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The Great Unexpected
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.
226 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2012
139 people are currently reading
4068 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Creech
70 books3,288 followersI was born in South Euclid, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and grew up there with my noisy and rowdy family: my parents (Ann and Arvel), my sister (Sandy), and my three brothers (Dennis, Doug and Tom).
For a fictional view of what it was like growing up in my family, see Absolutely Normal Chaos. (In that book, the brothers even have the same names as my own brothers.) Our house was not only full of us Creeches, but also full of friends and visiting relatives.
In the summer, we usually took a trip, all of us piled in a car and heading out to Wisconsin or Michigan or, once, to Idaho. We must have been a very noisy bunch, and I'm not sure how our parents put up with being cooped up with us in the car for those trips. The five-day trip out to Idaho when I was twelve had a powerful effect on me: what a huge and amazing country! I had no idea then that thirty-some years later, I would recreate that trip in a book called Walk Two Moons.
One other place we often visited was Quincy, Kentucky, where my cousins lived (and still live) on a beautiful farm, with hills and trees and swimming hole and barn and hayloft. We were outside running in those hills all day long, and at night we'd gather on the porch where more stories would be told. I loved Quincy so much that it has found its way into many of my books—transformed into Bybanks, Kentucky. Bybanks appears in Walk Two Moons, Chasing Redbird, and Bloomability. Bybanks also makes a brief appearance (by reference, but not by name) in The Wanderer.
When I was young, I wanted to be many things when I grew up: a painter, an ice skater, a singer, a teacher, and a reporter. It soon became apparent that I had little drawing talent, very limited tolerance for falling on ice, and absolutely no ability to stay on key while singing. I also soon learned that I would make a terrible reporter because when I didn't like the facts, I changed them. It was in college, when I took literature and writing courses, that I became intrigued by story-telling. Later, I was a teacher (high school English and writing) in England and in Switzerland. While teaching great literature, I learned so much about writing: about what makes a story interesting and about techniques of plot and characterization and point of view. I started out writing novels for adults (published as Sharon Rigg): The Recital and Nickel Malley were both written and published while I was living in England (these books were published in England only and are now out of print.) But the next book was Absolutely Normal Chaos, and ever since that book I have written mainly about young people. Walk Two Moons was the first of my books to be published in America. When it received the Newbery Medal, no one was more surprised than I was. I'm still a little bit in shock.
After Walk Two Moons came Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Bloomability, The Wanderer, and Fishing in the Air. I hope to be writing stories for a long, long time.
I am married to Lyle Rigg, who is the headmaster of The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, and have two grown children, Rob and Karin. Being with my family is what I enjoy most. The next-best thing is writing stories.
© Sharon Creech
For a fictional view of what it was like growing up in my family, see Absolutely Normal Chaos. (In that book, the brothers even have the same names as my own brothers.) Our house was not only full of us Creeches, but also full of friends and visiting relatives.
In the summer, we usually took a trip, all of us piled in a car and heading out to Wisconsin or Michigan or, once, to Idaho. We must have been a very noisy bunch, and I'm not sure how our parents put up with being cooped up with us in the car for those trips. The five-day trip out to Idaho when I was twelve had a powerful effect on me: what a huge and amazing country! I had no idea then that thirty-some years later, I would recreate that trip in a book called Walk Two Moons.
One other place we often visited was Quincy, Kentucky, where my cousins lived (and still live) on a beautiful farm, with hills and trees and swimming hole and barn and hayloft. We were outside running in those hills all day long, and at night we'd gather on the porch where more stories would be told. I loved Quincy so much that it has found its way into many of my books—transformed into Bybanks, Kentucky. Bybanks appears in Walk Two Moons, Chasing Redbird, and Bloomability. Bybanks also makes a brief appearance (by reference, but not by name) in The Wanderer.
When I was young, I wanted to be many things when I grew up: a painter, an ice skater, a singer, a teacher, and a reporter. It soon became apparent that I had little drawing talent, very limited tolerance for falling on ice, and absolutely no ability to stay on key while singing. I also soon learned that I would make a terrible reporter because when I didn't like the facts, I changed them. It was in college, when I took literature and writing courses, that I became intrigued by story-telling. Later, I was a teacher (high school English and writing) in England and in Switzerland. While teaching great literature, I learned so much about writing: about what makes a story interesting and about techniques of plot and characterization and point of view. I started out writing novels for adults (published as Sharon Rigg): The Recital and Nickel Malley were both written and published while I was living in England (these books were published in England only and are now out of print.) But the next book was Absolutely Normal Chaos, and ever since that book I have written mainly about young people. Walk Two Moons was the first of my books to be published in America. When it received the Newbery Medal, no one was more surprised than I was. I'm still a little bit in shock.
After Walk Two Moons came Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Bloomability, The Wanderer, and Fishing in the Air. I hope to be writing stories for a long, long time.
I am married to Lyle Rigg, who is the headmaster of The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, and have two grown children, Rob and Karin. Being with my family is what I enjoy most. The next-best thing is writing stories.
© Sharon Creech
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 687 reviews
September 12, 2012
One word for my reaction to this book: Meh. I was not bowled over by the tale, I think because I felt Creech tried to include far too many elements - fairies, Irish humor, strange degrees of separation, belonging, coming of age. The alternating back and forth between the characters and setting in Ireland, and those in America was kind of confusing too me, and I think it would be so for young readers, especially as the Irish chapters were an approximationg of brogue sometimes. When Creech finally brings everything together, it's like this gridlock of themes and elements. Plus, the fairies thing, while I like fairies, just didn't seem to fit anywhere very well, other than the fact that it is Irish.
Young readers will not be familiar with the Finn McCoul legend, and to require them to learn that while digesting a new plot was a little much.
What I did like: The image of us all connected by a "delicate cobweb link... silky lines trailing through the air", and the fact that negative circumstances sometimes yield positive things in the future. I just wish Creech had spun a slightly less complicated tale to impart those two wise thoughts.
Young readers will not be familiar with the Finn McCoul legend, and to require them to learn that while digesting a new plot was a little much.
What I did like: The image of us all connected by a "delicate cobweb link... silky lines trailing through the air", and the fact that negative circumstances sometimes yield positive things in the future. I just wish Creech had spun a slightly less complicated tale to impart those two wise thoughts.
January 17, 2015
As gorgeous as this book was, I felt let down. Sharon Creech is one of my favorite childhood authors and I’ve been wanting to read this book forever, since it came out to be precise. I remember the excitement I felt when I found out Sharon Creech had a new book out. I added it to my Goodreads, to-read list but like the case with a lot of other books that I placed on the list, it found it’s way to a place on the list that I don’t often check.
When I finally got my hands on the book, I was excited to dive in and I was disappointed when it started to seem that this middle grade book had a situation where two young girls were being torn apart because of there shared interest in one guy. I mean realistically, it’s quite possible. We all had our crushes when we were young, but I just don’t expect stuff like that in middle grade books so I was shocked.
My shock aside, after pondering about the situation a bit, it made me think. Shouldn’t middle grade books also explore certain concepts like this? After all there are young tweens that might read these books looking for some kind of reassurance they aren’t on their own or that the way they feel isn’t abnormal or that boys don’t actually have cooties (we all went through that phase :P)!
Lizzie and Naomi are both wonderful characters and I adored being inside of Naomi’s head. It’s clear that in spite of the way she may present herself, she does want to be loved and doesn’t just want to be a ‘burden’ to Nula and Joe. She wants to know that she matters to them too and it's obvious she was too scared to ask the right question. Especially after seeing the kind of affect Lizzie’s obviously high expectations had on her. Naomi was just such a lovable character and you wanted to hold her and reassure her that everything would be okay.
