Will Sparrow's Road

Author: Cushman, Karen

Edition: 1

Number Of Pages: 216

Details:

In his thirteenth year, Will Sparrow, liar and thief, becomes a runaway. On the road, he encounters a series of con artists—a pickpocket, a tooth puller, a pig trainer, a conjurer—and learns that others are more adept than he at lying and thieving. Then he reluctantly joins a traveling troupe of "oddities," including a dwarf and a cat-faced girl, holding himself apart from the "monsters" and resolving to be on guard against further deceptions. At last Will is forced to understand that appearances are misleading and that  he has been his own worst deceiver. The rowdy world of market fairs in Elizabethan England is the colorful backdrop for Newbery medalist Cushman's new comic masterpiece.  From Booklist Meet young Will Sparrow, whose father has sold him to an innkeeper for a daily supply of ale. Introduced as “a liar and a thief,” Will flees from the inn and takes to the road, where he steals food, occasionally earns a coin, and meets a variety of colorful people who travel from fair to fair. While working for a malicious man who charges people to visit his collection of oddities and wonders (a unicorn skull, a mermaid in a jar, a live monster), Will befriends Grace, a girl billed as a monster because of the silky hair on her face, and her protector, a dwarfish “little man” with a fierce demeanor. Set in Elizabethan England, the novel is built upon Cushman’s thorough research and solid understanding of the period. An author’s note is appended. Though the story loses steam in the end, many readers will find Will’s journey compelling along the way, as he learns that things (and people) are not always what they seem. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Cushman’s historical novels are always in demand, especially among teachers, who find them a popular teaching tool. Grades 5-7. --Carolyn Phelan

Reviews:

"A compelling coming-of-age road trip."

— Kirkus"Set in Elizabethan England, the novel is built upon Cushman's thorough research and solid understanding of the period."

— Booklist

"[Cushman] manages the tricky balance of keeping her characters engaging and understandable for her audience while still making them very much of their time."

— Horn Book"Fascinating, sometimes seemingly preposterous, details are solidly corroborated in the informative author's note that reflects Cushman's extensive research."

— School Library Journal"Offering action, humor, and heart in equal doses, Cushman's story is, at its core, about creating and claiming a family of one's own."

— Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Lively and amusing . . . . [Cushman's] details have the surprising aptness of an Elizabeth Enright story—or, to step outside children's books, a Raymond Chandler novel."

— The New York Times Book Review“Karen Cushman is a master of portraying personal transformation. . . . A warmhearted portrait of a boy coming to terms with himself and the world.”

— Historical Novels Society

"As usual, Cushman is adept at bringing the past to vivid life, with evocative details from daily Elizabethan life and authentic, often humorous dialogue."

— Bulletin

About the Author:

Karen Cushman's acclaimed historical novels include Catherine, Called Birdy, a Newbery Honor winner, and The Midwife's Apprentice, which received the Newbery Medal. She lives on Vashon Island in Washington State. Visit her online at karencushman.com and on Twitter @cushmanbooks. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. ONE INTRODUCING WILL SPARROW, NOT YET THIRTEEN BUT ALONE AND ON THE ROAD TO NOWHERE Will Sparrow was a liar and a thief, and hungry, so when he saw the chance to steal a cold rabbit pie from the inn’s kitchen and blame it on the dog, he took it—both the chance and the pie. But the innkeeper would have none of it: "And how did the wee dog open the door, scrabble onto the table, and fetch the pie out of the kitchen, all the while sitting on Mistress Grubb’s lap having his ears scratched, I would like to know?" He grabbed Will by t...

EAN: 9780547739625

Release Date: 06-11-2012

Languages: English

Item Note: Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp. Hardcover Used - Like New Ships fast! 20121st Edition

Item Condition: UsedLikeNew

Binding: Hardcover