A Blossom Promise [Hardcover]

Betsy Byars (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

For the Blossom family it's the best day of their lives -- and the worst. Maggie, out west with her mother, is about to become the newest Blossom on the rodeo circuit. And now that the rain has finally stopped,   Junior can at last visit his friend Mad Mary in her cave in the woods.



These two weeks of rain have been like an answer to a prayer for Vern and his friend Michael. Together they planned and built a perfect raft, and now, with everyone out watching the waters rise over the banks of the Snake River, they're sure their great voyage downstream will be witnessed with cheers.



Vern's grandfather, Pap, is watching the river and dreaming about his old days as a rodeo star. Suddenly he hears screams from the river and runs to the rescue. What will Pap find? How will the Blossom family pull together?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The hard-living Blossom family is back in this last title of a remarkable quartet. All the children are anticipating something: Maggie is about to perform with her mother in the rodeo, Vern is preparing to launch a raft on the flooded Snake River and Junior has packed for an overnight stay with his friend Mad Mary in her cave. Then several simultaneous disasters strike, which sorely test the family but also strengthen it. The first half of the book sets up the action in short, alternating chapters focused on individual characterseven the dogs, Mud and Dump. After this long beginning, the plot takes flight, ending hopefully and joyously. Readers will find it hard to bid farewell to this eccentric, exuberant family. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7 The last of the four books about the Blossom family begins on a high note. Junior is waiting for Pap to take him to spend the night with Mad Mary (from The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady Delacorte, 1986); Pap is out with his dog, Mud, happily inspecting the results of ``the worst flood in the state's history.'' Junior's older brother, Vern, and his friend are getting ready to launch their pride and joy, a homemade raft, while his sister, Maggie, is ready to make her debut on the rodeo circuit as a ``Wrangler Rider.'' Although disaster strikes on several fronts, it is their grandfather's heart attack that is the biggest challenge and the event that motivates Maggie to make a solemn Blossom promise that involves the whole family. Frequently switching point of view from one group of characters to another somewhat slows down the action, but Byars' strong writing style and highly individualistic characters will hold readers firmly. Those who know about this gutsy, captivating family will get the full impact of this welcome finale. New fans will be motivated to start at the beginning. Amy Kellman, Carnegie Lib . of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1987 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 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440401372
• ISBN-13: 978-0440401377
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,517,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warmth and realism, June 23, 2008

By 

Tony Serviente "Glass artist" (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Blossom Promise (Hardcover)

We have read and reread all of the Blossom family books to our 6 year old, and each reading is still fresh. Betsy Byars has a gift for creating quirky and believable characters and situations that touch upon the essence of family and larger social relationships and their many facets. These are not "Leave it to Beaver" vignettes that resolve to apple pies cooling on the sill. Instead they tell the tales of a modified nuclear family with myriad stressors from within and without, and how we all get by better with a little help from a friend. Though written for young readers they make fine adult reading too.