Replay [Paperback]

Sharon Creech (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Leo's papa stood in the doorway, gazing down at him. "Leo, you make gold from pebbles," and the way he said it, Leo could tell that this was a good thing.

He may have been given a bit part in the school play ... but Leo dreams he is the biggest star on Broadway.

Sure, his big, noisy family makes him feel like a sardine squashed in a tin ... but in his fantasy he gets all the attention he wants.

Yes, his papa seems sad and distracted ... but Leo imagines him as a boy, tap-dancing and singing with delight.

That's why they call Leo "fog boy." He's always dreaming, always replaying things in his brain. He fantasizes about who he is in order to discover who he will become. As an actor in the school play, he is poised and ready for the curtain to open. But in the play that is his life, Leo is eager to discover what part will be his.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sharon Creech explores the hopes and longings of an introspective middle child from a boisterous Italian clan in this humorous, character-driven novel. Leo's family calls him "Sardine" because the quiet twelve year old often finds himself sandwiched between his more outgoing siblings. One rainy day in the attic, he discovers his father's teenage journal. In it, he reads that his careworn parent used to dream of being a dancer, a writer, a famous athlete, just like Leo! He also discovers a photo of his father's family that includes an unfamiliar girl in the background. Could it be the mysterious Aunt Rosaria no one speaks of? As he tries to untangle this family mystery, he is also preparing for his school play--a tale of an old man whose life is revived by weaving his childhood memories into stories for his neighbors. How can Leo convince his father that, like the old man in the play, he needs to talk about Rosaria to heal the hole she left in his life? Through the parallel dramas of the play and his chaotic home life, Leo begins to understand the importance of stories and our need to share them, whether they are treasured memories or future dreams. Creech includes the full text of the play, Rumpopo's Porch, in the back of the book. Middle grade fans of Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park or The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going are sure to enjoy this heartfelt, thoughtful read. --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8–Meet Leonardo. His family calls him sardine, as he often feels smashed between Contento, his moody older sister, and his two younger brothers, Pietro and Nunzio. His life is filled with possibilities; he's a dreamer (which gains him the additional nickname of fog boy). But two events converge in unexpected ways, leading to new understanding, growth, and insight. Leo finds a journal written by his father at age 13 and is chosen for a part in a play written by the drama teacher entitled Rumpopo's Porch. To his dismay, he is given the role of the Old Crone and the journal presents a person whom Leo doesn't know. Gradually, however, the Old Crone comes to appreciate Rumpopo just as Leo begins to see glimmers of the 13-year-old boy who matured into his now-frazzled father. Life, like plays and replays, has a cyclical nature. A rift in Leo's large, noisy, and completely realistic family begins to heal after a near disaster when Nunzio is injured, just as a hole created by loss can heal. Leo's fantasies intertwine with actual events, adding humor and insight. Characters are brilliantly delineated by their actions, reports of Leo's observations, and short dialogues presented in both conversations and in screenplay form. As Leo matures, nuggets of wisdom emerge from the simple text in this beautifully crafted novel. The script of Rumpopo's Porch is included to further clarify parallels. For in the end, all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players.–Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (March 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439862035
• ISBN-13: 978-0060540210
• ASIN: 0060540214
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sharon Creech is the author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons and the Newbery Honor Book The Wanderer. Her other work includes the novels Hate That Cat, The Castle Corona, Replay, Heartbeat, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, Ruby Holler, Love That Dog, Bloomability, Absolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird, and Pleasing the Ghost, as well as three picture books: A Fine, Fine School; Fishing in the Air; and Who's That Baby? Ms. Creech and her husband live in upstate New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for dreamers of all ages., March 10, 2007

By 

Christopher Lingel (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Replay (Hardcover)

Maybe it's because I've always been drawn to acting. Maybe it's because I've always been a (day)dreamer myself. Maybe it's because I have always struggled to connect with my family. Maybe it's simply the amazing power of Creech's writing. Whatever the reasons, Leo has become a character I will never forget.

Sharon Creech's "Replay" tells the story of the day-dreaming Leo, though he is better known to family and friends as "Sardine" or "Fog-Boy" -- both nicknames that Leo hopes to leave behind at some point in his life -- in a coming-of-age story that will ring true to any middle child in the chaos of a large family that is always on the go. How do you deal with being cast as the "Old Crone" in the school play? How do you grow up in a family that never seems to know you're there? How do you connect to a father you don't understand? Especially when you find the autobiography he wrote at age 13 and learn about all those passions he once had that now seem to have faded.

As a middle school teacher, I have shared this book with my class. In watching my students as we read it together, I have watched my students laugh at Leo's daydreams, commiserate with his failures, and share in his joys. Most importantly of all, however, is that as Leo learns to look at his father with new eyes, so too have I seen my students begin to look at their parents in ways they never have before.

In the end, not all of Leo's dreams have come true, but he succeeds in taking one step further in the process of growing up, and does so in an authentic way that will resound to anyone who struggles, or who struggled, with that greatest of tasks in life: Becoming who you are.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *AUTHOR 'REPLAYS' HER TALENT FOR SURPRISING READERS*, February 27, 2006

By 

mcHaiku "nmi" (Brown County INDIANA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Replay (Hardcover)

Sharon Creech is a favorite author for delivering surprises in format and style. It is fascinating to follow the way she develops the character of pre-teen dreamer, Leonardo. In the crush of a large household, Leo feels unnoticed much of the time, one of 4 kids who usually sound like a thundering herd. His discovery of an auto-biography written by his father at age 13 opens Leo's eyes to the question of a "missing" aunt, and to his father's dreams. He realizes there are watershed events in most lives that dictate change, and his father's was a heart attack.The author does not cater to lazy-minded readers. She exposes the family's past to daylight & reminds us that everyone agonizes over growing up.

Chapter books can leave one with a stand-out favorite; mine was "Chores" to which I related & laughed about the most. Every mother would be grateful for a similar solution to doling out family responsibilities! Braided into Sharon Creech's story is the mystery of Rosario, the 'lost' aunt; the chaos & stresses of everyday life; and the 3rd strand: a school play written & directed by an insightful teacher. Leo, in the undesired role of 'the old crone' discovers that happiness can be found in less-than-spectacular achievements.

Reviewer mcHAIKU will continue to enjoy this tale of every child's fantasies of success and delivers this opinion: DON"T MISS READING "REPLAY" !

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TOUCHING STORY ABOUT GROWING UP, October 23, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Replay CD (Audio CD)

A cast headed by Christopher Burns gives full voice to a large Italian family. Italian or not, 12-year-old Leo's family is very much like all others - sometimes happy, at other times in disagreement. But, somehow in the words of Newbery Medalist Sharon Creech Leo's household bursts with more laughter than most.

Like many young folks, Leo has a few nicknames - "Sardine" because he is sometimes sandwiched between his older sister and his two younger brothers. He's also referred to as "Fog Boy" because he's a dreamer. He's just been given a part in the school play and, as his Dad says, "Leo, you make gold from pebbles" because Leo fantasizes about starring on Broadway. At other times, he dreams he's going to be a genius. This is, a story about growing up.

Not surprisingly, there are sometimes conflicts between father and son. However, when Leo discovers a diary his father kept when he was Leo's age, understanding soon follows.

Highly recommended for listeners in grades 5 through 7.

- Gail Cooke