Replay

by Sharon Creech

Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's inspired novel tells the story of a boy who fantasizes about who he is in order to discover who he will become. Now with fresh and gorgeous new cover art, this touching tale has received many starred reviews, and was called a "warm, funny, philosophical novel" by Kirkus . With the backdrop of a large family and a theater as its frame, this is a story about twelve-year-old Leo, who has a talent for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. That's why he's called "fog boy." He's always dreaming, always replaying things in his brain. As an actor in the school play, he is poised and ready for the curtain to open. But in the play that is his life, he is eager to discover what part will be his. With the universal theme of finding one's true identity, and set amid a loud, noisy, memorable family, Leo's story is one that all kids will relate to. And there's a full play at the end of the book that kids and teachers can perform!

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

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

I 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

Reviews

[Lolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon Creech has to be one of my all-time favorite authors. I have loved everything I've ever read that she wrote. This book was no exception. I've had it on my shelf to read forever...but I think I was put off by the cover. I mean, a FISH? I didn't want to read a book about fishing.

Well, guess what? The fish on the cover is a sardine because Leo's large, loud, demanding Italian family calls him "Sardine" and "Fog Boy." Sardine because once "...when relatives were over, shouting and laughing and shaking their fists, Leo got squashed in a corner and cried, and when they asked him why he was crying, he said, 'I'm just a little sardine, squashed in a tin.' " The name stuck.

I connected with this quick, easy read in so many ways. I, too, grew up in a large, noisy family where I sometimes felt lost in the thundering herd. I, too, used to hide away in secret places and rewrite my life in daydreams. I, too, sometimes felt invisible and over-run by my larger-than-life (to me!) siblings. I, too, used to listen to the grown-ups talk and come away with more questions than answers.

This book is such a tender, coming of age story (I hesitate to use that hackneyed phrase)...but Leo DOES learn so much about his family and himself in this wonderful little gem of a book. There was a little ache behind my heart for Leo all the way through.

I HIGHLY recommend it...along with anything else by Sharon Creech. Awwww...I better change my rating to five stars, because there's a good chance I WILL read it again...maybe to my students.

[Bailey Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good at the beginning I did not get it at first but after I started to read the book I understood it and I enjoyed the rest of the book but the book was about this kid who people called him fog boy and sardine but he wants to prove that he is actually good at things just like his siblings who don't get called weird names even his siblings call him weird names and one day he finds something of his fathers up in the attic and he keeps it a secret and discovers a new one of his fathers.

[Shiloh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Replay by Sharon Creech is an entertaining, exciting, and relatable for the average young adult. The author has a different format of her text than other authors. The dialogue is written like a script. This was my first time seeing this in a book, but I enjoyed it very much. This book takes place in present day time in a regular town with schools and suburbs. The main character of this book is Leo. Leo is a twelve-year old boy is a dreamer and artistic. He loves to act, but he’s very self conscience. Another important character is Papa. Papa is Leo’s father.He’s old, tall, has dark black hair, and he doesn’t express his feelings often. In the book Leo finds a biography written by his father when he was thirteen. As he reads, he learns more and more about Papa and wonders why Papa changed from his happy self. Leo wants to ask, but he can’t. He hopes to make his father proud in the play he’s in. But when you’re an old crone in a play, it’s very hard to impress anyone. I think this book relates well to the unit theme because, Leo is a young boy and he’s goes through challenges as a middle child. However, he overcomes the challenges that come past his way. Leo learns about other people’s struggles throughout the book and grows to be better person with a better attitude. I liked this book very much because the characters were very amusing. For example, Nunzino, which is LEo’s youngest brother, has a lisp and is very charming when he speaks. Even as a little nine year old, a reader can tell that Nunzino is a kind person. I would recommend this book to kids and young adults because, Leo is the main character and a reader in that age range can relate to him more that adults. I will definitely read more from this author.
(once your review is typed, copy and paste it to the review section of this book on goodreads.com)

[Brycen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of when I was in fifth grade and I was one of the lead roles in the play. This book brought back so much memories. I related to this book so much. My favorite part of the book is when Leo's last line of the play he messed up. It was my favorite part because it is so true. Everyone messes up. Especially their lines. It was a fun quick read that I was lucky to pick up.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet. It's been a while since I've read a Sharon Creech book for the first time. I enjoyed this, but felt like there was too much going on. I don't think we needed Ruby's backstory. I would have preferred using that time with Leo and his family more.

[Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book, because I am a fan of Love that Dog. There were some parts I liked, but overall I have to give it an "ehhhh." Leo (sardine, fog boy) is a very observant, sensitive curious boy who at times struggles with fitting in to his Italian family. I could relate to his quest to find out more about his family. He reveals his inner thoughts to us from up in his maple tree as he reads the journal his father wrote when he was Leo's age.

Some readers might get confused when Leo launches into his frequent fantasies, but have no fear the image of a sardine usually appears before it. So while at times amusing, in my opinion, this book is not in any way AMAZING.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet middle child of a boisterous Italian family tries to discover who he is and how he fits in with his family when he discovers his father's autobiography ("Age of 13"). Along the way he discovers a long lost relative and shares with a friend who has lost her little brother. Participating in a school play helps him to bring all the pieces together and encourages him to have the strength to be the person he wants to be.

It took a while for me to appreciate this loud Italian family, but in the end love triumphs and the family is bound tighter than ever. I got tired of the daydreams of grandeur throughout the book and started to skip them, but I know they were needful to the character development.

[Allison Renner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Leo is one of four kids trying to find his niche in life so that he stands out to his parents. He has an athletic sister, an athletic brother, and a musical brother, so he tries out for a play at school. When he finds his dad's childhood belongings in the attic, Leo starts tap dancing secretly, as well as reading a biography his father wrote as a thirteen-year-old. The story had a lot of potential but was jumbled up due to all the characters of the siblings and extended relatives not being as minor as they could have been. There was a storyline brought in halfway through and just left loose, which was disappointing. I loved the completeness and emotion of Creech's Walk Two Moons and was expecting this to be similarly powerful, but it fell flat.

[Bish Denham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see how some readers, particularly younger ones, might be confused by this story as there are three distinct things going in Leo world: his loving but chaotic home life, his rich fantasy life, and the humorous chaos as he practices for a school play.

As the middle child of five in a loud Italian family, Leo is an observant and sensitive 12 year old who sometimes feels invisible, and yet, he enjoys being by himself. There is no great drama, no great catastrophe, so in that sense this might be considered a quiet novel. But there are family secrets, and Leo has fears and anxiety. This the story is how Leo navigates through the chaos or an ordinary family dealing with pretty ordinary matters.

I totally enjoyed it!

[Jeanne Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Replay by Sharon Creech is a sweet book with a knack for dragging the reader back to the mysteries of childhood. Who among us wasn't intrigued by our parents belongings -- a box in the attic, a jewelry box, a dresser drawer? I know I was a nosy child, and, like Leonardo in the book, I learned things about my parents that weren't necessarily my business. I smiled at the treasures he unearthed.

The characters seemed a bit 'stock' to me, but were engaging. As a 'thespian' (community theatre), I really enjoyed the depiction of casting, rehearsing, nerves, show time. Creech did a great job capturing that first-performance feeling.

One could settle in and easily finish this book in an afternoon. It's an enjoyable read!

[Anastasia L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leo is a boy with big dreams and a large family that doesn't understand him and a dad that changed after a accident . He starts questioning when he finds his dad's diary when he was thirteen and he learns about a aunt that he has never knew about and joins the school play. Will his family accept who he wants to be?

I expected more because I love Sharon Creech but I do not see what makes this book special. It was a easy read and something I would read when I was in 2nd grade. I would recommend this book for people that has nothing to read and want something easy to read.

