Ruby Holler [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Sharon Creech (Author), Donna Murphy (Reader)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

"Trouble Twins" Dallas and Florida have been shuffled between foster families and the orphanage all their lives. All they want is a loving place to call home, but they are mistrustful that one exists for the likes of them.

Tiller an Sairy are a sweet couple who are each restless for one more big adventure while their bodies are still spry enough to paddle a canoe or climb a mountain. Their own children have grownup and moved away, so they're each looking for someone to help them and keep them company on their last exciting journey.

And Ruby Holler is the beautiful, mysterious place that changes all of their lives forever. When Tiller and Sairy invite Dallas and Florida to stay with them and keep them company on their adventures, the magic of the Holler takes over, and the two kids begin to think that maybe, just maybe, the old folks aren't that bad . . .

Filled with humor, poignancy, cookies and treasure maps, Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler is a delightful book about a special place where it's never to late to love -- or be loved.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Having suffered through a string of appalling foster homes (the spitting Cranbepps; scary, toothless Mr. Dreep who locked them in his cellar; and the mean Burgerton boys), 13-year-old orphan Dallas and his twin sister, Florida, have pretty much given up on ever finding a happy home. So when an eccentric older couple enters their lives, providing such adventures as a river expedition, a treasure hunt (of sorts), and a whole lot of remarkable meals: "beat-the-blues broccoli," "anti-cranky crumpets," and "getting-used-to-kids- again stew," the twins take a while to warm up. Florida's language teems with outrageous, telling negativity--everything is "putrid"--and even dreamy Dallas is inclined to bouts of doubt. But warm up they do, to the continual delight of readers of all ages.

Sharon Creech, author of Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons and Newbery Honor book The Wanderer, is in fine form with her hilarious yet poignant novel about downtrodden siblings who refuse to be squished altogether. The perfectly happy ending is somewhat predictable, but readers who have fallen in love with each quirky character won't mind a bit. (Ages 8 to 13) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The characters introduced here two abandoned children, their villainous guardians and a kindly country couple might have stepped out of a Dickens novel, but as Creech (Love that Dog) probes beneath their facades, the characters grow more complex than classic archetypes. Florida and her brother Dallas, raised in an orphanage run by the cold-hearted Trepids, rely on each other rather than grownups for support. They become suspicious when Mr. Trepid informs them that they are going to a place called Ruby Holler to accompany old Mr. and Mrs. Morey on separate vacations. Florida is to be Mr. Tiller Morey's companion on a canoe trip; Dallas is to help Mrs. Sairy Morey hunt down an elusive bird. Readying for the trips proves to be a journey in itself as the Moreys, Florida and Dallas make discoveries about one another as well as themselves in a soothing rural environment. This poignant story evokes a feeling as welcoming as fresh-baked bread. The slow evolution of the siblings who are no angels parallels the gradual building of mutual trust for the Moreys. The novel celebrates the healing effects of love and compassion. Although conflicts emerge, readers will have little doubt that all will end well for the children and the grandparently Moreys. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: HarperFestival; Unabridged edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060087862
• ISBN-13: 978-0060087869
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,535,407 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

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Little Too Fluffy..., August 9, 2002

By 

Allyn "pianogirl" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ruby Holler (Carnegie Medal (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Orphaned twins Florida and Dallas are known as troublemakers and stuck in a children's home controlled by monster-like adults. After years of waiting, Sairy and Tiller, a wonderfully kind couple older couple, adopt them. Florida and Dallas think of running away, but...

Need I say more? This book isn't really bad, it's just a little too cutesy and way too predictable. I think a book should take you on journey, make you think, and leave you wondering about some things. From the moment I picked up on all the details of this book's setting, I knew pretty much exactly what was going to happen. Basically, "Ruby Holler" follows the good ol' "happily ever after" formula a little too closely.

The best things about Sharon Creech's most recent offering are the characters. Florida's constant expression of "putrid" will always coax a smile from you, and Dallas has some good moments, too. Sairy and Tiller bring a measure of "grandparently" comfort to the story, and their (especially Sairy's) musings about life and enlightening stories about her experiences are glimmers of Creech at her best. "Ruby Holler" would no doubt be enjoyed by a middle- to upper-elementary audience, but it certainly isn't the author's best work.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a book that you'll enjoy while you're reading it, and feel good about afterward, June 18, 2006

By 

Jennifer Robinson "Editor of Jen Robinson's B... (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruby Holler (Paperback)

Ruby Holler is the story of "the trouble twins", 13-year-old Dallas and Florida, who have spent their lives living in the dilapidated Boxton Creek Home. They've had many failed foster parent experiences, some terrifying, some grim, and they are very wary of adults. They remind me a bit of Tony and Tia Malone in Escape to Witch Mountain (another pair of twins who seem unable to keep out of trouble, and who no one seems to want).

An elderly couple asks the twins to come and live with them in their country home in Ruby Holler (named for the red maple trees in the fall), to help with a project. The twins by this point have serious trust issues, and keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Tiller and Sairy Morey are different from anyone that the twins have encountered before. Together, the four embark on a series of adventures in the lush, rural Ruby Holler.

This book reminded me a little bit of Louis Sachar's Holes, with the bleakness of the Boxton Creek Home, and the quirkiness of the Moreys (although the main setting is the exact opposite of the setting in Holes). Throughout the book, we learn about the various other homes that the twins have lived in, gradually coming to understand their prickliness and acting out. In parallel, we watch Dallas and Florida, and Sairy and Tiller, gradually changing one another. It's a story about love and patience and second chances, and suspense and adventure, too.

There are many small things to like about the book. I love the way that Sairy and Tiller are with each other, two halves of a whole, with their own unusual endearments. I smiled at the way that Dallas has of painting a positive future with words, even when things seem bleak. And I laughed out loud at some of the wonderful foods cooked up by the Tillers: mission-accomplished-cake, be-nice-to-orphans brownies, and welcome-home-bacon. Even the names of the dreadful owners of the Boxton Creek Home, the Trepids (as in, the reverse of intrepid?) are clever and apt.

This is a book that you'll enjoy while you're reading it, and feel good about afterward. It's suitable for fairly young kids, with lots of dialog, and short chapters. The bleak incidents in Dallas and Florida's past have an exaggerated quality, like a Roald Dahl story, rendering them less disturbing than they might be otherwise. This book won a much-deserved 2002 Carnegie Medal.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 17th, 2006.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ruby Holler, July 15, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Ruby Holler (Paperback)

Ruby Holler is an excellent book. I liked it because there is suspense and funny points. It was fun to read about how troublesome the twins, Dallas and Florida, are and how different foster families managed them. I have read other novels by Sharon Creech and I personally think that this is one of her best books ever. I recommend this book to people who like adventure and a bit of mystery.