The Wanderer Author:Sharon Creech The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in. Thirteen-year-old Sophie is the only girl amongst the surly crew of The Wanderer made up of her three uncles and two cousins. They sail across the Atlantic toward England, the land of Bompie, her grandfather. The sea calls to Sophie -- prom... more »ising adventure and the chance to explore and discover. But the personal journey she takes brings her deeper into a forgotten past than she ever knew she could travel to. Sophie's thirteen-year-old cousin Cody isn't even sure why his father brought him along on this voyage. Everyone, including his dad, thinks he's nothing but a knuckle headed doofus. But behind all the goofing off, he wonders if he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, the amazing experiences of these six wanderers and their perilous journey unfold. Stories of the past and the daily challenges to survive at sea swirl together as The Wanderer sails toward its destination, and its passengers search for their places in the world.Newbery Award winner Sharon Creech's newest novel is an adventure-filled story of a courageous girl's journey across the ocean and into the memories of her tragic past. Sophie's struggle to reclaim who she is inspires similar exploration from those around her -- as the crew discovers the joys and trials of belonging to a family.Bulletin Blue Ribbon Best of 2000 Award, 2001 Children's Books of Distinction (Riverbank Review Finalist), Books for Youth Editor's Choice 2000 (Booklist), Best Books 2000(School Library Journal), Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib., 2000 Christopher Award, 2001 Children's Books of Distinction (Riverbank Review Finalist), 2001 Newbery Honor Book Award, 01 Notable Children's Books (ALA), 01 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA), Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL), and Bulletin Blue Ribbon 2000 (Bulletin of Center for Children's Books« less
this is a story about a 13 year old girl who goes on a voyage and has many great adventures this book is great for teen adults and even younger readers such as 5th and 4th grade boys or girls.
From the jacket flap: "....an adventure-filled story of a courageous girl's journey across the ocean and into the memories of her past. Sophie's struggle to reclaim who she is inspires similar exploration from those around her--as the crew discovers the joys and trials of belonging to a family."
Sharon Creech is always a good children's/YA read, and this one tells the story of Sophie's adventure sailing across the Atlantic from the US to Ireland on a 40-foot sailboat with her three uncles and two cousins. They must all learn to get along and deal with each other's quirks of personality, besides surviving the storms encountered during the crossing. It's a great coming of age story, nothing fancy or spectacular, just good solid writing.
The book is aimed at readers around 12, I'd say - but it's a really well-done, affecting story, about a young girl who insists on being included on a very DIY yacht trip involving extended family, and with the goal of visiting a grandfather who's moved to England. Strangely, however, although the girl is eager to meet this man, the other family members seem convinced that she's never met him before, as she's adopted - something which she seems to be reluctant to admit. No one is quite sure how to react to her enthusiasm for telling her grandfather's "stories" to pass the time on the boat, either. But through a trip filled with adventures and danger, the embers of this family all get to know each other better than they expected, and to face things about themselves. Every character in the book, child or adult, is psychologically realistic and extremely well-realized, and the narrative device of switching first-person journals, one by the girl and one by her boy cousin, is extremely effective as well.