Lizzie was slightly overwhelming at first but I came to adore her too. She talked a lot and there were times where you, like Naomi, just wanted her to zip it but her innocence made it obvious that she never thought anything but the best of everyone and would never want to hurt anyone. Most of all, Naomi.
I loved the magic realism in this book. It definitely made the book more exciting but at the same time, I wanted so much more. This book is full of so much potential and when I compare it to some of Creech’s other works, I cannot help but find the book lacking.
To add to that, the ending to this book just seemed so unlike Creech. The other books I’ve read by her always ended in a sweet but realistic manner but the ending to this book bordered on unrealistic. There were elements to it that made me smile but other parts of it made me cringe with their perfectness.
Don’t be confused by what I said though, this book still has it’s brutal parts and while I wish they had been given more attention, they do manage to break your heart.
All in all, while I feel a little let down by this book, it’s still a fantastic read and one I won’t hesitate to recommend (unless it’s your first time reading Creech in which case, I’d say start with Walk Two Moons).
When I finally got my hands on the book, I was excited to dive in and I was disappointed when it started to seem that this middle grade book had a situation where two young girls were being torn apart because of there shared interest in one guy. I mean realistically, it’s quite possible. We all had our crushes when we were young, but I just don’t expect stuff like that in middle grade books so I was shocked.
My shock aside, after pondering about the situation a bit, it made me think. Shouldn’t middle grade books also explore certain concepts like this? After all there are young tweens that might read these books looking for some kind of reassurance they aren’t on their own or that the way they feel isn’t abnormal or that boys don’t actually have cooties (we all went through that phase :P)!
Lizzie and Naomi are both wonderful characters and I adored being inside of Naomi’s head. It’s clear that in spite of the way she may present herself, she does want to be loved and doesn’t just want to be a ‘burden’ to Nula and Joe. She wants to know that she matters to them too and it's obvious she was too scared to ask the right question. Especially after seeing the kind of affect Lizzie’s obviously high expectations had on her. Naomi was just such a lovable character and you wanted to hold her and reassure her that everything would be okay.
Lizzie was slightly overwhelming at first but I came to adore her too. She talked a lot and there were times where you, like Naomi, just wanted her to zip it but her innocence made it obvious that she never thought anything but the best of everyone and would never want to hurt anyone. Most of all, Naomi.
I loved the magic realism in this book. It definitely made the book more exciting but at the same time, I wanted so much more. This book is full of so much potential and when I compare it to some of Creech’s other works, I cannot help but find the book lacking.
To add to that, the ending to this book just seemed so unlike Creech. The other books I’ve read by her always ended in a sweet but realistic manner but the ending to this book bordered on unrealistic. There were elements to it that made me smile but other parts of it made me cringe with their perfectness.
Don’t be confused by what I said though, this book still has it’s brutal parts and while I wish they had been given more attention, they do manage to break your heart.
All in all, while I feel a little let down by this book, it’s still a fantastic read and one I won’t hesitate to recommend (unless it’s your first time reading Creech in which case, I’d say start with Walk Two Moons).
November 19, 2012
Naomi and Lizzie, both orphans, have lived in Blackbird tree their whole lives with the kindly families that have taken them in. They are merely minding their own business one day when a boy falls out of a tree one day and knocks Naomi to the ground. At first they are sure he is dead, but then he gets up and introduces himself as Finn. They've never seen him before, and strangers don't come to Blackbird Tree often. Shortly after Finn's arrival another stranger comes to town and seems to be lurking around suspiciously. Something strange is certainly afoot in Blackbird Tree...
With it's back and forth storyline that traverses time, this book can't help but be compared to Holes, but where Holes succeeds with an organized alternating storyline that leaves just the right amount left out to keep you interested, this book fails. The "across the ocean" chapters seem to be plopped in, and although they make sense in the end, while they're happening they just seem baffling and confused. Characters are cartoonish with odd repeated phrasings like "lar de dar", and the depth of their personal tragedies feels forced and it is never entirely explained where "that Finn Boy" came from or why he is there, or if it is explained this reader somehow missed it. Ultimately unsatisfying.
With it's back and forth storyline that traverses time, this book can't help but be compared to Holes, but where Holes succeeds with an organized alternating storyline that leaves just the right amount left out to keep you interested, this book fails. The "across the ocean" chapters seem to be plopped in, and although they make sense in the end, while they're happening they just seem baffling and confused. Characters are cartoonish with odd repeated phrasings like "lar de dar", and the depth of their personal tragedies feels forced and it is never entirely explained where "that Finn Boy" came from or why he is there, or if it is explained this reader somehow missed it. Ultimately unsatisfying.
January 13, 2013
I work with a Lizzie-type person. She doesn't take a breath, rattling through conversations like an auctioneer. Sometimes I want to make the timeout sign with my hands, other times I marvel at her yapping tongue. Lizzie Scatterding is Naomi Deane's best friend who has a good heart, is melodramatic, and can be annoyingly talkative. Both girls are orphans living in the town of Blackbird Tree and their relationship and dialogue is one of the great strengths of this novel. Dizzy Lizzy repeats everything to factual Naomi to which she usually replies something like, "Lizzie, you crawdad. I'm not deaf." She also asks so many questions that Naomi almost asks her to stop but remembers Joe saying "Lizzie could talk the ears off a cornfield, and it made me laugh, and I wrapped an arm around Lizzie."
Most of the people in Blackbird Tree have suffered in some way. Lizzie's mom died of a disease and her dad of grief, while Naomi's mom died in childbirth and her dad died of an infection caused from defending her from an attacking dog. It mangled Naomi's arm, but she doesn't dwell on it. The two girls don't want pity and when a teacher comes to town she can't believe all the tragic tales the students have in regards to family. Naomi says, "We thought we were normal. All any of us wanted was for somebody to care about us, and if we couldn’t have that, then at least somebody who wouldn’t be too mean and who would feed us from time to time.” When, the two girls meet the mysterious Finn boy, things become complicated as Naomi falls in love with him leading to jealous feelings toward Lizzie.
The terrific writing and the way Sharon Creech puts sentences together made me really enjoy this book. The characters are eccentric and a fantasty-like realism runs throughout the chapters that is quite unique. The play on words regarding names had me laughing such as Lizzie Scatterdinghead who is a scatterbrain and Dapper Dingle Dangle Doodle man, and the muddle-brained Mrs. Mudkin who never says, Naomi's, name correctly calling her "Neema" or "Raynee" to which Naomi replies it's "Nay-oh-me."
The alternate story of the two women in Ireland and the different characters named Finn or Paddy is not clear until the end. I take that back - some parts are clear while others are not. Naomi's Finn is a very confusing character. He's the fantasy element. I have no clue if he is an elf, fairy, leprechaun, or druid. He crops up in three generations of women and tries to cause a rift between friends. He's the ghost of girlfriends past. The gold at the end doesn't make sense to me either. I thought maybe it was the leprechaun's pot of gold and the girls would get three wishes, but that is not the case. Naomi's Finn tells them to not steal the gold in the beginning of the story and at the end we find out that Finnbar died because he stole it. Paddy/Finn wants the trunk because it has gold coins in it. It would have helped me if Paddy actually mentioned the coins in his confrontation with Sybil. The whole Irish folklore needed to be fleshed out and worked into the plot more to make sense to this wee lassie.
At the start of the novel the characters have a southern accent except Nula who sounds Irish but later Irish accents crop up in other characters and I got a little confused on the setting. The ending was rushed as everything was wrapped up neatly for all the women and townspeople. I think the unbelievable way in which everything turned out so well for each character is supposed to tie in with the magic of Irish folklore and wishes coming true but there isn't a strong connection to any specific legend, so I'm not sure how to analyze it. Like Lizzie, I am left with lots of questions and no pot of answers, but inspite of my confusion, I really enjoyed this story and the characters.
