Sway

by Amber McRee Turner

In this funny, moving novel, ten-year-old Cass takes a roadtrip with her dull-as-dirt dad, only to learn that he has a few surprises up his sleeve, including the power of Sway, a family secret that just might be magical.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2012

About the author

Amber McRee Turner (www.ambermcreeturner.com) lives and writes in Germantown, Tennessee. She is a proud mother, a fan of Mary Poppins, and an easy laugher. This is her first book for children.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cass has been waiting for her mom to come home for months. When her mother returns to them and they throw a party for her, her father springs the news that they were all going to go on a road trip together as a family. Cass's mother has other plans and abandons them to Florida where she has replaced them with another family. Cass and her dad decide to continue on their road trip and try to make a difference in people's lives with the power of Sway, but will they succeed? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good and heartfelt read about the power of family, and changing people's lives. Definitely look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold if you are interested in reading it.

[ILoveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turner wrote an interesting, child friendly novel that looks into the thoughts of a ten year old girl in an out-of-the ordinary situation. Cass’s mother is a volunteer rescuer and her father is a janitor. Douglas, Toodi, and Cass Nordenhaur live next to her Uncle Clay, Aunt Jo, and Cousin Syd. Douglas and his brother Clay planned a party to honor Toodi’s return home after being gone four months. Rather than celebrating, however, Cass’s mother comes home with life-changing news. Toodi is leaving Cass’s father for another man and moving to Florida to be with him and his family. Hearing this news, Cass’s father packs up the mobile home he purchased so he and Cass could travel with Toodi on her rescue trips and takes Cass on a long vacation. During this time, Cass learns valuable lessons about “Sway” and helping people in need.
Curious and creative, Cass has a journal she “noodles” in and is passionate about the people and things she cares about. Funny traditions Cass firmly believes in permeate most of her actions and thoughts. Cass is sincere and imaginative. Douglass Nordenhaur is a giving, hardworking man, and an excellent father. Nervous and kind, Cass’s father is a wizard with tools. Amber McRee Turner’s novel is perfect for a young audience. Children aged nine and up of any gender will learn and enjoy reading Sway. The diction used by Turner will be enjoyed by her young readers. Made up words and fun comparisons appreciated by school age children contribute to the appeal of Sway. Five out of five stars seem appropriate for Turner’s work.

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cass is a 10 year old girl who worships her rescue-worker mother. Sway opens on the day her mother is returning home from a 4 month rescue mission in Missouri (Misery, as her 12 year old cousin, Syd calls it), a day that promises great celebration and delight, but turns disastrous. In his attempt to pick up the pieces, her boring, but steadfast dad loads them into an RV given the name "the ROAST," for a whirlwind cross country tour of magic and discovery, stopping only when a shoe is found on the side of a road. At those stops, Cass slowly grows to discover a magic in her father, something called "sway" that changes the lives of many around him. But can "sway" change Cass and bring about the one thing she wants most - to be reunited with her mother?

I fell in love with this book. I loved the treatment of a very difficult incident in a child's life and her father's attempt to "ease the blow," and the wonderful characters created along the way (Cass, her dad, Syd and more), and I loved the mystery of sway - wash with a piece of historical soap and you will receive a favorable characteristic of the famous person who previously used it. I also loved some of the similes and analogies that the author used to describe people, "To me, though, her being gone was a lot like my favorite deep-dish pizza. When you take a piece away, it leaves behind a valley of no-cheeseness, but for just a moment, and then the other ooey-goey stuff comes flowing fast to fill up the space. The good work I knew my mom was doing always seemed to fill in the empty of her being away for so long. (p. 2)" and feelings, "I had just witnessed some pretty nifty things. Even so, I still had a lump of doubt in my throat that felt like I'd gulped down the dry yellow middle part of a boiled egg. (p.149)."

If you are a teacher and want to investigate character change with your students, then look no further. If you are a student who wants to believe in something magical, then look no further. Join Cass and her dad on this cross country journey of discovery, and oh yeah - you'll even learn some history along the way!

[Tiffany Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell completely head over heels for Sway, Amber McRee Turner's writing, Casstanea, the Nordenhauers, MB McClean, and the heartbreaking, wondrous, and magical tale. Within the first page, I knew that this book was going to be different than other MG books out there - between the characters, the setting, the story line, the inventive words, and the way that the writing was so unique, yet smooth. I connected with the main character right away and felt that the honesty that this story kept with how children really feel and react to family issues was spot on. One minute, I'd be laughing, the next crying, and then my heart would swell up with the wonder and magic.

