- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Puffin USA; Reprint edition (Jan 14 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0698118650
- ISBN-13: 978-0698118652
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 10.9 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,360,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
There are two things you can count on in a book by Joan Bauer. One, it will make you laugh. And two, the girl who is telling the story will be really good at something, but not something you'd expect. In Squashed, Ellie wins the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In. In Rules of the Road, which won the Golden Kite Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction, Jenna Boller is a whiz at selling shoes. In Backwater, Ivy Breedlove resists being good at the family tradition. For many generations the Breedloves have been successful lawyers. Among her loud and argumentative relatives, however, Ivy feels like "a goldfish swimming in a tank stocked with snapping turtles--it's hard to keep a lasting presence." Instead, Ivy is in love with history, especially the family history she is compiling. But a large piece is missing. Many years ago, her father's sister Josephine went away to be a hermit in the mountains, and ever since, the rest of the family has referred to her scornfully as "stuck in the backwater." Ivy, convinced that this "different" aunt holds the secret to her own differentness, sets out in a snowstorm to find Jo, with the help of backslapping, slogan-spouting wilderness guide Mountain Mama. Along the way she meets with a lot more adventure and understanding than she ever anticipated--not to mention snagging an excellent boyfriend. (Ages 12 to 16) --Patty Campbell
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In this compelling, though ultimately uneven outing, Bauer (Rules of the Road) travels to a literal and emotional backwater, navigating the strong ties that bind-and have the potential to choke-a proud but dysfunctional family. For generations, the Breedloves have been respected lawyers in the community, and it's been expected-nearly demanded-that 16-year-old Ivy will follow in their footsteps. But Ivy feels driven to become a historian and, as her first major project, she undertakes the task of compiling the Breedlove genealogy. As the family gathers for the holidays, Ivy's time-saving Aunt Fiona (she has her own TV show, It's About Time) skims through the family history with a video camera. But Ivy determines that, to make the family tree complete, she must locate long-lost Aunt Josephine, her father's rebellious sister. Her search leads her to the Adirondacks, where she comes face-to-face with not only Josephine, but Ivy's own fears about life as a Breedlove. In the best passages, Bauer's characters crackle with eccentricity and exhibit glimmers of intense emotion. Mountaineering fans will also thrill at the wintry, rugged scenery. But in the end, readers may feel Ivy's adventure-and the extreme avenues taken by Josephine-to be too far-fetched. Ages 12-up. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
I knelt in the snow in front of my great-great-great-great-grandfather's gravestone, took my bristle brush and cleaned the surface, working the bristles deep into each engraved letter. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I knelt in the snow in front of my great-great-great-great-grandfather's gravestone, took my bristle brush and cleaned the surface, working the bristles deep into each engraved letter. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books of all times,
By A Customer
This review is from: Blackwater (Paperback)
This was definitely one of the greatest books that I've ever read. If you're a female looking for a good read check out Backwater about a girl trying desperately to get her father to understand that she's not just like the rest of her family. On a trip to meet her hermit aunt she ends up learning important life lessons about herself!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read,
By Jessling (Michigan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blackwater (Paperback)
While reading Backwater, I couldn't put it down. It kept me entertained, and also gave a special lesson to what is important in life.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hey Don't Leave This In The Backwater!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Blackwater (Paperback)
This moving adventurous book is about a girl seaking for the missing link in there family. Ivy loves history but is brought up in a family of lawers. Ivy is working on a family history project. She tells her family that she is going to find her missing anut. No one takes her seriouy but her dad decides to let her go anyways. Ivy goes on an adventure to find her anut with a crazy moutain guide. This book has a great adventure stroy line to it but also tells you the real meaning of what family can mean to someone.
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