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In Search of Mockingbird

by Loretta Ellsworth

In Search of Mockingbird Cover

ISBN13: 9780805072365
ISBN10: 0805072365
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A runaway seeks Harper Lee for answers

Sometimes the things that need to be discovered aren't so easily found at home. Erin is certain that this is true in her case. A book is all that connects Erin to her mother, who died when she was a baby. But how much can Erin really learn about her mother from a tattered copy of To Kill a Mockingbird? On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Erin decides it's finally time to find out. And so begins her bus journey from Minnesota to Alabama in search of Harper Lee, the reclusive author of Mockingbird.

In a novel full of quirky characters, strange coincidences, and on-the-road adventures, Loretta Ellsworth deftly traces a unique voyage of self-discovery.

Review:

"A teen's yearning to connect to her long-deceased mother is at the core of Ellsworth's ( The Shrouding Woman) novel. Erin, whose mother died when she was three days old, cherishes her mother's worn paperback copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. This book and a few black-and-white photographs are her sole connections to her mother's life. The day before her 16th birthday, Erin's father gives her the diary her mother had kept at 16. After reading a few entries, Erin learns that she shares many similarities with her mother, including their mutual dream of becoming writers. She then discovers that her mother once wrote to Harper Lee asking, "How do you know if you have what it takes to be a writer?" Erin decides she has to meet Harper Lee in person; she sneaks out of the house and boards a bus to Monroeville, Ala. "She'll be there, sitting in her porch swing, waiting to talk to me." The story bogs down during the road trip, with a great deal of attention given to the adults who offer Erin help along the way. When Erin arrives at her destination, she accepts that traveling to Monroeville won't bring her closer to her mother; only her father can fill in the blanks. Erin's journey of self-discovery gives her the courage to confront her own failings and the maturity to accept her father's plans to marry. Though Erin's voice seems younger than her years, readers will root for her while reaching for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Ages 10 — 14." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"'A teen's yearning to connect to her long-deceased mother is at the core of Ellsworth's ( The Shrouding Woman) novel. Erin, whose mother died when she was three days old, cherishes her mother's worn paperback copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. This book and a few black-and-white photographs are her sole connections to her mother's life. The day before her 16th birthday, Erin's father gives her the diary her mother had kept at 16. After reading a few entries, Erin learns that she shares many similarities with her mother, including their mutual dream of becoming writers. She then discovers that her mother once wrote to Harper Lee asking, 'How do you know if you have what it takes to be a writer?' Erin decides she has to meet Harper Lee in person; she sneaks out of the house and boards a bus to Monroeville, Ala. 'She'll be there, sitting in her porch swing, waiting to talk to me.' The story bogs down during the road trip, with a great deal of attention given to the adults who offer Erin help along the way. When Erin arrives at her destination, she accepts that traveling to Monroeville won't bring her closer to her mother; only her father can fill in the blanks. Erin's journey of self-discovery gives her the courage to confront her own failings and the maturity to accept her father's plans to marry. Though Erin's voice seems younger than her years, readers will root for her while reaching for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Ages 10 — 14.' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

About the Author

Loretta Ellsworth is the author of the acclaimed middle-grade novel The Shrouding Woman. A former schoolteacher and mother of four grown children, Loretta lives in Lakeville, Minnesota.

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Amy Mazzariello, July 9, 2009 (view all comments by Amy Mazzariello)
In Search of Mockingbird
By Loretta Ellsworth

Erin is a 15 year old girl living in a house filled with boys. Her mother died when she was very young, her father doesn’t talk of her as often as Erin wishes he would, and her brothers are annoying young men with whom she has very little in common. She very much feels the void that her mother’s death has left, which is marginally filled by a tattered copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Erin clings to the book and has read and reread it many times, along with personal notes her mother had scribbled into the margins as a young girl of 16.
On the eve of her 16th birthday Erin’s father hands her a journal her mother kept as a young girl. Frustrated with her father for keeping the journal from her for so many years, Erin decides to take an unannounced trip to Montgomery, Alabama in search Harper Lee. She finds herself in search of a conversation with Lee that will bring her closer to her mother, and will make her a better writer (as she, like her mother and Lee shares this trait), but most of all she just wants to be in the presence of the woman who had such a huge impact on her mother’s life and as a result, her own.
This is an inspiring tale of a girl who longs for the closeness of her dead mother. You won’t be sorry that you’ve decided to take a backseat on the bus to Montgomery because the cast of characters is great, and Erin’s wit and determination is one to inspire all readers, young and older.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780805072365
Author:
Ellsworth, Loretta
Publisher:
Henry Holt & Company
Subject:
Girls & Women
Subject:
Mothers
Subject:
Historical - United States - 20th Century
Subject:
Buses
Subject:
Authorship
Subject:
Coming of age
Subject:
Girls
Subject:
Women
Subject:
Family Relationships
Subject:
Children s-Historical Fiction-U.S. 20th Century
Edition Description:
Trade Cloth
Publication Date:
20070431
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
from 5 to 9
Language:
English
Pages:
192
Dimensions:
7.16x5.30x.76 in. .56 lbs.
Age Level:
10-14

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In Search of Mockingbird New Hardcover
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$17.99 In Stock
Product details 192 pages Henry Holt & Company - English 9780805072365 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "A teen's yearning to connect to her long-deceased mother is at the core of Ellsworth's ( The Shrouding Woman) novel. Erin, whose mother died when she was three days old, cherishes her mother's worn paperback copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. This book and a few black-and-white photographs are her sole connections to her mother's life. The day before her 16th birthday, Erin's father gives her the diary her mother had kept at 16. After reading a few entries, Erin learns that she shares many similarities with her mother, including their mutual dream of becoming writers. She then discovers that her mother once wrote to Harper Lee asking, "How do you know if you have what it takes to be a writer?" Erin decides she has to meet Harper Lee in person; she sneaks out of the house and boards a bus to Monroeville, Ala. "She'll be there, sitting in her porch swing, waiting to talk to me." The story bogs down during the road trip, with a great deal of attention given to the adults who offer Erin help along the way. When Erin arrives at her destination, she accepts that traveling to Monroeville won't bring her closer to her mother; only her father can fill in the blanks. Erin's journey of self-discovery gives her the courage to confront her own failings and the maturity to accept her father's plans to marry. Though Erin's voice seems younger than her years, readers will root for her while reaching for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Ages 10 — 14." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "'A teen's yearning to connect to her long-deceased mother is at the core of Ellsworth's ( The Shrouding Woman) novel. Erin, whose mother died when she was three days old, cherishes her mother's worn paperback copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. This book and a few black-and-white photographs are her sole connections to her mother's life. The day before her 16th birthday, Erin's father gives her the diary her mother had kept at 16. After reading a few entries, Erin learns that she shares many similarities with her mother, including their mutual dream of becoming writers. She then discovers that her mother once wrote to Harper Lee asking, 'How do you know if you have what it takes to be a writer?' Erin decides she has to meet Harper Lee in person; she sneaks out of the house and boards a bus to Monroeville, Ala. 'She'll be there, sitting in her porch swing, waiting to talk to me.' The story bogs down during the road trip, with a great deal of attention given to the adults who offer Erin help along the way. When Erin arrives at her destination, she accepts that traveling to Monroeville won't bring her closer to her mother; only her father can fill in the blanks. Erin's journey of self-discovery gives her the courage to confront her own failings and the maturity to accept her father's plans to marry. Though Erin's voice seems younger than her years, readers will root for her while reaching for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Ages 10 — 14.' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
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