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Summary
Summary
From Sharon Creech, the Newbery Medal winning author of Walk Two Moons, comes a heartwarming adventure about finding family, and a home, when you least expect it.
Ruby Holler is a Carnegie Medal-winning novel, and with its quirky protagonists and exciting journey, captures the imaginations of readers of all ages.
Brother and sister Dallas and Florida are the "trouble twins." In their short thirteen years, they've passed through countless foster homes, only to return to their dreary orphanage, Boxton Creek Home.
Run by the Trepids, a greedy and strict couple, Boxton Creek seems impossible to escape. When Mr. Trepid informs the twins that they'll be helping old Tiller and Sairy Morey go on separate adventures, Dallas and Florida are suspicious.
As the twins adjust to the natural beauty of the outdoors, help the Tillers prepare for their adventures, and foil a robbery, their ultimate search for freedom leads them home to Ruby Holler.
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The characters introduced here two abandoned children, their villainous guardians and a kindly country couple might have stepped out of a Dickens novel, but as Creech (Love that Dog) probes beneath their facades, the characters grow more complex than classic archetypes. Florida and her brother Dallas, raised in an orphanage run by the cold-hearted Trepids, rely on each other rather than grownups for support. They become suspicious when Mr. Trepid informs them that they are going to a place called Ruby Holler to accompany old Mr. and Mrs. Morey on separate vacations. Florida is to be Mr. Tiller Morey's companion on a canoe trip; Dallas is to help Mrs. Sairy Morey hunt down an elusive bird. Readying for the trips proves to be a journey in itself as the Moreys, Florida and Dallas make discoveries about one another as well as themselves in a soothing rural environment. This poignant story evokes a feeling as welcoming as fresh-baked bread. The slow evolution of the siblings who are no angels parallels the gradual building of mutual trust for the Moreys. The novel celebrates the healing effects of love and compassion. Although conflicts emerge, readers will have little doubt that all will end well for the children and the grandparently Moreys. Ages 8-12. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) Midway along the road between Lemony Snicket's ironical nightmares and the luminous logic of Tuck Everlasting lies Ruby Holler. Here, too, villains are avaricious and events schematic, designed as much to support the author's ideas as to propel her protagonists' fortunes. Twins Dallas and Florida, thirteen, have been placed by orphanage proprietors Mr. and Mrs. Trepid (who as villains would be right at home in a Dickens or a Dahl novel) in yet another foster home, the first to treat them kindly. Tiller and Sairy, who much resemble the affectionate grandparents in Creech's Walk Two Moons, live in idyllic Ruby Holler, where they cook wholesome meals and support themselves with their exquisite wood carvings of forest creatures. In a bracing dose of reality, even this saintly pair's patience is strained by the twins, whose lifetime of abuse has left them both mischievous and lacking normal skills. Still, they are drawn into the old couple's plans for separate life-affirming journeys, each with one twin. Though their well-founded suspicions of an unfriendly world persist, Dallas and Florida begin to blossom in time to help foil the Trepids and to pitch in, sometimes heroically, where help is needed. Brief chapters, swift action, a hint of mystery concerning the twins' origins, generous doses of humor, engagingly quirky characters, and a lively, kid-friendly voice will all recommend this to a wide range of young readers. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. Thirteen-year-old twins Dallas and Florida are continually in trouble for breaking the many rules of the Boxton Creek Home for Children. When an elderly couple, Tiller and Sairy, invite Dallas and Florida to stay with them in nearby Ruby Holler and travel with them beyond it, the twins are wary. Previous foster placements have been disasters. Tiller and Sairy, however, treat the children like their own, talking with them, teaching them, trusting them, loving them, outwitting them, and even letting them save face. In an unusual approach for a children's book, Tiller and Sairy's points of view are at least as important as those of Dallas and Florida; and how the foursome play off one another is one of the key points of the narrative. There's a larger-than-life feel to this novel that makes the minor characters and subplots feel a bit out of scale--or out of sync--but the main story rests squarely on the four well-drawn characters. A stylized yet solid story from the author of the Newbery-award-winning Walk Two Moons (1994). Carolyn Phelan.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Orphaned twins Dallas and Florida have resigned themselves to living within the confines of the Boxton Creek Home for Children. It's a loveless existence. The Trepids, owners and "rule enforcers" of the home, target the brother and sister at every opportunity and all of the prospective adoptive parents have returned them to the orphanage. Eventually the children are sent to act as temporary companions to an eccentric older couple who live in Ruby Holler, and there they find love and acceptance. While the plot is predictable, the story weaves in an interesting mix of mystery, adventure, and humor, along with age-old and modern problems. Creech does a fine job of developing the unique personalities and the sibling relationship, and the children's defense mechanisms (Dallas's dreamy escapism and Florida's aggression) figure prominently in the interplay among the characters. The text is lively and descriptive with an authentic, if somewhat mystical, rural ambience. This entertaining read from a first-rate author will not disappoint Creech's many fans.-Robyn Ryan Vandenbroek, Elgin Court Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Guardian Review
