The Wanderer

Front Cover
Harper Collins, Oct 6, 2009 - Juvenile Fiction - 304 pages

Newbery Honor Book * ALA Notable Children's Book

“A beautifully written and imaginatively constructed novel that speaks to the power of survival and the delicacy of grief.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

This acclaimed bestselling Newbery Honor Book from multi-award-winning author Sharon Creech is a classic and moving story of adventure, self-discovery, and one girl's independence.

Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie’s cousin Cody isn’t so sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father.

Through Sophie’s and Cody’s travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination—and its passengers search for their places in the world.

“Sophie is a quietly luminous heroine, and readers will rejoice in her voyage.” —BCCB (starred review)

"Like Creech's Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird, this intimate novel poetically connects journey with self-discovery.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 

Contents

The Sea
1
Three Sides
3
Slow Time
8
The Big Baby
12
SHAKEDOWN 5 Afloat
23
Slugs and Bananas
28
Wildlife
30
The Dolt and the Orphan
34
Beheading
38
Ahoy
44
Juggling
46
Blahblahblah
51
Shakedown
52
Bompie and the Car
59

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Page 131 - A— ALFA B— BRAVO C— CHARLIE D— DELTA E— ECHO F— FOXTROT G— GOLF H— HOTEL I— INDIA J— JULIET K— KILO L— LIMA M— MIKE N— NOVEMBER O— OSCAR P— PAPA Q— QUEBEC R— ROMEO S— SIERRA T— TANGO U— UNIFORM V— VICTOR W— WHISKEY X— XRAY Y— YANKEE Z— ZULU The letter "ZULU" should be written as "Z" to distinguish it from the numeral "2.
Page vii - This tale is true, and mine. It tells How the sea took me, swept me back And forth in sorrow and fear and pain, Showed me suffering in a hundred ships, In a thousand ports, and in me. It tells Of smashing surf when I sweated in the cold Of an anxious watch, perched in the bow As it dashed under cliffs.
Page 125 - Street to his parents' house, slowly, getting him there bit by bit. "Did you see any action? In the war?" asks Derreck. "No, man, I was in Germany, in peacetime, jacking off." Derreck wants to know about the military alphabet. Sandy tells him, "A is alpha, B is bravo, C is Charlie, D is delta, E is echo . . ." "E is echo," says Derreck Wells, slowly, and with great effort, "I think I could learn this.
Page 56 - I'm learning so much every day, and the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to know about sailing and water and navigation and weather.
Page 240 - I don't know anything about him. I don't know where he was born or what he does at work or how he got that scar on his forehead.

About the author (2009)

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler.Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says.www.sharoncreech.com

David Diaz has illustrated numerous award-winning books for children, including smoky night by Eve Bunting, for which he was awarded the Caldecott Medal; The Wanderer by Sharon Creech, which received a Newbery Honor; and Me, Frida by Amy Novesky, a Pura Belpré Honor Award winner. Mr. Diaz lives in Southern California.

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