Promotional Information

Shortlisted for the prestigious Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award, as well as the Children's Book Award and several other US prizes. A selection of the rave reviews it has received appear below: 'Very moving, very funny and very, very good' Michael Thorne, Literary Review; 'It only takes Sharon Creech three and a half pages to set the mood and surroundings of Chasing Redbird. After that you will hardly want to let go ...' The Times; 'A bright, deep novel for teenagers' Observer

About the Author

Sharon Creech is the author of several books for children and young adults and has been shortlisted for, or won, nearly every major literary award for children’s books, both in the USA and UK, as well as selling all over the world. Most recently, she won the Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s literature with her novel Ruby Holler . Sharon is an American who lived in England for nineteen years. She now lives in New Jersey, USA, with her husband.

Reviews

"This is a beautifully told story, with some very funny moments." The Guardian"

"This is a beautifully told story, with some very funny moments." The Guardian"

Returning to Bybanks, Ky., the setting of her Newbery-winning Walk Two Moons, Creech weaves an affecting tale of love and loss. Zinnia Taylor, the third of seven children, is shaken by her aunt's recent death; although the doctor attributed it to diabetes, the 13-year-old feels sure that a prank she pulled was the real cause. When Zinny discovers a trail at the edge of her parents' farm, she learns of its history as a 20-mile path once trodden by Indians and trappers. She spends weeks clearing weeds and digging up markers; during the course of her solitary endeavors, which are periodically interrupted by Jake Boone's attempts at wooing, Zinny not only learns of her ancestors' hardships but slowly resolves her internal conflicts. Creech's language is as fresh as the natural wonders Zinny encounters in the woods: an older sister has a temper "hotter than a boiled owl"; zinnias, which Zinny plants to commemorate her role in clearing the historic path, "are like bright sentries marching along the trail." This sturdy but sensitive tale is Creech's best yet. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)