[LM_NET] BOOK REVIEW: ELEM & MS: Way Down Deep by Ruth White

[Toni Buzzeo <tonibuzzeo@TONIBUZZEO.COM>]

Way Down Deep by Ruth White (FSG, 2008). ISBN:978-0374382513

For those readers who love the work of Sharon Creech, with its touch 
of tall tale and fable and its feeling of meant-to-be coincidence, 
Way Down Deep will strike a deeply satisfying chord. Curly carrot-top 
orphan Ruby has lived a charmed life at The Roost, a boardinghouse 
run by Miss Arbutus who took her in after she mysteriously appeared 
on the Way Down Deep courthouse steps as a toddler.  Her origins are 
a mystery that unravels, strand by strand, as the novel 
proceeds.  Yet it is not only the mystery that keeps us reading.  It 
is the wacky cast of characters, painted on an Appalachian backdrop, 
from the boardinghouse residents with their food, music, and 
conversational proclivities to the unconventional Reeder family and 
Ruby's own birth family when they finally surface.  Brought to life 
by White's deft and experienced hand, the cast populates the town, 
and the reader's mind, with whimsy and good-enough-to-meet appeal. A 
gratifying conclusion leads the reader to believe in fairy tale 
endings that actually do come true.  You'll want to add this title to 
your collection and consider it for student choice book award lists 
as well! [Suggested grades 4-7.] ~ Toni Buzzeo, MA, MLIS


Toni Buzzeo, MA, MLIS <mailto:tonibuzzeo@tonibuzzeo.com>
Maine Library Media Specialist of the Year Emerita
Maine Association of School Libraries Board Member
Buxton, ME 04093
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com
R is for Research, illustrated by Nicole Wong (Upstart 2008) BRAND NEW! 

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