I cannot wait to put this book in my 4th graders' hands or even read this aloud to them, and I will be waiting (patiently) for this debut author, Amber McRee Turner, to get another book in my hands to read.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always hesitant to begin a piece that seems to have some fantastical element to it, but I’m thrilled that I picked up this book. Amber McRee Turner’s writing was consistent and enjoyable throughout the entire book and she created characters we can root for as Cass and her father work on their relationship. I was very impressed Turner’s debut novel and look forward to getting into the hands of my students in room 107!

[Paul Hankins · Rating 5 out of 5]

We'll have more to say about SWAY as the May 2012 release date approaches.

In the mean time, if you have trusted my recommendations in the past, go ahead and put SWAY in your TBR piles.

Get ready for the best cross-country trip your heart will ever take by way of RV.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I flew through this... I was really conflicted on how to rate this since its not my usual fare but it was free from Starbucks iBooks, and the cover is so sweet. This is written with the hyper-drama of a typical pre-teen( that's a complement BTW). It was different in that it didn't center around the typical plot that most books seem to cling to these days.
Not a rich family, not even middle class Cass, her mom and dad barely get by. Dad is the local fix-it guy who sells meat door to door. Mom thinks she's a first responder. Lets not even discuss the deceased RV in the driveway. Meanwhile her cousin is constantly getting himself in trouble making bad decisions, getting suspended from school, and probably on his way to reform school.
Cass is a child who adores her mom for what she thinks are all the right reasons. Mom goes where the need is. Where there is a flood, a tornado, or devastation, she's off, in her white Honda civic to help and comfort theses in need. But when she returns this time, she's tanned and made up, with a makeup case in hot pink, filled to the brim with items foreign to her former existence.
After a not so hushed argument Mom dashes off in her civic, to parts unknown, leaving dad, to deal with the damage, lock stock and RV. Cass finds out that mom has run off to be with someone else, and blames it all on dad.
But is is really all dad's fault?
With Cass's future at stake dad restores the RV with the help of his brother, who's had a stroke BTW, he sets off on an adventure to rekindle the relationship, and the magic with his daughter. What transpires is a zigzag highway, byway, learning experience that would boggle the mind of almost anyone. Traversing the eastern part of the country directed by the lost shoes they pick up by the side of the road, this odd couple find their way.
But do they find their way back to mom? Back to each other? Back to reality?
Personally I think all parents drive their kids insane at one point or another. This was Cass's turn!

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I liked about this book:

1. CAN IT! When Cass's cousin's family argues, they literally write down their complaints and put them in cans.
2. Shut up dot com. Do vegetarians have to speak Fig Latin instead of Pig Latin? And all the other wacky stuff Cass's cousin Syd says.
3. The idea that Sway is both magical and realistic.
4. The rhymey punniness of the language.
5. Cass's dad, who just wants his daughter to like him.

Things I did not so much like about this book:

1. The rhymey punniness was a bit much at times for me as an adult reader. Mostly I love that kind of stuff, but it could've been toned down in parts.
2. Cass's mom. What a jerkface.
3. It was too long for me. The concept of Sway, which is the book's selling point, didn't get introduced until page 148.

Books this book reminded me of:

1. Take the W, split it apart, move it to the other side of the A, and what have you got? SAVVY. Both books play with language. Both have a touch of magic in a realistic setting. (Okay, SAVVY has more than a touch.) Both have a weird road trip.

[Terryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4-6 grade
when cass finds out her mom is leaving, cass's dad takes her on an adventure in an attempt to bring cass's hero worship from her rescue/adventurer mom to her plain old boring blah dad. mr. nordenhaur's attempt to bring some magic into cass's life is at first met with disdain, then met with enthusiasm and eventually comes crashing down on both their heads. a tender story of redemption with a really likeable main character. i especially loved her 'noodles' and wished i could see a real representation of her art work. highly recommended. a good 'safe' read for younger advanced readers 2-3rd grade as well.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a magical book! A great read for kids who are always trying to figure out their parents.

The honesty throughout the book is refreshing.

[Elizabeth Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me within the first chapter. The writing is beautiful, the characters are so real, and I could not put it down.

[Gtowntide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely musical.

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, engaging story for fourth-sixth graders. In it, Turner shows the changes in a preadolescent girl, Cass, when the mother Cass idolizes runs off with another man. Cass is left in the care of her father. Her perceptions of her family dynamics change as she and her father reestablish their relationship without the mom.

[Anisha Patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ Overall not bad. Def took me a bit to get through some chapters though.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story!! Absolutely fantastic debut novel by Amber McRee Turner!