[Alyson Whatcott · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the four Creech's we are reading in my 6th grade class. This is a good one to add to the mix because of the male protagonists. It's a shorter and easier read than her others that we have chosen, however, it skips between reality, daydreaming, and a class play quite a bit which isn't easy for all students. This is probably my students' favorite. Mine is Walk Two Moons.

[Paige Doherty]

it was okay

[Jack Branch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Replay by Sharon Creech puts a very interesting spin on the idea of our dreams vs. the reality we live in. The daydreamer and protagonist Leo is the key example of this, as his frequent daydreams elude to his sense of theatrical grandeur. From each segment to the next, he plays a successful football coach, a world-famous actor, and even a tap dancer. However, the true story that Creech crafts revolves around how this daydreamer of a boy handles day to day issues with a family of six (two brothers and a sister), and what his life before his first big performance, a stage play entitled Rumpopo's Porch.

Leo, one of the middle children in his family, struggles to get a grip on the world around him, as he often spends too much time daydreaming and not enough time dealing with his problems. These acts earn him the nickname "fog boy" as he spends too much time looking at the fog. This shows his interest in the imaginary and disinterest in reality. His theatrics are perfect for that of an a aspiring actor. The beautiful imagery of his many personas is alluring as Leo's character is that of someone who, in our reality, I think would quite interesting.

Leo has more to his character than just his daydreaming habit, however. He struggles with a bit of neglect from his parents because to them, he is the least interesting child of the family as his youngest brother is a singer, his brother is a football star and his older sister is a rising soccer fanatic. Each of them have their own personality, and each provide some input on the story. However, each of the siblings personality's isn't exactly unique, as often the two brothers, despite having different interests, repeat each others actions. While I can very much understand the admiration of a little brother, this outright melding of characters seems to be a little lazy on Creech's part.

Finally, Leo's role in his first major role as an aspiring serves as the climax of the story as he worries to succeed and finally make his parents proud. As it turns out, he has the final line of the performance, and is incredibly worried that he will mess up this final line. This is an interesting tidbit of Leo's personality as up until this point he hasn't shown any major form of anxiety, but then the show day rolls around. Ironically enough, Leo misses the line, which I think is not only an interesting but a surprisingly realistic ending to a novel about dreaming. Furthermore, Creech went the extra mile to write the whole Rumpopo's Porch play, which I thought was a very unique and in-depth touch.

[Supriya Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Sharon Creech

Genre: Realistic fiction

Rating-4/5

Category: Middle-grade fiction

Replay is a heartwarming story of Leonardo, called by his friends as Leo but addressed by his family as Sardine or fog boy. And not without valid reasons. Leo is a nonstop dreamer—lost in the world he weaves in his head, dressing up everyday grim affairs and complicated woes in a thoroughly enjoyable Broadway version.

You laugh out loud when Leo tries to interest his perpetually busy mother in answering questions about his childhood. And your heart curls around the edges with unspoken sadness when Leo mentions the changes in his father after his heart attack.

Creech shows you an extraordinary world through Leo’s eyes. The family drama of an Italian American family with tiffs between adults is well captured—the adult world from a kid’s vantage point. The admonishment, the jibes by cousins, the well-meaning insults that Creech spotlights have happened to the best of all in family gatherings.

As you read further—you realize more than daydreaming; Leo spins his yarn to get through the quagmires of life. A mare’s nest, his daily existence is peppered with bitter travails. Being invisible to the parents, always being sandwiched between brothers and sisters, and being an average Joe at school are a few of his predicaments. Creech reveals Leo’s issues piecemeal, more like a peep into the door when more troubles come knocking.

Leo grows up right before your eyes as he pores over his father’s diary—the autobiography of Giorgio, age of thirteen. His world opens up as he struggles to find his own reflection in his young father.

Creech paints a vivid picture of Leo’s struggles, the adults’ trials and tribulations, and the perplexity of life in general.

Few of my favorite quotes from the book—

“Leo can only make sense of the things when he is alone, thinking or when he writes.”