Sharon Creech, who won the Newbery Medal (the most important American children's book award) with Walk Two Moons , is a skilful storyteller, whose books I always read with pleasure. Ruby Holler concerns the adventures of the orphan twins Florida (a girl) and Dallas (a boy), who are named after the tourist pamphlets in the box in which they were abandoned as babies. When the story begins they are 13, and living in the Boxton Creek Home for Children, a miserable orphanage run by the short-tempered and greedy Mr and Mrs Trepid. The twins are each other's best and only friends, and they have different and complementary characters. Florida is "loud and squirmy, with her mouth full of words bursting out", and Dallas is "the one more inclined to daydreaming". They haven't lived in the Boxton Creek Home all their lives: every so often they'll be taken in by a cruel or peculiar family - scary, toothless Mr Dreep and his wife with the fidgety fingers, or the self-righteous Cranbeps and their abominable daughter Gigi - each time the placement breaks down, and back the twins go to the sour and neglectful care of the Trepids. So far, so conventional. There is a larger-than-life, brighter- than-natural quality to these people and this setting: we know it's exaggerated, and we can enjoy the melodrama. We're not in the realm of subdued and downbeat realism. There's almost a Lemony Snicketish air: the life of Florida and Dallas has indeed so far been a series of unfortunate events. When a kindly, eccentric old couple turn up and take the twins to live with them in the isolated valley of Ruby Holler, we can guess that Florida and Dallas and Tiller and Sairey will eventually become one family, and it's not hard to predict that there will be problems to overcome and dangers to face, but that they'll all live happily ever after. Now, how does a good storyteller make this interesting? Interesting, I mean, to all kinds of readers, whatever their degree of experience and sophistication? First, by a complete certainty of tone. There are no false notes, no striving for effect, no clever jokes that miss half the audience, no patronising facetiousness. Creech takes her material seriously, and presents it without affectation. That happens more rarely than it should; it takes practice to bring it off, as well as talent, but when it does, it means that the tone resonates sympathetically with the subject. The whole book is in tune. Second, by putting the camera in the right place. According to David Mamet, "Where should I put the camera?" is one of the fundamental questions a film director has to ask: I'd say it was the fundamental question of all storytelling. It's not only what angle you choose to see an event from, but how close you go to it, and how long you spend with it, and when you look away. In Ruby Holler , Creech does an unusual thing for a children's book: she distributes her attention equally among the adults and the children. She looks at whatever is interesting, whatever moves the story forward, and tells us what she sees, and never tells us more than we need. Sometimes it's only a glance: some of her chapters are less than a page and a half long. The effect is to give the reader a sense of deep security: we're confident in the authority of the storyteller. She knows what she's doing. This is not a great work of literary art; it's not the best book Creech has written. But it's a book that shows how very satisfying unobtrusive craftsmanship can be, even working with slight materials, and it's fun, and it celebrates kindness and decency. Incidentally, if you look for this book, you'll be lucky to recognise it from the cover. The publishers have printed the title in thin red letters so that it's almost invisible. Apart from that, Ruby Holler is handsomely designed. Philip Pullman is the author of the His Dark Materials trilogy. To order Ruby Holler with free UK p&p call Guardian book service on 0870 066 7979. Caption: article-pullman06.1 Second, by putting the camera in the right place. According to David Mamet, "Where should I put the camera?" is one of the fundamental questions a film director has to ask: I'd say it was the fundamental question of all storytelling. It's not only what angle you choose to see an event from, but how close you go to it, and how long you spend with it, and when you look away. In [Ruby Holler] , [Sharon Creech] does an unusual thing for a children's book: she distributes her attention equally among the adults and the children. She looks at whatever is interesting, whatever moves the story forward, and tells us what she sees, and never tells us more than we need. Sometimes it's only a glance: some of her chapters are less than a page and a half long. The effect is to give the reader a sense of deep security: we're confident in the authority of the storyteller. She knows what she's doing. This is not a great work of literary art; it's not the best book Creech has written. But it's a book that shows how very satisfying unobtrusive craftsmanship can be, even working with slight materials, and it's fun, and it celebrates kindness and decency. - Philip Pullman.