The story begins with 10 year old Cass, named after the Castanea dentata tree, waiting for her Mother to return from a 4 month rescue mission in flood ridden Missouri. Why Mother Toodi is off saving widows and orphans in nature torn areas, Cass is home with Dad Douglass, who is a janitor in the school year, meat sales man in the summer. Cass keeps a journal called the Book of In-Betweens where she doodles and takes notes for things to tell her mom in between her rescue adventures.

Dad has been working on the RV, the Roast he calls it, getting it ready for a big adventure of the summer, wanting to take Toodi and Cass on the road and help people together. This time when Toodi returns, things are different. Mom immediately is heading out to FL to help some orphaned children there, though we see from the dialogue with Toodi and Douglas that it isn't a trip for rescue, but that she is leaving them for good.

Douglas wants to show Cass that he can be a hero too, that they can get along fine without Toodi and that he is able to be creative and fun.. knowing in his mind that Toodi is not going to return.

He finds a suitcase in the attic with old soaps, initialed with famous peoples names. He tells Cass about his plan to stop at the nearest town they come across once they spot a lone shoe and share the 'Sway' with them. That if they wash with these soaps, they will take on characteristics of the famous person the soap once belonged to. He has a costume that transforms him to M.B. McLean and the wonders begin with Cass as his assistant.

Watch where the magic takes them and the Sway they have on the people they meet.

Douglas, the Dad in the story is a character you would want for a Dad. Truly loving his daughter and trying to make good, the things that are going wrong in her life. He is a trooper and the real hero in the story. I loved the imagination he had to design a summer trip and to take Sway to the people to help them. Cass really matures on the trip and is able to work through those things that are stressful in a young girls life, especially in realizing that your Mom is not coming back to the family. This story touched my heart deeply and the magic in it was just beautiful.
Amber McRee Turner write with spunk and feeling! She has a variety of unique, made up words that just fit so well into the storyline. She takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. I strongly recommend this book!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When ten-year-old Cass Nordenhauer's mother Toodi comes home to Olyn, Alabama from her work as a disaster relief worker, Cass looks forward to all the fun they'll have. Cass looks up to Toodi and tries not to mind all the traveling she must do for her job. But when her father proposes a plan for a road trip in an old RV called The Roast, Toodi takes off again, leaving Cass to deal with her boring, rather ordinary father. In Cass's eyes, he is decidedly unheroic, and although she agrees to go on the planned road trip, she plots to persuade her mother to come back. But Mr. Nordenhauer has a little something up his sleeve, including fishing for shoes along the highway and a traveling roadshow in which he takes on the persona of M. B. McClean, complete with a costume and Sway, a magical force that brings joy and inspiration to others as they wash their hands with a sliver of soap from his seemingly endless collection. I loved how each of the soaps had initials representing famous folks, and how each person seemed to find the right soap for what they needed. Clearly, Cass has underestimated her father, but when she learns the truth about both of her parents, she is sorely in need of a little courage and inspiration herself. There is so much to enjoy about this title--the language the author uses, the unique but often imperfect characters, and even the message at the book's heart about how often those who rescue others are just as much in need of rescue themselves. Although Cass's disappointment near the end of the book is palpable, clearly she is a survivor and will use her own artistic talents to make her way. I hated to reach the last page of this book because I had become so invested in the Nordenhauers' lives. This author is one to watch, and her story's positive message is sorely needed today.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story had that Newbery-esque feel. Not that I’m saying this book was Newbery material, it wasn’t quite that good, but I did really enjoy it. I liked seeing the journey Cass made from believing something and trying so hard to fix it, but ultimately realizing she needed to change her view to gain a better perspective. The story was bittersweet. I liked how hard the father worked to keep his daughter and how much Cass and her father grew together as they took this trip.

I was so glad to see how things worked out at the end. While it might have dealt with some tough issues and had a little bit of a messy patch near the end, it still managed to instill an important message. I liked that it dealt with losing a parent to divorce and showed how one young girl grappled with the situation before finding the beginnings of peace. It made her realize what she already had and that there was power even in the ordinary.

*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from Starbucks as a free pick of the week, and boy am I glad I gave it a try.

I love this book, and in my opinion it's a classic. I love Cass, her story and her voice. "Sway" is a story, lovingly told, with characters that are believable, and with whom you really come to care about. What an absolute pleasure to read.

I will place this book with my other beloved "Father/Daughter" books "To Kill A Mockingbird", "The Lovely Bones", and "Addie Pray" also known by the title "Paper Moon". I'm also adding it to a list of books that I lovingly refer to as "Tree Lit." -- stories where a tree is a telling part of the tale, in either a large or small way. That list includes -- "To Kill A Mockingbird", "The Giving Tree", "Speak", "The Lovely Bones", "The Bible", "Cold Sassy Tree", and now "Sway"

Thank you, Amber McRee Turner for a delightful story of family and forgiveness.