“You might be a little dorky, a little nobody kid, but might be an amazing grownup. The whole point is you can change.”

“To have someone you love, go— it must leave a big empty hole in yourself, and no one can see the hole, only you.”



Verdict—

A peck of innocence, a breeze of child-like wonder, this book entices, satisfies, and impresses you at the same time. The vibrant writing would delight you.

The smile on my face refused to leave long after I had finished the book.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I read this book in an afternoon. Okay, that’s not the first time I’ve done that for a book, but this was STUNNING. Sharon Creech has a way of weaving words together in a way that just pulls you in and makes you CARE.

This book made me laugh out loud, and I always love it when a book can do that, because not a ton can. Sure, they can make me snort, or be like, “Yeah, that was funny,” but really LAUGH, now that doesn’t happen as much.

One of my favorite things about Creech’s work is that she will have two stories overlapping. I love that. It gives her stories real DEPTH.

As someone who has been a part of multiple plays, I can relate to the practices. It reminds me of the plays I’ve done, and I love that. It felt very realistic to me. It was familiar, and reminded me how much I love theater.

You can totally get a lot out of this even if you’ve never been in a play, or even seen one. This books deals with loss, which many of us can relate to, along with just being a family.

I mentioned the loss part, which might make it sound a little sad, but it’s NOT. This story is happy and very TOUCHING. Not sad.

This is a book I will definitely reread. I definitely recommend it. This books will reach into your heart and touch it, something that all the very best books should do at some point or another.

It IS written in present tense, which was a little weird to me, but I got used to it pretty quickly, so don’t let that be a turnoff for you.

❤️❤️❤️

[Abby Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Replay is about Leo, a young boy who is struggling to find his place in life. He feels overshadowed by his loud and large family, who refer to him as "Fog Boy". When he is cast in a school play as an old man, "the Old Crumb," he learns more about himself. Throughout rehearsals, Leo discovers a box of his father's childhood memories, which help him understand his family in a new way. Leo eventually finds his own voice.

I think the book can be a bit difficult to follow at times. Leo often slips into daydreams that can be difficult to distinguish from real-life events occurring in the book. But maybe that is exactly what life is like! We all spend time daydreaming. I did enjoy the self-discovery aspect of the book. The story is filled with humor and warmth, and I think any middle schooler would find something to relate to.

This novel would be good for upper elementary or middle school students. It would lend great to exploring themes of family, character development, and self-expression through the arts. The book even includes a script of the play that Leo is a part of, which could be very fun for a classroom to act out. Definitely a good addition to any classroom library (Also, Sharon Creech is just awesome!)

[Riley]

For March, I read a realistic fiction book, first out of the series, written by Sharon Creech, Replay. This book is about a boy named Leo that loves to perform in the drama productions. He has three other siblings that have similar hobbies. All of a sudden, Leo becomes very nervous for his play, which never happens. Both him and his friend Ruby feel very sick and don't think they can perform. But once the curtain rises, they perform perfectly. Find out what the play's about by reading the book Replay.

This book was not my favorite but I gave it a 7 out of 10 because it was still well written. If you like the kind of books that have adventure and mystery, you will like the book Replay written by Sharon Creech.

[Sarah Patt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon Creech is one of my favorite authors. I usually read at least three of her many wonderful novels every school year. Today my student and I finished "Replay" and oh boy, did we like it! There were many parts where my student laughed out loud which put a smile on my face. As a teacher, I love when children want to read and Replay is such an amusing book, that this student asked to take it home so he could read another chapter for homework! Creech uses an occasional play format to convey a single boy's journey from his private fantasy world to his large, noisy, loving, Italian family. Along the way he solves a mystery and gains a small measure of small-town fame and most importantly, he is reminded how fortunate he is to have the family he has.

[Emory Ivie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is about a young boy named Leo, who has an extremely bizarre way of thinking and so many abstract ideas. He is fascinated with drama and acting, and this funny and yet heartfelt book will put the reader in Leo's place as he struggles through life with his family, who are all so much different than him, and at school, when his mind takes him to his own place.

