Backwater (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [Library Binding]

Joan Bauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. While compiling a genealogy of her family of successful attorneys, 16-year-old history buff Ivy Breedlove treks into the mountain wilderness to interview a reclusive aunt with whom she identifies, and who in turn, helps her to truly know herself and her family.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There are two things you can count on in a book by Joan Bauer. One, it will make you laugh. And two, the girl who is telling the story will be really good at something, but not something you'd expect. In Squashed, Ellie wins the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In. In Rules of the Road, which won the Golden Kite Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction, Jenna Boller is a whiz at selling shoes. In Backwater, Ivy Breedlove resists being good at the family tradition. For many generations the Breedloves have been successful lawyers. Among her loud and argumentative relatives, however, Ivy feels like "a goldfish swimming in a tank stocked with snapping turtles--it's hard to keep a lasting presence." Instead, Ivy is in love with history, especially the family history she is compiling. But a large piece is missing. Many years ago, her father's sister Josephine went away to be a hermit in the mountains, and ever since, the rest of the family has referred to her scornfully as "stuck in the backwater." Ivy, convinced that this "different" aunt holds the secret to her own differentness, sets out in a snowstorm to find Jo, with the help of backslapping, slogan-spouting wilderness guide Mountain Mama. Along the way she meets with a lot more adventure and understanding than she ever anticipated--not to mention snagging an excellent boyfriend. (Ages 12 to 16) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In this compelling, though ultimately uneven outing, Bauer (Rules of the Road) travels to a literal and emotional backwater, navigating the strong ties that bind-and have the potential to choke-a proud but dysfunctional family. For generations, the Breedloves have been respected lawyers in the community, and it's been expected-nearly demanded-that 16-year-old Ivy will follow in their footsteps. But Ivy feels driven to become a historian and, as her first major project, she undertakes the task of compiling the Breedlove genealogy. As the family gathers for the holidays, Ivy's time-saving Aunt Fiona (she has her own TV show, It's About Time) skims through the family history with a video camera. But Ivy determines that, to make the family tree complete, she must locate long-lost Aunt Josephine, her father's rebellious sister. Her search leads her to the Adirondacks, where she comes face-to-face with not only Josephine, but Ivy's own fears about life as a Breedlove. In the best passages, Bauer's characters crackle with eccentricity and exhibit glimmers of intense emotion. Mountaineering fans will also thrill at the wintry, rugged scenery. But in the end, readers may feel Ivy's adventure-and the extreme avenues taken by Josephine-to be too far-fetched. Ages 12-up. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Library Binding: 185 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417687436
• ISBN-13: 978-1417687435
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)

More About the Author

"I had moved from journalism to screenwriting when one of the biggest challenges of my life occurred. I was in a serious auto accident which injured my neck and back severely and required neurosurgery. It was a long road back to wholeness, but during that time I wrote Squashed, my first young adult novel. The humor in that story kept me going. Over the years, I have come to understand how deeply I need to laugh. It's like oxygen to me. My best times as a writer are when I'm working on a book and laughing while I'm writing. Then I know I've got something." Joan's first novel, Squashed, won the Delacorte Prize for a First Young Adult Novel. Five novels for young adult readers have followed: Thwonk, Sticks, Rules of the Road (LA Times Book Prize and Golden Kite), Backwater and Hope was Here (Newbery Honor Medal). Joan lives in Darien, CT with her husband and daughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Humorous with some depth, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Backwater (Novel) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed "Rules of the Road" more, but this book has much to offer as well. I like the emphasis on being able to make your own decisions about your life and on facing your fears. It also discusses the importance of family (present and past) and good communication. As always, Bauer's central character is a strong-minded female who has more on her mind than boys and being popular. But romance isn't exactly the last thing on her mind, either! A fine sense of humor, both Bauer's and her characters', is evident throughout.

If I could, I'd give this book 3.5 stars rather than 3. But I found it a little too didactic and overstated at times to rate it higher. Bauer sometimes simply worked too hard when making her points. And the editing is very poor. I'm not sure if the possessive "its" is used correctly anywhere in the book. Instead, we get "it's". We also get spelling errors such as "peek" for "peak". One grammatical/spelling error in a book can be overlooked, but a dozen can't and shouldn't be.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Backwater, December 20, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Backwater (Paperback)

"Backwater" By Joan Bauer

Reveiw by Emily

If you like an adventure story you would love this one. When the author Joan Bauer writes her books she must love to write about a main character that wants an andventure. This book was one I would definitely write an excellent review for.

This book was about a girl about 16 named Ivy. She was brought up in a family of lawyers because thats what almost everyone in the family was. Except her mother. Her mother was a social worker for a big company named New York's Department of social services. But her mom died when she was about 6 years old. Ivy to me is a very adventurous but a little secretive about her true feelings of being a lawyer. Insted of being a lawyer she wants to be a Historian.

The setting in this book starts when she is at her home and ends when she is at home. But in the middle she is very far away from home. Through the book she is set out to find a long lost aunt, Aunt Josphine. Her aunt didn't want to be a lawyer either. Her aunt had always liked birds. No one in the family ever talked about her much, just a few words here and there. When family members discribed Ivy they would say "Just like Josephine". Ivy of course didn't know a lot about her just that being compared to Josephine wasn't meant to be a compliment.

I like the way Joan Bauer writes this story because it's about a girl with an unusual problem. Not a problem that many people would have to deal with in their everyday life.

One thing that I didn't like about the book was how you would read one section but have to go back and read it again to understand it to the fullest.

I would categorize this book in the adventure section. I would do that because of all the problems the main character faces. Also way Ivy deals with the problems. The story was full of adventures.

I would defiitely recommend this book to someone that likes an adventurous story. It seemed the pages just kept turning as you read. I plan on reading other stories that Joan Bauer has written like "Rules of the Road."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book., February 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Backwater (Paperback)

Ivy's living in a family full of lawyers, and they all want her to become a lawyer too. She doesn't want that. She wants to become a historian. She's making a family tree of the Breedlove family and she finds a missing aunt, Josephine. Nobody in her family will talk about Josephine except for Tib. Her whole family says that Jo is "stuck in the Backwater." Ivy wants to talk to her aunt so she goes on a hunt into the mountains to find her with some help from Mountain Mama. It's a very good story and it has humor, adventure, and a little romance. Joan Bauer writes another great story!!!