Reading Level 4.1
Most of the people in Blackbird Tree have suffered in some way. Lizzie's mom died of a disease and her dad of grief, while Naomi's mom died in childbirth and her dad died of an infection caused from defending her from an attacking dog. It mangled Naomi's arm, but she doesn't dwell on it. The two girls don't want pity and when a teacher comes to town she can't believe all the tragic tales the students have in regards to family. Naomi says, "We thought we were normal. All any of us wanted was for somebody to care about us, and if we couldn’t have that, then at least somebody who wouldn’t be too mean and who would feed us from time to time.” When, the two girls meet the mysterious Finn boy, things become complicated as Naomi falls in love with him leading to jealous feelings toward Lizzie.
The terrific writing and the way Sharon Creech puts sentences together made me really enjoy this book. The characters are eccentric and a fantasty-like realism runs throughout the chapters that is quite unique. The play on words regarding names had me laughing such as Lizzie Scatterdinghead who is a scatterbrain and Dapper Dingle Dangle Doodle man, and the muddle-brained Mrs. Mudkin who never says, Naomi's, name correctly calling her "Neema" or "Raynee" to which Naomi replies it's "Nay-oh-me."
The alternate story of the two women in Ireland and the different characters named Finn or Paddy is not clear until the end. I take that back - some parts are clear while others are not. Naomi's Finn is a very confusing character. He's the fantasy element. I have no clue if he is an elf, fairy, leprechaun, or druid. He crops up in three generations of women and tries to cause a rift between friends. He's the ghost of girlfriends past. The gold at the end doesn't make sense to me either. I thought maybe it was the leprechaun's pot of gold and the girls would get three wishes, but that is not the case. Naomi's Finn tells them to not steal the gold in the beginning of the story and at the end we find out that Finnbar died because he stole it. Paddy/Finn wants the trunk because it has gold coins in it. It would have helped me if Paddy actually mentioned the coins in his confrontation with Sybil. The whole Irish folklore needed to be fleshed out and worked into the plot more to make sense to this wee lassie.
At the start of the novel the characters have a southern accent except Nula who sounds Irish but later Irish accents crop up in other characters and I got a little confused on the setting. The ending was rushed as everything was wrapped up neatly for all the women and townspeople. I think the unbelievable way in which everything turned out so well for each character is supposed to tie in with the magic of Irish folklore and wishes coming true but there isn't a strong connection to any specific legend, so I'm not sure how to analyze it. Like Lizzie, I am left with lots of questions and no pot of answers, but inspite of my confusion, I really enjoyed this story and the characters.
Reading Level 4.1
November 28, 2012
Some of Sharon Creech's books are among my favorites, especially Walk Two Moons, but this one won't be.
The thing that most puzzles me about why this book didn't grab me is that one of the difficulties I had with the book was that I couldn't keep Lizzie and Naomi straight in my mind. This should NOT have been a problem, since Lizzie was the talker and Naomi was the dreamer. I think part of the problem is that Lizzie, the talker, wasn't the narrator of the book. So you end up with Naomi, the dreamer, doing most of the talking.
The other problem is that I just didn't care enough about some of the peripheral characters. Nula and Joe you got to know a bit, but some of the others seemed to be there just to justify and then later tie up the loose ends of a rather complex interweaving of plot elements. And, even after all of that, those plot elements still had to be tied up yet again in the last couple of chapters of the book.
Finally, there is the implausibility of the resolution. I won't say too much of it, but it just didn't seem real to me. And even the resolution leaves lots of questions dangling - and these are not the cliffhangers of some novels, urging you to buy the next book in the series, but they are, rather, little niggling things that early on in the novel seemed to point toward some question that needed answering, but then the answer, if it does appear, seems incomplete and unsatisfactory.
I did read the whole book, but I don't think it will be one I tout to kids as a "must read".
The thing that most puzzles me about why this book didn't grab me is that one of the difficulties I had with the book was that I couldn't keep Lizzie and Naomi straight in my mind. This should NOT have been a problem, since Lizzie was the talker and Naomi was the dreamer. I think part of the problem is that Lizzie, the talker, wasn't the narrator of the book. So you end up with Naomi, the dreamer, doing most of the talking.
The other problem is that I just didn't care enough about some of the peripheral characters. Nula and Joe you got to know a bit, but some of the others seemed to be there just to justify and then later tie up the loose ends of a rather complex interweaving of plot elements. And, even after all of that, those plot elements still had to be tied up yet again in the last couple of chapters of the book.
Finally, there is the implausibility of the resolution. I won't say too much of it, but it just didn't seem real to me. And even the resolution leaves lots of questions dangling - and these are not the cliffhangers of some novels, urging you to buy the next book in the series, but they are, rather, little niggling things that early on in the novel seemed to point toward some question that needed answering, but then the answer, if it does appear, seems incomplete and unsatisfactory.
I did read the whole book, but I don't think it will be one I tout to kids as a "must read".
September 13, 2012
This is a delightful book that I read in one sitting. Sharon Creech has done it again with this beautifully written and lyrical story. It is warm, witty, full of memorable and eccentric characters, secrets and coincidences, hidden meaning and life lessons for our children. As you begin to put the pieces of the puzzle of the story together it will remind you that we are all connected by that invisible thread and the actions of one many times affect the lives of others.
Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding are two best friends in the small town of Blackbird Tree. Both are wounded orphans living daily with their fears. Naomi is an old soul, wise beyond her years and terrified of dogs. A vicious attack by one as a child left her maimed and took the life of her father. Lizzie is a scattered chatterbox with the inability to lie and the fear of being homeless. Her one hope is that her foster parents will adopt her and give her a sense of permanency.
The tale begins when a mysterious boy named Finn drops out of a tree, literally at the feet of Naomi. His presence in their lives has an effect on their friendship in the same manner that another boy named Finn in another lifetime came between Naomi's guardian Nula and her sister.
Across the pond in Ireland Mrs. Kavanaugh plots at her estate of Rook Orchard to set a plan in motion that will right past wrongs. She sends the mysterious solicitor Mr. Dinkle to the town of Blackbird Tree and the lives of Naomi and Lizzie are changed forever.
As Naomi muses.... "I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
"Did a delicate cobweb link us all, silky lines trailing through the air?"
We are all interconnected as this book poignantly portrays through and bestows upon us once again the great but not unexpected gift of the storytelling of Ms. Creech.
Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding are two best friends in the small town of Blackbird Tree. Both are wounded orphans living daily with their fears. Naomi is an old soul, wise beyond her years and terrified of dogs. A vicious attack by one as a child left her maimed and took the life of her father. Lizzie is a scattered chatterbox with the inability to lie and the fear of being homeless. Her one hope is that her foster parents will adopt her and give her a sense of permanency.
The tale begins when a mysterious boy named Finn drops out of a tree, literally at the feet of Naomi. His presence in their lives has an effect on their friendship in the same manner that another boy named Finn in another lifetime came between Naomi's guardian Nula and her sister.
Across the pond in Ireland Mrs. Kavanaugh plots at her estate of Rook Orchard to set a plan in motion that will right past wrongs. She sends the mysterious solicitor Mr. Dinkle to the town of Blackbird Tree and the lives of Naomi and Lizzie are changed forever.
As Naomi muses.... "I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
"Did a delicate cobweb link us all, silky lines trailing through the air?"
We are all interconnected as this book poignantly portrays through and bestows upon us once again the great but not unexpected gift of the storytelling of Ms. Creech.
February 10, 2014
I find I agree with other readers--I wanted to like it, and I found parts of it very charming and funny. But the story did not hold together, and I had a hard time imagining how a middle-school reader could ever figure it out. The boy Finn's role was left unfinished; it was hard to figure out in what time period it was supposed to be written; and Lizzie was just a little too odd for my tastes. The concept of connectedness was a great premise, but it played out a little too amorphously.
