time I read Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, I was in middle school or maybe junior high. I was in the habit of absolutely scouring the shelves of my school library and the public library. And I'm not positive, but I think Bloomability might have been the first Sharon Creech novel I read.

I absolutely loved it. It was one of those childhood books that at once reminded me of myself and also showed experiences and realities so different from my own. The main character of Dinnie was one I could easily relate to, mostly because in many ways her family reminded me of my family and the way she felt after being whisked off to attend a boarding school in Switzerland seemed to be, probably, the exact same way that I would have felt in her shoes.

I'm 22 now. It's been a decade, maybe more, since I first read this book and I'll admit that I was a little worried going into this reread. There's the fear of what if I don't love it like I used to? What I don't see what was so brilliant about it? What if I've outgrown this book that impacted me so much?

Luckily, this book is just as wonderful as I remembered it and reading it as an adult gave me an additional perspective. Not only did I see what I loved about it as a kid, but I also saw the little ways this book has influenced and stayed with me throughout my life. There are small things, like the fact that even though I know the right phrase is "drop dead beautiful," I always think of it as "dead drop beautiful" and even though I know I'm messing the words up, I didn't quite know why. And then I reread Bloomability and saw that one of my favorite characters, Keisuke, says it like that. It's just one line but as soon as I read it the origin of how I got the phrase confused in my head clicked into place -- oh, so that's where it came from!

And then there are the bigger things: the week the characters learned about disaster (war, famine, refugees, diseases, storms) and it hit me, again and again, that I was so damn lucky to be alive and be safe and have a family that loved me. The thoughts on struggle were similarly captivating and even more influential -- when Dinnie's teacher tells her that struggle is what makes people interesting, I mulled it over in my head. And I have mulled it over, every so often, for so long, finally coming to the conclusion that it may not be struggle that makes a person interesting, but as long as you are struggling at something, as long as you are fighting that fight whether internally or externally, you haven't failed. You are still going. You haven't stopped, and that alone is a good thing.

Aside from the influence on my life, I just love the characters in this book. Dinnie, the outrageously optimistic (and awesome) Guthrie, Keisuke and Belen ("Romeo and Juliet"), and even stubborn Lila. As a kid it was so easy for me to slip into their world and as a (sort of) adult, it's similarly easy -- partly, I think, because of my connection with this book and partly because the book is just that good. I love it so much.

(One of my favorite quotes from the book):

Before our [final] English exam, [Mr. Bonner] told each of us, "Don't worry. You'll do fine," and it seemed as if he wasn't just referring to our exams. It seemed as if he meant forever, in our whole lives.

Click here to see my rereading list, and here to read my intro to this year's rereading.

40 Day Book Challenge - Book I Want to Live In (02)

Day 02 - A book I want to live in
The first (and best) book that comes to mind for this one is Sharon Creech's Bloomability, which takes place at an international boarding school in Switzerland. I love Dinnie and her international friends, especially Guthrie, and if given the chance I'd become 12 years old again and live in this book in an instant. It's without a doubt one of the best stories and settings of any book. Ahhh, go read it.

Review: Chasing Redbird

CHASING REDBIRD
Sharon Creech
Macmillan Children's Books

As with Sarah Dessen's novels, I find it difficult to review a Sharon Creech book. There are some books I want to read, dissect, and puzzle out, and there are others I just want to enjoy. Creech's books fall under that second category; they're so wonderful and also so much a part of my childhood that reviewing them seems entirely foreign to me. That said, I think that reviews can help highlight books and even though this is an older book, I really want to talk about it and highlight it.

Zinnia is a thirteen-year-old girl in a family of seven children. Her cousin, who was the same age as her and who she thought of as a sister, died when they were only four years old and now her incredible Aunt Jessie has died, too. Zinny has always been closer to her aunt and uncle than her own parents and now she finds solace in the trail starting in her backyard. She makes it a personal mission to clear the trail by the end of the summer, a project that is complicated both by the length of the trail and the fact that her family doesn't think she'll be able to accomplish it. But for Zinny, this is more than just a project -- finding and clearing the trail feels essential for some reason and she is determined to succeed.

Creech has a knack for spirited, adventurous heroines, and Zinny is no exception. She takes on the project of clearing the trail wholeheartedly, hiking miles there and back in order to work on it. And while this part of the story is incredibly transportive and imaginative, the real heart lies in Zinny's complicated emotions regarding her self, her family, and the older boy who keeps giving her gifts. The portrayal of a large family and one child who feels left out is done so incredibly well, most notably in the moments where, noting Zinny standing up for what she wants more often, the people around her ask, "aren't you supposed to be the quiet one?" Zinny's journey from quiet, unassuming younger sister to confident and adventurous explorer is an unlikely and welcome story.

The farm Zinny lives on, along with her large family, makes for a quirky and almost timeless setting. Though this book was published in the 90s and there are references to computers in the novel, many of the references and language are a quite a bit older. Instead of being alienating, this gives the story a timeless sort of feeling that works so much better in middle grade than, I think, probably any other genre. In fact, this book is the best sort of middle grade novel -- a tale of growing up and discovering yourself, with a nice bit of adventure as well. Definitely recommended for middle grade readers of all ages.