Kirkus Review
The trouble twins, Dallas and Florida, are given the opportunity to take a three-month vacation from the horrible orphanage that has been home. An elderly couple, Sairy and Tiller of Ruby Holler, wants help. Tiller would like to build a boat and explore the river Rutabago with Florida, while Sairy dreams of visiting far-off Kangadoon to see a red-tailed rocking bird, but needs Dallas's assistance. Dreamy Dallas and Feisty Florida have always counted on each other and dread parting. As the twins naturally strew trouble wherever they go, they also reveal the horrors of their past-but gradually, all four characters draw together. The charm of Sairy's acceptance of whatever awful thing the twins do is matched by her desire to see what she's like when Tiller isn't there. Despite ominous signs that the separation of both pairs may be dire, they persist. Adding tension, Mr. and Mrs. Trepid, who run the nursing home, hire Z (their only Ruby Holler neighbor) to discover the buried funds that will finance the upcoming expeditions. Tiller, is a grumbler, but it only hides his soft heart. Dallas and Florida both have a hard time believing that anywhere in the universe can be as wonderful as Ruby Holler, and they try to remain committed to their original plan to catch the freight train and escape. Various tidbits about the origins of the twins tumble into the plot in haphazard ways, developing that mystery. Such charm and humor is encapsulated in this romp with its melodramatic elements of treasure and orphans, that it feels perfectly reasonable to want it to go on and see what happens next. Creech ends with the readers more in the know than the characters concerned, making for a slightly unsatisfying finish. Still: an altogether engaging outing. (Fiction. 9-12)
Excerpts
Excerpts
Ruby Holler Chapter One The Silver Bird Dallas leaned far out of the window, his eyes fixed on a bird flying lazily in the distance. Sun slanted through the clouds above, as if a spotlight were aimed on the bird. A silver bird, Dallas thought. A magical silver bird. The bird turned suddenly, veering south over the small town of Boxton, toward the faded yellow building and the window from which Dallas leaned. Dallas stretched his arm out. "Here!" he called. "Over here!" The bird swooped toward him and then rose up over the building, high, high into the air, over the alley and the train tracks and the dried-up creek. Dallas watched it rise on the air currents over one brown hill and then another, until it disappeared. He tried to follow it in his mind. He imagined it flying on until it spied a narrow green valley, a scooped-out basin with a creek looping and winding its way through the center. He pictured it swooping down from the sky into this basin in the hills, to this place where cool breezes drifted through the trees, and where the creek was so clear that every stone on its bottom was visible. Maybe the silver bird had flown home. "Get out of that window!" a voice shouted from below. "No leaning out of windows!" Dallas leaned a little farther out and called down to Mr. Trepid. "Did you see that silver bird?" "Get out of that window, or you're going to join your sister down here pulling weeds," Mr. Trepid threatened. Dallas spotted his sister, Florida, inching her way along the sidewalk, wrenching clumps of weeds and grass and dirt from the ground. "Putrid weeds," Florida snarled, heaving a clod of dirt over her shoulder. Dallas watched as the clod landed on Mr. Trepid's back and as the man scuttled over to Florida and whacked her on the head. Dallas wished the silver bird would return and snare Mr. Trepid and carry him high up over the town and then drop him, splat, in the middle... Ruby Holler . Copyright © by Sharon Creech. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.Table of Contents
| 1. The Silver Bird | p. 1 |
| 2. The Boxton Creek Home | p. 4 |
| 3. Ruby Holler | p. 12 |
| 4. Mush | p. 14 |
| 5. Thinking Corners | p. 21 |
| 6. The Opportunity | p. 25 |
| 7. Doubts | p. 31 |
| 8. Hansel and Gretel | p. 34 |
| 9. The God | p. 41 |
| 10. The Egg | p. 43 |
| 11. The Grump | p. 48 |
| 12. Work | p. 50 |
| 13. Gravy | p. 54 |
| 14. Wood | p. 67 |
| 15. Conversations in the Night | p. 73 |
| 16. The Axe | p. 81 |
| 17. The Rocker | p. 86 |
| 18. The Trepids | p. 90 |
| 19. Understone Funds | p. 95 |
| 20. Through the Holler | p. 101 |
| 21. Lost and Found | p. 105 |
| 22. A Trip to Boxton | p. 112 |
| 23. Ready | p. 120 |
| 24. Tiller and Sairy | p. 127 |
| 25. The Holler at Night | p. 133 |
| 26. Shack Talk | p. 145 |
| 27. Trials | p. 148 |
| 28. Mrs. Trepid | p. 157 |
| 29. Decisions | p. 161 |
| 30. Nightmares | p. 166 |
| 31. Medicine | p. 168 |
| 32. Paddling and Hiking | p. 172 |
| 33. Z's Report | p. 179 |
| 34. Bearings | p. 184 |
| 35. Stiff | p. 188 |
| 36. A Long Chain | p. 192 |
| 37. Word Pictures | p. 195 |
| 38. Surveying | p. 197 |
| 39. The Worrywarts | p. 199 |
| 40. Babies in the Box | p. 206 |
| 41. Shopping | p. 212 |
| 42. Dorkhead | p. 218 |
| 43. Loops | p. 220 |
| 44. Progress | p. 224 |
| 45. The Rock | p. 226 |
| 46. Stones in the Holler | p. 229 |
| 47. Running | p. 231 |
| 48. More Shopping | p. 232 |
| 49. Underwater | p. 239 |
| 50. The Feeling | p. 241 |
| 51. Z | p. 247 |
| 52. The One-Log Raft | p. 251 |
| 53. The Dunces | p. 253 |
| 54. Slow Motion | p. 257 |
| 55. On the Road | p. 259 |
| 56. On the River | p. 264 |
| 57. The Soggy Heart | p. 268 |
| 58. Preparations | p. 271 |
| 59. Investments | p. 275 |
| 60. Hospital Talk | p. 278 |
| 61. Mr. Trepid's Adventure | p. 282 |
| 62. Jewels | p. 287 |
| 63. Mission-Accomplished Cake | p. 291 |
| 64. Appraisals | p. 294 |
| 65. Conversations in the Night | p. 298 |
| 66. Dreams | p. 306 |