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- Ruby Holler
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- Author: Sharon Creech
- Reviewer: Ilona Hegedûs
- Publisher: HarperTrophy
- Format: Children, Fiction, Paperback, 336 Pages, 2004, $5.99
- ISBN: 0060560150
- Rating: * * * * Quills
- www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0060560150/scriquil
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- Sharon Creech's children's books are popular both in the U.S. and in the U.K. Among other awards, she is the first American to win the Carnegie based on the votes of librarians in Britain, an award that no American had received before.
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- The title of Ruby Holler is the name of the place that provides the setting for the adventures of two orphan sisters, Dallas and Florida. At the beginning of the story, we are intoduced to the life in the orphanage run by Mr. and Mrs. Trepid, who tend to punish the kids without any reason, and this happens even more so to the twins. One day, an old couple turns up at the orphanage, who feels alone after having brought up their children and chooses the twins as companions for a journey.
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- This is an adventurous story about love, friendship and trust, presented with a lot of humor. Their adventures include catching evil Mr. Trepid who wants to rob the couple, learning about their own family and finding their long-lost father. The problem is that the kids have been sent to so many families before, every time leading to a disappointment, that, apart from each other, it's rather hard for them to trust anyone else. Thus, instead of looking forward to the journey, they constantly think about possible ways of running away from the loving couple. However, this does not prevent them from getting to know their hosts, and the four of them slowly turn into a real family.
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- The emphasis of the story is more on well-written dialogues and on the thoughts of Dallas and Florida, which make the reader think about the great questions of human life, such as: Who are we? Why are we like that? Will we become like our fathers? The reader is presented with an opimistic view of the world and can learn a lot from the stories told by the old couple. This is a place where you can find goodness even in the hearts of the most wicked characters, and seemingly bad ones easily turn out to be honest and caring. Another appeal of the book is that it shows us the sort of idealized countryside that is so liked by city kids. In addition to that, dreams are also employed as a way to foresee important events and add some mystery to the story.
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- Though Dallas and Florida are said to be 13 years old, their manner of thinking is definitely that of younger children. Fortunately, this is not likely to be noticed by the target readership.
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