Ruby Holler
From AwardAnnals
 | |
| Author(s) | Sharon Creech |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Children's Books |
| Honors | |
| Tiller and Sairy live a quiet life in Ruby Holler; their children have long since left home and they are happy with their routines. Until one day they each decide they want to undertake a big adventure and they need companions to accompany them. And now it gets exciting because they adopt two children from the local orphanage and form an unlikely foursome, for the children cannot believe they are really 'wanted' and Tiller and Sairy have to deal with some pretty unconventional behaviour on the part of the children. | |
This is a wonderful, whimsical and magical story that combines quirky action and adventure with the important themes of family, loyalty and learning to belong.
"Trouble twins" Dallas and Florida are orphans who have given up believing there is such a thing as a loving home. Tiller and Sairy are an eccentric older couple who live in the beautiful, mysterious Ruby Holler, but they're restless for one more big adventure. When they invite the twins to join them on their journeys, they first must all stay together in the Holler, and the magic of the place takes over. Two pairs of lives grow closer, and are changed forever.
Reviews
Amazon.com
Having suffered through a string of appalling foster homes (the spitting Cranbepps; scary, toothless Mr. Dreep who locked them in his cellar; and the mean Burgerton boys), 13-year-old orphan Dallas and his twin sister, Florida, have pretty much given up on ever finding a happy home.
So when an eccentric older couple enters their lives, providing such adventures as a river expedition, a treasure hunt (of sorts), and a whole lot of remarkable meals: "beat-the-blues broccoli," "anti-cranky crumpets," and "getting-used-to-kids- again stew," the twins take a while to warm up. Florida's language teems with outrageous, telling negativity - everything is "putrid" - and even dreamy Dallas is inclined to bouts of doubt. But warm up they do, to the continual delight of readers of all ages.
Honors