I did like the main character, and I liked her relationship with her somewhat adoptive mother figure.
There was an awful lot of good luck and fortune at the end, which I found rather disappointing--just too neat.
I was a little reminded of Pippi Longstalking elements--goofy and strange adventures, with lots of philosophizing on the part of the main character. But with Pippi, you were left with, "and she lives to move on to another adventure," whereas with this main character, the adventures were swallowed up in all her dreams coming true with no hint of any future tension or drama or story. I was basically left disappointed and puzzled.
I did like the main character, and I liked her relationship with her somewhat adoptive mother figure.
There was an awful lot of good luck and fortune at the end, which I found rather disappointing--just too neat.
I was a little reminded of Pippi Longstalking elements--goofy and strange adventures, with lots of philosophizing on the part of the main character. But with Pippi, you were left with, "and she lives to move on to another adventure," whereas with this main character, the adventures were swallowed up in all her dreams coming true with no hint of any future tension or drama or story. I was basically left disappointed and puzzled.
December 21, 2012
The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech is one of those books that gets right into things, much like this review, and doesn’t diddle daddle. The novel features two girls, Naomi and Lizzie who meet a young man named Finn who fell from a tree and seems to act very peculiar. To be honest, I felt like there wasn’t a specific plot and that the novel just went on its way, much like life. Whether it is a good thing or a bad I’m not exactly sure. I’ve read a couple of novels where a plot was not exactly set out in plain sight. When I say much like life, I mean that the novel doesn’t have a grand purpose and seems to gear towards great unexpected situations, pun intended.
Finn seems to be unknowingly accompanied by an older man who is asking too many questions in the small town. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean in Ireland, two women seem to talk a bunch of crazy talk that only makes sense towards the end. Aside from the odd vague plot, the book was actually pretty amazing. It kept me guessing what the purpose of the story was and there would be times where characters would say something that would connect to another character saying something previously. I actually spent two hours or so in bed putting little things together and figuring out the big picture.
The characters for a start were superb. Lizzie, the main characters best friend, has a very theatrical aura in her written character. From the way she speaks and by her actions it’s as if she’s an actress overacting her part and its fantastic! Others, such as Witch Wiggins and Crazy Cora, were also interesting and even though half of the time it was false, the rumors we hear about hem are entertaining. Most of the other characters also have interesting dialogue that felt absolutely refreshing and set me in the world of the book.
The writing was actually, like I said before, very refreshing. There would be times where characters would mock a certain type of speaking dialogue as if they were in the English Country during the 17th Century. I found it pretty hilarious because I, at times, do the same thing. As I was reading the book, I kept picturing everything in vivid, pastel colors of green, pink, yellow and blue. It is an odd thing to say but this book made me see colors. I also enjoyed the fact that Ireland played a good part of the novel because I love Ireland and Irish people so I felt this interesting connection.
All in all, the novel was a good one even though it is for children. I loved that it was a fast, light read that’s great for any ages with an amazing ending that makes you feel good. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I had never heard of Sharon Creech before, but now, because of The Great Unexpected I am tempted to check out her other books and see how good they make me feel.
Finn seems to be unknowingly accompanied by an older man who is asking too many questions in the small town. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean in Ireland, two women seem to talk a bunch of crazy talk that only makes sense towards the end. Aside from the odd vague plot, the book was actually pretty amazing. It kept me guessing what the purpose of the story was and there would be times where characters would say something that would connect to another character saying something previously. I actually spent two hours or so in bed putting little things together and figuring out the big picture.
The characters for a start were superb. Lizzie, the main characters best friend, has a very theatrical aura in her written character. From the way she speaks and by her actions it’s as if she’s an actress overacting her part and its fantastic! Others, such as Witch Wiggins and Crazy Cora, were also interesting and even though half of the time it was false, the rumors we hear about hem are entertaining. Most of the other characters also have interesting dialogue that felt absolutely refreshing and set me in the world of the book.
The writing was actually, like I said before, very refreshing. There would be times where characters would mock a certain type of speaking dialogue as if they were in the English Country during the 17th Century. I found it pretty hilarious because I, at times, do the same thing. As I was reading the book, I kept picturing everything in vivid, pastel colors of green, pink, yellow and blue. It is an odd thing to say but this book made me see colors. I also enjoyed the fact that Ireland played a good part of the novel because I love Ireland and Irish people so I felt this interesting connection.
All in all, the novel was a good one even though it is for children. I loved that it was a fast, light read that’s great for any ages with an amazing ending that makes you feel good. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I had never heard of Sharon Creech before, but now, because of The Great Unexpected I am tempted to check out her other books and see how good they make me feel.
April 20, 2017
This is a delight. If I could write children's stories with as much wit and energy, and imagination, I'd be a happy man.
The characters are often laconic in speech, yet what little they say speaks volumes. Only the heroine Naomi's best friend, Lizzie, can talk the ears off a field of corn. And she does, to the reader's great enjoyment.
The chapters set in Ireland, dotted throughout the book, at first seem curious and almost alien with their dark hints at things we don't understand. Going back and re-reading them after the book is finished, you wonder why you didn't see this point, or that point, on first reading.
The characters are often laconic in speech, yet what little they say speaks volumes. Only the heroine Naomi's best friend, Lizzie, can talk the ears off a field of corn. And she does, to the reader's great enjoyment.
The chapters set in Ireland, dotted throughout the book, at first seem curious and almost alien with their dark hints at things we don't understand. Going back and re-reading them after the book is finished, you wonder why you didn't see this point, or that point, on first reading.
August 30, 2012
This review is from my blog, Studies in Storytelling. http://studiesinstorytelling.blogspot...
I read this book in one sitting, and it was a complete delight. I say this as a 21-year-old college senior unaccustomed to reading Middle Grade. It releases September 4, 2012.
The twelve-year-old, neurotic Naomi has a violent past and a childlike perspective, but a refreshingly sophisticated voice. Her sarcasm and levelheadedness contrast her friend Lizzie Scatterdinghead’s innocent, tactful chatterboxing in one of the best foils I’ve ever witnessed.
When a little Irishman falls out of a tree and knocks her over, he becomes her first crush. Duh dun SHHH.
As the opening chapters suggest - Naomi and Lizzie refer to Finn as “a body” and as “it” - he’s mysterious enough to make you wonder, for some time, whether he’s paranormal. Meanwhile, a couple of women casually plot “murders” across the ocean, and many dots link Naomi’s and Lizzie’s little country town of Blackbird Tree, and the dots demand explanation.
What I learned about storytelling: I’ve got a countdown this time.
3. Interactive character description is incredibly vivid. When the book comes out, I will be copying a passage about Joe from chapter 7.
2. I remember this trick from Walk Two Moons. Creech adds some distance to the love stories woven into these middle grade books, maybe to tone down the romance for younger kids, maybe to add poignance and mystery, maybe both. The most intimate scene in the book is told in two parts, with a brief intermission, in past perfect tense.
1. There’s a saying about writing: “Don’t leave the gun on the mantle.” If a character puts a gun above the fireplace, that gun better fire before the story’s over. Sharon Creech doesn’t just fire the gun. She takes every single item on the mantle and turns it into a weapon. If a bad guy broke into her proverbial plotting house, he’d get shot with all the guns, stabbed with all the candles, have his ribs broken by a giant clock, his head bashed in by books. In The Great Unexpected, Creech ties together threads that you’d forgotten about, and it’s as delightful as golden thread spun from straw.
To break it down a little more: I think the motifs and repeating imagery of this book create a narrow world. Crows, trees, wrinkles, dogs, Finns, and more crows. It’s comfortable, then it’s almost annoying until it gets comforting again - and then the world expands, and it’s great and unexpected.
I read this book in one sitting, and it was a complete delight. I say this as a 21-year-old college senior unaccustomed to reading Middle Grade. It releases September 4, 2012.
