The Unfinished Angel in Mock Newbery 2026

Mar 11, 2010 Sarah rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-fantasy, audio

This story is told from the point of view of an angel who is hundreds of years old and living quite peacefully in a tower of a house in the Alps until a family moves in. Zola and her father are Americans who move to Switzerland to get a fresh start; her father plans to open a boarding school. The angel isn’t used to people being able to see it, so it’s startled when Zola addresses it when she enters the tower.

The angel and Zola become wary friends; Zola often asks it questions it doesn’t know th ...more

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Oct 26, 2009 Alyson Whatcott rated it really liked it

Sweet, short book that I read in one sitting. I have mixed feelings about books with a strong dialect that are written for children. This one was narrated by an Italian Swiss trying to speak English so many words were just off and the syntax was often mistaken. It was cute and funny for me, but I wonder how much of this goes over kids heads or just confuses them. Part of me thinks all children's books should be written with only proper English so that they can get good rhythms and instincts in t ...more

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Oct 14, 2009 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: mock-newbery-2010

Creech handles the language in this little book about goodness in a most unusual way. The storyteller is an angel who is not quite sure how he/she got to the little tower in the little town in Italy and is also not quite sure what his/her job is as an angel or whether or not he/she has completed the job and is a full angel. Creech's use of creative terminology enhances that feeling of unfinishedness. (Is that a word? I think I read the book too recently.)

The Pomodoro father arrives with his daug ...more

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Jan 01, 2010 Becky Barrier Nelson rated it liked it

This book certainly is unique! I have mixed emotions about it. The characters are very well realized and memorable from the spunky, bossy, charismatic Zola to the disagreeable neighbors to the angel itself. I found the cutesy speech of the angel very distracting (couldn't help but wonder if Junie B. Jones had entered the story)until at least half way through. Is that speech affectation annoying or charming? I can't decide. Overall I thought it an odd story and am anxious to see what my students ...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Tamsyn rated it it was ok

Shelves: defies-categories

I didn't care for this one. The odd grammar and made-up/altered words were distracting, and I have my doubts about an upper elementary or early middle school audience understanding all the words, not to mention the Italian. I never really bonded that much with the characters. Disappointing, because I am a big fan of Sharon Creech. She has written books I love. ...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Susan Dunn rated it liked it

Shelves: j-fiction

This was a sweet, quick read. An angel living in a tiny Swiss village and caring for its inhabitants meets a girl who can see him (no one else can). When she discovers a group of orphans living in an abandoned shed, Zola demands that Angel help her to help them - and soon the whole village is involved.

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Apr 02, 2010 Crystal rated it liked it

Shelves: children-s-lit

I enjoyed the story to a certain extent, but the strange speech patterns of the angel started to be bothersome to me after awhile. It was also not terribly engaging. I didn't really get to care about any of the characters much. ...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Beverly rated it it was ok

This book gave me a headache. The angel, because she is not finished, didn't have all the words for speaking properly. She sounded way too much like Junie B. Jones, a character I do not like. ...more

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