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

314 pages of deliciously unique language, quirky but believable characters, realism that is oh-so-magical, tears, laughter, a life-changing message and the perfect heart-swelling ending. Oh, and lots and lots of old soap. It's like nothing I've ever read. I can't decide which of Cass and Dad's adventures I love the most...the Belfuss Family Crawfish Boil/funeral? Nimble Creek and the first "Soapernatural Wonders"? Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig Riiiiiiiiiiiiights? It's the shoes what choose? The sad trip to Misery? Too hard to decide.
I remember when I saw the movie, O, Brother, Where Art Thou...I had to go back and see it twice more. Same way with Sway...had to read it the second time and the third may be coming! Hard to believe this comes from a debut author. Amber McRee Turner will be one to watch.

[Gwyn Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cass idolizes her mom, who does disaster recovery and travels a lot. Cass's life is marked by long stretches of time alone with her boring father in between mom's visits home. But when Mom comes home this time Cass immediately senses something's not right. Seems Mom's decided to get herself another family. Cass blames her father - maybe if he wasn't so boring, Mom would have stuck around. The last thing she wants to do is take a road trip in the beat-up RV her father's been restoring. But Dad's insistent. Cass wants to go convince her mom to come home, not spend time with her boring dad. Then again, maybe Dad's not as boring as she always thought. Enter M.B. McClean and his amazing magical historical soaps.

This is one of those sappy, feel-good books about kids dealing with difficult family issues and learning about what's really important in life. And it's a good one.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I could almost give it 5 stars, but I save that for books that were incredible. This book was great and fun, but just shy of 5 stars. After a huge disappointment, Cass's dad takes her on a road trip to help them move on. On the trip he introduces her to the "soapernatural" wonder of Sway. The book is real with just enough implied fantasy to add interest. It is not a fantasy story; it's a book about the complicated relationships so typical nowadays. I really liked the author's way of playing with words throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to adults and children alike. It is a good, clean book, but it does deal with broken families. Kids 8 or older would probably enjoy it more than younger ones.

[Kris Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to meet the marketing genius who decided to put out a new free iBook next to the tip jar at the Starbucks every Tuesday. A book with my coffee? Why thank you, I would love one! Well played marketing genius...

The second part of the genius of this ploy, is that I would have never have picked up this sweet little novel if it weren't on the iTunes card. This book sat in my iBooks queue for a long time but I am really happy that I finally had a chance to get through it.

Full Thoughts:
Paper Posse Book Blog, Sway

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute contemporary story about a girl trying to deal with her parents' separation (or rather, her mother's abandonment of herself and her father for another man). It's cute mainly because of the girl's perky way of speaking, and because of her father's creative efforts to become the inspiring parent his daughter needs at this time. An endearing though involved story that give serious themes a lighter feel, it would be helpful for kids suffering through a similar predicament.

[Susank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just fell completely in love with this book! So many special things..."wrength" is now part of my vocabulary, I will always get the first slice of pizza from now on (because it IS the mom slice) , the Memphis bridge will forever be the "Mercy" bridge, and I will never be able to sing "It Is Well With My Soul" without blubbering like a baby. I can't wait to see the movie :)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book, I sometimes got the feeling that it was trying too hard to be quirky. But I enjoyed its eccentricities all the same, especially Douglas' nicknames for Cass. It's not a superficial story, as Cass deals with her mother's departure and the reasons behind it, but it's well done. I can totally see this as a movie!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I said in my book club discussion, this was a book I didn't love while reading but enjoyed more during the discussion. My 10-year-old daughter liked it a lot, despite me thinking that some of the themes were too mature for her (what do I know?). She seemed to understand much of what was going on, despite the author's frequent language play and long descriptions.

[Donalyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many character affectations. Too clever. So over-the-top it was impossible to fall into the story. I felt that the soaps were a blatant history lesson.

There were beautiful moments, too. Ms. Turner knows how to write likable, fun characters. I look forward to reading what she writes next.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Universal concerns (abandonment, anger, honesty) are portrayed in a plot structured around a unique premise. The characters and story are equally credible and engaging. A great choice for any reader, but especially one who is struggling with trust issues.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Loved this book. It brought in a great and refreshing new perspective on parents. It also showed that single parents, even dads, can be there for their kids. A great read!

[Bryan T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has such a Big Fish feel to it. Full of magic in a real-world wonderful kind of way. Full of heartache, hope, and humor.