The twelve-year-old, neurotic Naomi has a violent past and a childlike perspective, but a refreshingly sophisticated voice. Her sarcasm and levelheadedness contrast her friend Lizzie Scatterdinghead’s innocent, tactful chatterboxing in one of the best foils I’ve ever witnessed.
When a little Irishman falls out of a tree and knocks her over, he becomes her first crush. Duh dun SHHH.
As the opening chapters suggest - Naomi and Lizzie refer to Finn as “a body” and as “it” - he’s mysterious enough to make you wonder, for some time, whether he’s paranormal. Meanwhile, a couple of women casually plot “murders” across the ocean, and many dots link Naomi’s and Lizzie’s little country town of Blackbird Tree, and the dots demand explanation.
What I learned about storytelling: I’ve got a countdown this time.
3. Interactive character description is incredibly vivid. When the book comes out, I will be copying a passage about Joe from chapter 7.
2. I remember this trick from Walk Two Moons. Creech adds some distance to the love stories woven into these middle grade books, maybe to tone down the romance for younger kids, maybe to add poignance and mystery, maybe both. The most intimate scene in the book is told in two parts, with a brief intermission, in past perfect tense.
1. There’s a saying about writing: “Don’t leave the gun on the mantle.” If a character puts a gun above the fireplace, that gun better fire before the story’s over. Sharon Creech doesn’t just fire the gun. She takes every single item on the mantle and turns it into a weapon. If a bad guy broke into her proverbial plotting house, he’d get shot with all the guns, stabbed with all the candles, have his ribs broken by a giant clock, his head bashed in by books. In The Great Unexpected, Creech ties together threads that you’d forgotten about, and it’s as delightful as golden thread spun from straw.
To break it down a little more: I think the motifs and repeating imagery of this book create a narrow world. Crows, trees, wrinkles, dogs, Finns, and more crows. It’s comfortable, then it’s almost annoying until it gets comforting again - and then the world expands, and it’s great and unexpected.
July 29, 2012
(Reviewed ARC) Remember the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: it is alive and well in this book, but Kevin Bacon is never mentioned. No, it's the idea of connectedness, here, although you don't realize that until later. At first, it's just the story of two orphans, Naomi and Lizzie, their lives and how their lives are changed after the boy Finn falls out of tree. The girls and their guardians live in the town of Blackbird Tree; across the sea in Ireland, another story is being played out at Rook Orchards (a rook is the English term for blackbird).
Naomi narrates her story and the reader learns a great deal more about life in Blackbird Tree than is learned from the snippets of the story in Ireland the narrator provides. But there is a pattern: two girls who are like sisters here; two sisters who became estranged in Ireland. There is a boy named Finn who causes strain between both sets. There are trunks full of clues from the past in both locations. And the solicitor Mr. Dingle is sent from Ireland to America to tie the story together. And then, there are the crows and the dogs and the magic of Ireland.
Creech is a masterful storyteller, combining magic, humor, and mystery in this tale. Naomi's tale of the strange happenings and the somewhat tragic background of the many characters draws the reader into the story. The mystery of what is going on between the characters in America and those in Ireland will intrigue the reader. And the ending will...well, you just need to read it.
Naomi narrates her story and the reader learns a great deal more about life in Blackbird Tree than is learned from the snippets of the story in Ireland the narrator provides. But there is a pattern: two girls who are like sisters here; two sisters who became estranged in Ireland. There is a boy named Finn who causes strain between both sets. There are trunks full of clues from the past in both locations. And the solicitor Mr. Dingle is sent from Ireland to America to tie the story together. And then, there are the crows and the dogs and the magic of Ireland.
Creech is a masterful storyteller, combining magic, humor, and mystery in this tale. Naomi's tale of the strange happenings and the somewhat tragic background of the many characters draws the reader into the story. The mystery of what is going on between the characters in America and those in Ireland will intrigue the reader. And the ending will...well, you just need to read it.
January 13, 2014
This is yet another insightful, wonderful book by Sharon Creech.
Mentioned as a potential Newbery award winner for 2013, I hope Creech is successful in garnering her third Newbery award.
I loved Walk Two Moons, a Newbery medal winner in 1995. She won a Newbery honor in 2001 for The Wanderer.
The setting of The Great Unexpected is a teeny, tiny, hamlet of Blackbird Tree. Naomi and Lizzie are good friends, both are orphans. Many in the town of Blackbird face difficult lives. In fact, one new teacher only lasted a year when she realized that most of her pupils sadly are so accustomed to heartbreaking adversity, they consider their lives quite normal.
A blend of fantasy, reality and heartwarming genius, here is a sample of Naomi's mental meanderings and the wonderful writing of Creech:
"I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
Change did happen one day when a young boy named Finn drops from a tree. Trying to decide if he is dead or alive, of this world, or from another, both Naomi and Lizzie are drawn to Finn, who is about to set the town upside down.
Quite unexpectedly they learn the power of family, of friendship and love.
Highly recommended with fingers crossed that Creech obtains yet another well-deserved Newbery award.
4.5 stars
Mentioned as a potential Newbery award winner for 2013, I hope Creech is successful in garnering her third Newbery award.
I loved Walk Two Moons, a Newbery medal winner in 1995. She won a Newbery honor in 2001 for The Wanderer.
The setting of The Great Unexpected is a teeny, tiny, hamlet of Blackbird Tree. Naomi and Lizzie are good friends, both are orphans. Many in the town of Blackbird face difficult lives. In fact, one new teacher only lasted a year when she realized that most of her pupils sadly are so accustomed to heartbreaking adversity, they consider their lives quite normal.
A blend of fantasy, reality and heartwarming genius, here is a sample of Naomi's mental meanderings and the wonderful writing of Creech:
"I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
Change did happen one day when a young boy named Finn drops from a tree. Trying to decide if he is dead or alive, of this world, or from another, both Naomi and Lizzie are drawn to Finn, who is about to set the town upside down.
Quite unexpectedly they learn the power of family, of friendship and love.
Highly recommended with fingers crossed that Creech obtains yet another well-deserved Newbery award.
4.5 stars
Read
January 6, 2018Very strange. Surreal?
Does anyone really talk like Lizzie?
How old are the different generations of characters, really?
Who is young Finn?
Why do people have different names we have to keep track of? Or do we have to?
Is there something deep & magical in the book that I'm missing, or is it a creative mess?
I've enjoyed other works by Creech... now I kinda wanna see what I've missed in the ones that I only though ok... apparently she's more *L*iterary, or something, than I realized.
I do like how 'revenge' is defined here. And I like Lizzie's coping skill of 'going to stand on the moon.' I dunno... there's lots good & interesting here, too, I guess, and I don't want my frustration to interfere with your decision to read this. It's short; give it a try.
Does anyone really talk like Lizzie?
How old are the different generations of characters, really?
Who is young Finn?
Why do people have different names we have to keep track of? Or do we have to?
Is there something deep & magical in the book that I'm missing, or is it a creative mess?
I've enjoyed other works by Creech... now I kinda wanna see what I've missed in the ones that I only though ok... apparently she's more *L*iterary, or something, than I realized.
I do like how 'revenge' is defined here. And I like Lizzie's coping skill of 'going to stand on the moon.' I dunno... there's lots good & interesting here, too, I guess, and I don't want my frustration to interfere with your decision to read this. It's short; give it a try.
September 27, 2012
Originally posted on my blog Guiltless Reading
Open yourself up to the unexpected ... open yourself up to possibilities.
The book in one sentence: An orphaned girl's luck changes on the day that a boy falls out of a tree.
My two cents: It's been awhile since I've sunk my teeth into a good children's book ... and this was such a treat to read! Recommended for children aged 8-12 / grades 3-7, I could totally see a young adult reader liking this just as much. While I have also heard so many raves about the Newbery-winner author Sharon Creech. But this is my first read of any of her work.
