SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile
Creech’s book is like a jigsaw puzzle—with two orphan girls, a mysterious boy, and a rich old lady who appears to be plotting murder as the pieces. Dual narration by Heather O'Neill and Erin Moon adds distance between the two subplots as events unfold on both sides of the Atlantic. Naomi and Lizzie, voiced by Moon, have slightly Southern accents. O'Neill gives the rich old lady a stately Irish accent, perfect for meting out provocative tidbits of information that add to the intrigue. When the girls go to Ireland, the narrators shift seamlessly, making what was familiar seem foreign. The switch heightens the fanciful ending. A.M.P. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review
How can life be so painful yet so beautiful? How can we make sense of what we feel? Many of the most beloved children's books ask these questions by treading lightly on reality, allowing young readers to wade ankle-deep in the joys and agonies of being human without sinking into existential muck. The Great Unexpected does just that…Creech…has a deft touch…
—Elizabeth Weil
Publishers Weekly
In a story that is part folktale, part mystery, and part comedy, Newbery Medalist Creech (Walk Two Moons) traces a series of strange events, beginning with a boy’s fall from a tree, which is witnessed by an orphan named Naomi and her friend Lizzie. The boy, Finn, might be part of the Dimmens clan, who live up on Black Dog Night Hill, or his appearance might be more ethereal in nature. In alternating chapters, readers are whisked between two evocative locations: Naomi’s town of Blackbird Tree and an impressive Irish estate owned by an ailing mystery novel buff. Neighbors, strangers, and a collection of odd artifacts are all part of a puzzle Naomi tries to solve—and readers will be working just as hard to do so. The fun that drives the book forward derives from Naomi’s plainspoken narration (her barely concealed jealousy over Lizzie’s interactions with Finn is especially well-done), along with uncovering the surprising connections between characters and wondering whether magic is at the root of the baffling occurrences. Ages 8–12. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Sept.)
SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile
Creech’s book is like a jigsaw puzzle—with two orphan girls, a mysterious boy, and a rich old lady who appears to be plotting murder as the pieces. Dual narration by Heather O'Neill and Erin Moon adds distance between the two subplots as events unfold on both sides of the Atlantic. Naomi and Lizzie, voiced by Moon, have slightly Southern accents. O'Neill gives the rich old lady a stately Irish accent, perfect for meting out provocative tidbits of information that add to the intrigue. When the girls go to Ireland, the narrators shift seamlessly, making what was familiar seem foreign. The switch heightens the fanciful ending. A.M.P. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
When Finn falls out of a tree and into the life of Naomi, he brings more than a touch of Ireland's magic. Naomi and her friend, Lizzie Scatterding, are both foster children living in the quiet town of Blackbird Tree. Life takes on a mysterious air when Finn boy and the Dangle Doodle man show up in a town that's already inhabited by such characters as Witch Wiggins and Crazy Cora. Naomi carries the terrible scars, internal and on her arm, of her father's death and a dog's attack. Her guardian parents each share their hearts; Nula remembers privation and her estranged family in Ireland, and Joe teaches Naomi to dream and fly high into the clouds for inner peace. In a parallel story across the sea in Ireland, two women talk of times past, lost families and setting things right. Creech, a Newbery Award–winning author, deftly weaves a multi-layered story in which past and present thread their way around Naomi the romantic and Lizzie the singer. With a Finn boy for each generation, there's joy in the air and in the reading. An enchanting tale to treasure in which ordinary folk find fairies' gold, run across crooked bridges and mend their broken hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)
