Synopses & Reviews
A prequel to the 1995 Newbery Medal winner
Walk Two Moons,
Absolutely Normal Chaos proves that Sharon Creech is not the kind of author you meet once and forget -- she writes with a memorable voice that speaks directly to the thoughts and feelings of her readers.
Absolutely Normal Chaos chronicles the daily life of 13-year-old Mary Lou Finney during her most chaotic and romantic summer ever.
Sharon Creech fans will recognize Mary Lou Finney and her infamous summer journal from their appearance in Walk Two Moons.
Mary Lou's journal opens with a plea, "Here it is: my summer journal . . But please PLEEEASSSE DON'T READ IT!"
What begins grudgingly as a dreaded assignment for school becomes a hilarious chronicle of the circle of people and events that make her summer. There is Carl Ray, the mysterious and troublesome cousin that comes to visit; Beth Ann Bartels, the best friend who's recently gone boy crazy; Alex Cheevy, the boy that makes Mary Lou's brains "mushy" and, of course, the Finney clan, her "normally strange family." What follows is a story of a summer filled with lessons and observations on love, death, friendship and family.
Mary Lou Finney grudgingly begins writing a journal as an assignment for school--would anything interesting ever happen to her? What follows is the story of a wildly chaotic and romantic summer. How could she have known about Carl Ray and the little black car? Or what would happen on Booger Hill? Or about the permanently pink Alex Cheevy? Mary Lou's tale is filled with hilarious observations on love, death, and the confusing mechanics of holding hands.
Sharon Creech's new fans will be thrilled to recognize Mary Lou Finney and her infamous summer journal from their appearance in Walk Two Moons. Here is the very journal that began the inquiry into whether kisses taste like chicken!
Synopsis
"By turns sarcastic, tender, and irreverent, this will quickly make its way into the hands of readers who loved Walk Two Moons." --Kirkus
This beloved prequel to bestselling author Sharon Creech's Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons chronicles the life of a thirteen-year-old during her most chaotic and romantic summer ever via journal entries, filled with hilarious observations on love, death, and the confusing mechanics of holding hands.
Mary Lou is less than excited about her assignment to keep a journal over the summer. Boring Then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller-coaster ride of all time.
Named one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
About the Author
Known for writing with a classic voice and unique style, Sharon Creech is the best-selling author of the Newbery Medal winner
Walk Two Moons, and the Newbery Honor Book
The Wanderer. She is also the first American in history to be awarded the CILIP Carnegie Medal for
Ruby Holler. Her other works include the novels
Love That Dog,
Bloomability,
Absolutely Normal Chaos,
Chasing Redbird, and
Pleasing the Ghost, and two picture books:
A Fine, Fine School and
Fishing in the Air. These stories are often centered around life, love, and relationships -- especially family relationships. Ms. Creech's first novel for children,
Absolutely Normal Chaos, was based on her own "rowdy and noisy" family. Growing up in a big family in Cleveland, Ohio, helped Ms. Creech learn to tell stories that wouldn't be forgotten in all of the commotion: "I learned to exaggerate and embellish, because if you didn't, your story was drowned out by someone else's more exciting one."
With a knack for storytelling and love of reading, a young Ms. Creech aspired to become a novelist: "To be able to create other worlds, to be able to explore mystery and myth -- I couldn't imagine a better way to live. . .except perhaps to be a teacher, because teachers got to handle books all day long." In college, Ms. Creech took her first writing courses and attended writing workshops. This renewed her enthusiasm for becoming a novelist. Following her studies in college and graduate school, Ms. Creech worked as an editorial assistant before deciding to become a teacher overseas. Now, after spending eighteen years teaching and writing in Europe, she and her husband have returned to the United States to live.