Like the opening scene where a young boy falls from a tree right at the feet of orphan Naomi Dean, this book was a surprise for me. It is hopeful and magical, without being cheesy. It combines a poignant story (warm fuzzies!) with elements of magic and superstition (this may be a great introduction to magical realism for kids!). As a children's book, it teaches while still catering to a young imagination.
So, who is this boy - Finn - who falls out of the tree? For most of the book, he comes and goes and he is so mysterious and strange that I often wondered if he was real. And what of the strange coincidence that Naomi' guardian Nula knew of several Finns back in her day?
Two stories play out simultaneously: that of Naomi and her friend Lizzie Scatterding and Finn in Blackbird Tree; and a Mrs. Kavanagh and Pilpenny in Ireland. At first, I didn't know what to make of the storyline with Kavanagh and Pilpenny -- I kept wondering if it had any relevance to Naomi because it seemed to be taking too long to play itself out. But my patience paid off and the puzzle pieces fell into place.
It all involves a string of strange events - involving a Finn, some heartbreak, dogs, rooks (or crows) ... leading up to a happy ending, and a sense of hope that the world is one's oyster ... if one is willing to open oneself up to the possibilities.
"I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
I loved:
Overall, this story has no shortage of memorable and rather eccentric characters! Be on the lookout for the witch, the Dingle Dangle man, and some of the "poor souls" of Blackbird Tree!
Naomi and Lizzie are such wonderful characters! Both young and innocent, yet Naomi is wise beyond her years compared to the chatterbox, oh-so-sassy and totally oblivious Lizzie. Yet while their lives are difficult and they have had more than their share of sorrow, I never felt that they pitied themselves or their circumstances. They are memorable characters whose friendship played out in a very enjoyable and realistic way.
I also really enjoyed Joe's and Nula's backstories. Nula's past is the core of the book, and makes for some fun piecing together of her past hurts and relationships and her future with Naomi. Meanwhile, I loved how we come to learn the extent of Joe's love for Naomi ... which explained some a very strange about why there are no dogs in the town.
There are some really fun words in this book that I have never come across, and I am assuming that they Irish terms. Kids will have fun with the strange terms and rhymes -- Dingle Dangle anyone?
The incorporation of the Finn McCoul legend. Fun!
Look at the cover illustration. I just love it!
< spoiler follows >*
*
*
Uh-oh:
All these connections and coincidences ... a tad too many and maybe unrealistic?
The flipping back and forth between two stories was extremely disorienting for me in the beginning. I think I sort of tuned out of the Ireland story because I just didn't get the connection. But when the connection finally kicked it, I just loved it.
The end just became a bit too complicated for me -- there was a rush of too much good news and the Finn McCoul part of it had already played out. Plus I don't exactly understand why a fairy ring had to be brought into the story as it didn't really add anything relevant; it could have been removed totally and the story wouldn't suffer for it.
*
*
*
Verdict: A wonderful children's book about the six degrees of separation, and of hope and opening oneself up to the unexpected. A must-read for Creech fans!
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Goodreads First Reads.
-----
Really enjoyed this! Full review coming soon!
Open yourself up to the unexpected ... open yourself up to possibilities.
The book in one sentence: An orphaned girl's luck changes on the day that a boy falls out of a tree.
My two cents: It's been awhile since I've sunk my teeth into a good children's book ... and this was such a treat to read! Recommended for children aged 8-12 / grades 3-7, I could totally see a young adult reader liking this just as much. While I have also heard so many raves about the Newbery-winner author Sharon Creech. But this is my first read of any of her work.
Like the opening scene where a young boy falls from a tree right at the feet of orphan Naomi Dean, this book was a surprise for me. It is hopeful and magical, without being cheesy. It combines a poignant story (warm fuzzies!) with elements of magic and superstition (this may be a great introduction to magical realism for kids!). As a children's book, it teaches while still catering to a young imagination.
So, who is this boy - Finn - who falls out of the tree? For most of the book, he comes and goes and he is so mysterious and strange that I often wondered if he was real. And what of the strange coincidence that Naomi' guardian Nula knew of several Finns back in her day?
Two stories play out simultaneously: that of Naomi and her friend Lizzie Scatterding and Finn in Blackbird Tree; and a Mrs. Kavanagh and Pilpenny in Ireland. At first, I didn't know what to make of the storyline with Kavanagh and Pilpenny -- I kept wondering if it had any relevance to Naomi because it seemed to be taking too long to play itself out. But my patience paid off and the puzzle pieces fell into place.
It all involves a string of strange events - involving a Finn, some heartbreak, dogs, rooks (or crows) ... leading up to a happy ending, and a sense of hope that the world is one's oyster ... if one is willing to open oneself up to the possibilities.
"I had big thoughts to match the big wind. I wondered if we find the people we need when we need them. I wondered if we attract our future by some sort of invisible force, or if we are drawn to it by a similar force. I felt I was turning a corner and that change was afoot."
I loved:
Overall, this story has no shortage of memorable and rather eccentric characters! Be on the lookout for the witch, the Dingle Dangle man, and some of the "poor souls" of Blackbird Tree!
Naomi and Lizzie are such wonderful characters! Both young and innocent, yet Naomi is wise beyond her years compared to the chatterbox, oh-so-sassy and totally oblivious Lizzie. Yet while their lives are difficult and they have had more than their share of sorrow, I never felt that they pitied themselves or their circumstances. They are memorable characters whose friendship played out in a very enjoyable and realistic way.
I also really enjoyed Joe's and Nula's backstories. Nula's past is the core of the book, and makes for some fun piecing together of her past hurts and relationships and her future with Naomi. Meanwhile, I loved how we come to learn the extent of Joe's love for Naomi ... which explained some a very strange about why there are no dogs in the town.
There are some really fun words in this book that I have never come across, and I am assuming that they Irish terms. Kids will have fun with the strange terms and rhymes -- Dingle Dangle anyone?
The incorporation of the Finn McCoul legend. Fun!
Look at the cover illustration. I just love it!
< spoiler follows >*
*
*
Uh-oh:
All these connections and coincidences ... a tad too many and maybe unrealistic?
The flipping back and forth between two stories was extremely disorienting for me in the beginning. I think I sort of tuned out of the Ireland story because I just didn't get the connection. But when the connection finally kicked it, I just loved it.
The end just became a bit too complicated for me -- there was a rush of too much good news and the Finn McCoul part of it had already played out. Plus I don't exactly understand why a fairy ring had to be brought into the story as it didn't really add anything relevant; it could have been removed totally and the story wouldn't suffer for it.
*
*
*
Verdict: A wonderful children's book about the six degrees of separation, and of hope and opening oneself up to the unexpected. A must-read for Creech fans!
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Goodreads First Reads.
-----
Really enjoyed this! Full review coming soon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2012
The Great Unexpected is one of those books that defies a plot summary. It's centered around two orphan girls, Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding, who live in the small town of Blackbird Tree, but the story incorporates a vast number of other characters, and reaches far past the town limits. There are plots, and sub-plots, and it's the way that they intertwine that forms the heart of the book.
Indeed, it would probably be 500 pages, rather than 225, if it explained all of the details of each subplot; there is much that remains unsaid. In a gritty, down-to-earth book, this would be irritating, but in the magical realism world of The Great Unexpected, it merely highlights the importance of connections, rather than the details. If we're left with questions about the exact arcs taken by some of the characters as they come together, we're never left to doubt that they ~have~ come together, and that that's what actually matters.