I would say that this would be a great book for boys in the age range of 8 to 12, but I personally found this book a little confusing, and events were a little sudden. Overall, it is a good book and will keep readers turning the pages.

[Susan Collinsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

My opinion is informed by my 64 year old self. I believe that if the reader were an 8-13 year old, middle or younger child, they would get a lot more out of it and enjoy it more than i did. The writing and vocabulary were pitched for younger readers. By the middle of the book, I started skipping the fantasy sequences. I understood the reason for them, but they didn't add anything to the plot.

Leo slowly and realistically begins to grow into a person who is aware of other's personhood. His father, for example, was once a boy like himself, with dreams and goals. He is able to imagine how Ruby must feel about her issue (spoiler!)

Accurately depicts life in a big, busy family.

[Mauricio Martinez-Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book can be a little over dramatic for me. I think its purpose was too add to Leo wanting to be a star. I founded it weird when they wouldn’t tell Leo who his aunt was and when his family members were getting injured. Leo was upset because he couldn’t be the main character in a play instead he was a girl. He had brothers and sisters that outshined him so he was always daydreaming of being rich and famous. At play practices a bunch of goofy things would happen. This book kept me reading because I liked to see perspectives from other people’s point of view.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay... good enough not to abandon, though I considered it. Didn't love the third person narration - it felt removed from the narrator, and it felt a bit... like it was talking down to me, the reader. It was a fine enough story, I guess... but not one I'll purchase for the classroom or recommend to anyone unless they are madly in love with theatre and read all my other books on theatre (which I liked much better: A Chance to Fly, Short, Broken Strings, and even Fearless, which I didn't love but liked better than this one).

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

How has this book not won any of the accolades of Walk Two Moons (incidentally one of my favorite books)?? It's a beautiful unsung hero in its character study of a flawed family who love each other through their own complications, and in Creech's typical style she doesn't soften the problems to spare her younger readers. This just confirms why she is one of my favorite authors, I loved this book.

[Gabby Dillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Replay is a great story about a boy whose name is Leo. I chose this book because when I read the summary I thought that it sounded interesting because I like acting. In this book Leo tries out for the school play and doesn't get the part that he wants. He daydreams constantly about being a famous Broadway star, that's why his family calls him fog boy. When he finds his dad's autobiography he gets curious. He notices that his dad has been keeping some secrets...

[Emilou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I really related to the main character, coming from a family where I'm the middle child and I felt overlooked a lot both at home and at school. I was also a dreamer, spending a lot of time creating stories in my head, some of them very similar to Leo's where he gets to be the hero. I almost cried, which is saying something since I'm not an emotional person. My favorite book by this author.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with a 5th going on 6th grader I am tutoring this summer. She seemed to really enjoy this book. It is a good coming of age novel that is relatable for middle school age children who feel invisible within their family, who wonder who they will be one day and who enjoy a little mystery.

The book had a blend of very humorous and somber scenes. I appreciated how Sharon Creech kept it very true to how life is.

[David Erkale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo likes to perform in plays. In them, he is an actor with a role that is important, but at home, he feels like a nobody. When he discovers his father's autobiography, written at age 13, Leo starts to wonder about the different Dad from before he was a father.
Interesting parts of the story involved the repeating scenario. Each sibling goes to a game or performance, and their teacher is going to kill them, their family is proud of them, etc. Only they have minor edits.

[Abigail Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had more time, I would’ve read this whole book in one sitting. The writing style is fresh and unique and the characters are well fleshed out even though the whole story is from one character’s point of view. Sharon Creech and her heartwarming novels just further prove that juvenile literature is not exclusively for children.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complex. Hardly any way at all to tell whether events were happening, or were in Leo's imagination. But simple at the same time; not much really happens over-arcing the episodes. Supposed to be both heartwarming and funny, but I did not feel either. Kind of like a cross between a Creech book and a weaker book by Kevin Henkes. The old crone is definitely the star.