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Guests | October 20, 2009

Vincent McCaffrey: IMG A Practical Matter

2 comments By Vincent McCaffrey

It was in a letter of 1897, about his cousin James Ross Clemens, that Mark Twain famously noted that "the report of my death was an exaggeration." He... Continue »
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Whirligig (Laurel Leaf Books)

by Paul Fleischman

Whirligig (Laurel Leaf Books) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

New to town, Brent Bishop longs to stroll around school with the popular Brianna on his arm. But when Brianna begs him at a party full of schoolmates to stop hounding her, Brent's hopes are shattered. Trying to escape his humiliation, he attempts to destroy himself in a car crash — and ends up killing Lea, an innocent teen unfortunate enough to cross his path.

Lea's mother asks one thing of Brent: that he create four whirligigs from a picture of Lea and set them up at the four corners of the United States. Lea's mother believes that by spreading the joy that whirligigs gave Lea as a child, Brent will keep Lea's spirit alive.

And so Brent goes off with an unlimited bus ticket and the tools he needs to memorialize Lea. On his journey, he rediscovers his own love of life, and he begins to realize how — like the pieces that form the intricate whirligigs — people come together to affect each other in surprising ways.

Review:

"[A] beautiful story of atonement, self-respect, learning to live with the consequences of one's actions, and discovering that what we do can have a profound influence on others. Fleischman skillfully intertwines the plot threads into one finely crafted novel." Children's Literature

Review:

"Fleischman's writing is filled with beautiful imagery, no more so than in the twirling arms of his whirligigs that remind readers that sustaining the human spirit in an imperfect world requires reaching out to others." VOYA

Review:

"There is enormous vitality and hopefulness expressed in this brief masterwork." School Library Journal

Synopsis:

In this acclaimed novel, a dejected boy tries to kill himself in a car crash and ends up killing an innocent teen. The victim's mother asks that the boy create four whirligigs from a picture of the girl and set them up at the four corners of the United States to keep her spirit alive.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780440228356
Author:
Fleischman, Paul
Publisher:
Laurel Leaf Library
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Literature - Classics
Subject:
Social Situations - Emotions & Feelings
Subject:
Social Situations - Death & Dying
Subject:
Forgiveness
Subject:
Voyages and travels
Subject:
Whirligigs.
Subject:
Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings
Subject:
Social Issues - Death & Dying
Copyright:
1998
Series:
Laurel-Leaf Books
Series Volume:
898
Publication Date:
November 1999
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Grade Level:
Elementary and junior high
Language:
English
Pages:
144
Dimensions:
682x424x41 16
Age Level:
12-17
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