That atmosphere, that mood of magic and wonder and community, is remarkably well-executed, and represents I think the book's strongest point. The weakest part is possibly the narrative strategy. Most of the book is told in the first person with Naomi as the narrator, which works very well; she has a strong, distinctive voice. However, it's interspersed with bits of third-person narration, most of which take place in Ireland. I felt like this disrupted the flow of the book, especially given the way those sections are cut. There's no physical narrator, no character who is, for instance, overhearing something, which means that there's no narrative reason within the story for those sections to begin or end in a specific place. Yet they tend to cut out just before some important piece of information is revealed; since the information isn't secret to the people who are talking, and the scene can run as long as the author wants it to, to omit the information is simply to try to create suspense artificially. If suspense is necessary, I believe it's more effective to stay within the point of view of a character who actually doesn't know what's going on -- that way, it's more organic, and less of a trick.
All this maybe makes the book sound weaker than it is. In fact, I genuinely enjoyed it, and I'm not generally predisposed to like books about orphans and small towns and hints of magic. I especially liked the ending, which both provides upbeat resolution and leaves so much open.
Indeed, it would probably be 500 pages, rather than 225, if it explained all of the details of each subplot; there is much that remains unsaid. In a gritty, down-to-earth book, this would be irritating, but in the magical realism world of The Great Unexpected, it merely highlights the importance of connections, rather than the details. If we're left with questions about the exact arcs taken by some of the characters as they come together, we're never left to doubt that they ~have~ come together, and that that's what actually matters.
That atmosphere, that mood of magic and wonder and community, is remarkably well-executed, and represents I think the book's strongest point. The weakest part is possibly the narrative strategy. Most of the book is told in the first person with Naomi as the narrator, which works very well; she has a strong, distinctive voice. However, it's interspersed with bits of third-person narration, most of which take place in Ireland. I felt like this disrupted the flow of the book, especially given the way those sections are cut. There's no physical narrator, no character who is, for instance, overhearing something, which means that there's no narrative reason within the story for those sections to begin or end in a specific place. Yet they tend to cut out just before some important piece of information is revealed; since the information isn't secret to the people who are talking, and the scene can run as long as the author wants it to, to omit the information is simply to try to create suspense artificially. If suspense is necessary, I believe it's more effective to stay within the point of view of a character who actually doesn't know what's going on -- that way, it's more organic, and less of a trick.
All this maybe makes the book sound weaker than it is. In fact, I genuinely enjoyed it, and I'm not generally predisposed to like books about orphans and small towns and hints of magic. I especially liked the ending, which both provides upbeat resolution and leaves so much open.
October 21, 2012
There are two narrative strands at work in this novel that has slight resemblances to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Two orphans, Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding, become best friends while living with families in the small town of Blackbird Tree, but their friendship is threatened when a boy named Finn literally falls through a tree. Naomi is strangely drawn to him and fears that he is interested in her friend. Meanwhile, in Ireland, a wealthy woman named Mrs. Kavanaugh is plotting her revenge. There are references to murder and hints of revenge that may lead readers to assume the worst of Mrs. Kavanaugh, but I knew early on what the author was up to--or should I say what Mrs. Kavanaugh was up to? Although I liked both girls and Naomi's loving guardians Joe and Nula, I found the town to be filled with too many strange characters and coincidences. The references to the dog that hurt Naomi and caused her father's death are later followed up with anecdotes describing how Joe convinced the rest of the town to get rid of their dogs for Naomi's sake, but those references simply left me questioning the sanity of the town. I suppose the descriptions were intended to show Joe's love for Naomi and his willingness to do anything to make her feel comfortable, but they actually bothered me. The realization that there are often unexpected connections or strands that move from one person to another, shaping lives and changing fortunes, is a powerful idea that moves throughout the book, heightening my enjoyment of it, but I just didn't see the purpose of all those Finns who kept appearing. It strained my credibility to believe that Finn could appear only to the girls and was causing mischief in the same way he had in an earlier generation. Love, fortune, friendship, and forgiveness that are unanticipated certainly bring great joy and can change lives for the better, but I wonder why Mrs. Kavanaugh felt that she needed to wait for her own death to provide these gifts to others. I'm not sure about this one: it has both strengths and weaknesses that prompt a 3.5 rating from me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2012
Naomi and Lizzie, two orphan girls living in Blackbird Tree, are minding their own business when a boy falls out of a tree at their feet. Once Finn shows up, things become very strange. The mysterious Dingle Dangle man comes to town for an unknown purpose, and things begin changing, fast, and Naomi isn't sure if it's for the better. She begins to see the strange connections between people, even people far across the sea in Ireland.
I love Sharon Creech. I grew up reading Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird. I was beside myself when I met her at ALA. But I did not love this. It was very...disjointed. It was disjointed on purpose, I know, but it didn't work for me. Things kind of came together in the end, but not as much as I would have liked.
Naomi falls quickly for Finn. Lizzie doesn't seem to have much romantic interest in him, but that doesn't stop Naomi from feeling jealous. One of Naomi's guardians, Nula, tells her the story of a boy named Finn who broke her heart back in Ireland and caused and rift between her and her sister, who she hasn't seen or spoken to in years.
The chapters go back and forth between Naomi, pinning for Finn, fearing dogs, and visiting unfortunate souls with Lizzie, and Mrs. Kavanagh, who has planned some kind of revenge in Blackbird Tree. It is not clear what, but it seems to involve a murder.
Naomi, Lizzie and Nula eventually travel to Ireland and many surprising connections are made. Everyone is linked in some kind of way. It was all very...airy and flighty and deep thinking and pondery. Was Finn real? Was he really there? I have no idea. I was confused about that in the end.
I think it will appeal to some girls, but it's not nearly as relatable as many of her other books. Most of Sharon Creech's books I could recommend to any kid. This book would take a certain kind of kid.
The Great Unexpected comes out September 4, 2012.
I love Sharon Creech. I grew up reading Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird. I was beside myself when I met her at ALA. But I did not love this. It was very...disjointed. It was disjointed on purpose, I know, but it didn't work for me. Things kind of came together in the end, but not as much as I would have liked.
Naomi falls quickly for Finn. Lizzie doesn't seem to have much romantic interest in him, but that doesn't stop Naomi from feeling jealous. One of Naomi's guardians, Nula, tells her the story of a boy named Finn who broke her heart back in Ireland and caused and rift between her and her sister, who she hasn't seen or spoken to in years.
The chapters go back and forth between Naomi, pinning for Finn, fearing dogs, and visiting unfortunate souls with Lizzie, and Mrs. Kavanagh, who has planned some kind of revenge in Blackbird Tree. It is not clear what, but it seems to involve a murder.
Naomi, Lizzie and Nula eventually travel to Ireland and many surprising connections are made. Everyone is linked in some kind of way. It was all very...airy and flighty and deep thinking and pondery. Was Finn real? Was he really there? I have no idea. I was confused about that in the end.
I think it will appeal to some girls, but it's not nearly as relatable as many of her other books. Most of Sharon Creech's books I could recommend to any kid. This book would take a certain kind of kid.
The Great Unexpected comes out September 4, 2012.
December 22, 2012
I spent the majority of this book simultaneously confused and delighted. I was spellbound by the rich world, the spunky orphan girl at the center of the story, her best friend, the rest of the colorful cast of characters, and the fabulously wicked and seemingly unrelated snippets of life with Pilpenny and Sybil. Slowly, as if groping in the dark and feeling the outlines of objects, the story's plot came together for me, but always with a firm sense that I was missing something. Fortunately, the day-to-day escapades were captivating: by turns endearing, intense, thought-provoking, and more.
I could not get a good view of it or even what genre it belonged it. It was both refreshing and disturbing to be so unable to understand who or what to believe within the novel and what the rules of the world were. As I'd hoped, it all made sense in the end.
I enjoyed the weaving of fairy tale and reality, and I did enjoy that this book baffled me so! I'm not sure who should read it or shouldn't, but I am glad I did.
I could not get a good view of it or even what genre it belonged it. It was both refreshing and disturbing to be so unable to understand who or what to believe within the novel and what the rules of the world were. As I'd hoped, it all made sense in the end.
I enjoyed the weaving of fairy tale and reality, and I did enjoy that this book baffled me so! I'm not sure who should read it or shouldn't, but I am glad I did.
October 14, 2014
What an unexpected delight! (See what I did there? ;) I found the audiobook at a library sale and snatched it up because Natalie had exclaimed over it (and she has yet to steer me wrong). Believe me when I say that this is an excellent middle grade novel. Ms. Creech takes a vast array of seemingly unconnectable characters and then gives hints little by little (keeping you turning pages or continuing to listen so you can find out what happens next) until there's an invisible thread connecting them all. And the characters are the shining points of the entire story! Naomi and Lizzie, Nula and Joe, Witch Wiggins, Crazy Cora, Mrs. Mudkin, the Ireland ladies, and of course the "infamous" Finn-boy. They are all delightful! This is a fun adventure full of eccentric and quirky characters that you'll love. I think I'll go have another listen. :)
September 5, 2017
Hard to follow
I love Sharon Creech. And I tried to love this book. Don't get me wrong, I did like it, but it was a bit confusing and muddled. I know I don't always pay great attention while I'm reading, but I really felt like I was missing something while reading this one. There were a few random things included in the story that didn't really serve a purpose (fairy ring + gold) and several characters that I felt should be more connected somehow in the end. I felt like the ending for the main characters wrapped up a little too neatly and quite suddenly. All in all, I liked the characters alright, and I liked several pieces of the dialog and the overall concept of the book, but it didn't hold me captive and feel complete like some of my other favorite Creech novels (i.e. Walk Two Moons).
I love Sharon Creech. And I tried to love this book. Don't get me wrong, I did like it, but it was a bit confusing and muddled. I know I don't always pay great attention while I'm reading, but I really felt like I was missing something while reading this one. There were a few random things included in the story that didn't really serve a purpose (fairy ring + gold) and several characters that I felt should be more connected somehow in the end. I felt like the ending for the main characters wrapped up a little too neatly and quite suddenly. All in all, I liked the characters alright, and I liked several pieces of the dialog and the overall concept of the book, but it didn't hold me captive and feel complete like some of my other favorite Creech novels (i.e. Walk Two Moons).
April 28, 2019
My daughter really enjoyed this and all of the coincidences but I found it a little anti-climatic. The ending was extraordinarily tidy and too much coincidence even if you suspended belief. But that’s all ok in fiction, if there’s good reason. I wasn’t sure of the reason... It took a really long time to play out and then, in a whirlwind, it was done and what amazing fortune! Oh well. The story was well written and fun to read. But from an adult perspective: meh.
Who was Finn from the tree in the end? Ghost of Finnbarr? But then how did he get back to Ireland? Just by magic (fairy ring opened in Blackbird Tree at Nula’s)? Who was Hazel to Mr. Farley? Why did so many people from this 1 tiny town in Ireland move to Blackbird Tree? Etc.
Who was Finn from the tree in the end? Ghost of Finnbarr? But then how did he get back to Ireland? Just by magic (fairy ring opened in Blackbird Tree at Nula’s)? Who was Hazel to Mr. Farley? Why did so many people from this 1 tiny town in Ireland move to Blackbird Tree? Etc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2016
3.5 stars
This is a lovely book. I really rather enjoyed it. However, I really think my daughters missed out on some of the nuances of the story and how the characters intertwined because they didn't pay close enough attention to my reading every night. This is definitely a book that leaves subtle hints throughout and you need to pay attention. Creech does another fine job in writing a beautiful middle grade novel.
This is a lovely book. I really rather enjoyed it. However, I really think my daughters missed out on some of the nuances of the story and how the characters intertwined because they didn't pay close enough attention to my reading every night. This is definitely a book that leaves subtle hints throughout and you need to pay attention. Creech does another fine job in writing a beautiful middle grade novel.
August 8, 2012
I want more books like this one. A book that is beautifully written, has quirky characters, humor, mystery/adventure, makes you care what happens, and even has sad parts. Sharon Creech has done it again. If the Newbery committee overlooks this book I might cry. Can't wait to share this book with kids this fall.
Read
September 5, 2018Naomi lives in Blackbird Tree. There's lots of intriguing things and mysteries in Blackbird Tree. One day a boy named Finn appears. Naomi and her friend Lizzie go around town and living their lives. We also get chapters that are of Nulea's, the woman Naomi is living with,past.
This book was interesting and I wanted to know how it ended. It was a bit confusing though. I love how it shows that we are all connected to each other in more ways than we think.
I also love the way that she writes. There's just something comforting about Sharon Creech's writing. I also loved how she weaved folklore and witches and other magical elements into her writing.
I did find some things annoying though such as Lizzie. I could about slap her. I found her very annoying. Her catchphrases were annoying and the way she spoke irritated me.
I believe that everyone would enjoy this book if they enjoy younger middle grade stories,even if it was not my favorite Sharon Creech book.
This book was interesting and I wanted to know how it ended. It was a bit confusing though. I love how it shows that we are all connected to each other in more ways than we think.
I also love the way that she writes. There's just something comforting about Sharon Creech's writing. I also loved how she weaved folklore and witches and other magical elements into her writing.
I did find some things annoying though such as Lizzie. I could about slap her. I found her very annoying. Her catchphrases were annoying and the way she spoke irritated me.
I believe that everyone would enjoy this book if they enjoy younger middle grade stories,even if it was not my favorite Sharon Creech book.
November 22, 2020
Ok! This is more like the Sharon Creech I like! This is the best novel so far of hers (besides obviously Walk Two Moons, which will never be beat). Some of the books written in poetry are just about as good, but this is my favorite prose one so far.
It’s still a little quirky, but I liked the characters. The story was a little silly, but it was fun. I like how it all came together. It’s written almost like a mystery. You know there is a reveal coming from the very beginning. The story comes together in pieces, and you come to love the characters along the way. This is definitely best for teens and tweens, not elementary kids. I don’t think they’d enjoy it as much, so might as well wait until they can! There is a 12 year old girl with a crush on a boy her age and she wants to kiss him. I know some people try to avoid that for certain readers. But it’s not overkill.
It’s still a little quirky, but I liked the characters. The story was a little silly, but it was fun. I like how it all came together. It’s written almost like a mystery. You know there is a reveal coming from the very beginning. The story comes together in pieces, and you come to love the characters along the way. This is definitely best for teens and tweens, not elementary kids. I don’t think they’d enjoy it as much, so might as well wait until they can! There is a 12 year old girl with a crush on a boy her age and she wants to kiss him. I know some people try to avoid that for certain readers. But it’s not overkill.
June 1, 2018
Weird
This book was weird and confusing. It didn't hold my attention very well. I'm guessing the setting is from the early 1900's or something from the way people talk, but the author doesn't give any kind of setting. It's not one that in would probably ever read again
This book was weird and confusing. It didn't hold my attention very well. I'm guessing the setting is from the early 1900's or something from the way people talk, but the author doesn't give any kind of setting. It's not one that in would probably ever read again
July 3, 2018
3.5 stars
March 8, 2025
I’m just confused I guess. Some good quote here and there, though.
April 21, 2017
This was a delightful read. Told in a back and forth manner between goings-on in the United States and happenings in Ireland there is just enough mystery to pique the reader's interest without becoming too confusing. The characters are well fleshed out and the plot moves along steadily. Told from the point of view of a young girl, Naomi, whose life has not been any easy one, the story is never maudlin and rings true to a narrative of someone of that age.
January 1, 2023
What a fun story! It was odd at times and totally random, but I enjoyed the way all of the pieces came together in the end. A fun, quick read for a weekend trip.
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