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Product Description
Review
"Set on the Canadian prairies in the 1950s, Tumbleweed Skies uses character and setting to illustrate the isolation of this family and also the strengths. Forgoing a clean, happy ending, the book concludes with continuing complexity but a feeling of hopefulness that healing will occur. Tumbleweed Skies is accessible to younger readers and yet doesn't shy away from complex issues of life choices, difficult circumstances, and uneasy relationships. It lends itself to good discussions about character development and motivation.
Recommended." ***/4
-- CM magazine
"Grandma is as mean as the evil stepmother character in a classic fairy tale, but this moving novel is far from fantasy; it is its realism that makes it so powerful. Quiet as a mouse, Ellie does her chores, but there is nothing that she can do right in Grandma's eyes, and she feels sad, lonely, and imprisoned. Many kids will recognize the sorrow and difficulty of living with a hostile, bitter relative."
-- Booklist starred review
"A solid novel for use in literature circles and for recreational reading, although it may appeal to a limited audience due to its 1950s, rural setting. Sherrard's writing style is engaging and easy to read. Her ability to paint the emotional distress of a motherless young girl as she attempts to cope with her new surroundings and unenthusiastic care giver is heart-wrenching."
Rating: G - Good
-- Resource Links
"What a beautiful bittersweet book. I love that this story is all Canadian - written by a Canadian author and based on a Canadian Prairie. . . What I immediately felt as I read this book is that absolutely everyone in this story is broken and in desperate need of love. . . This book is so poignant. . . The lack of communication and verbally sharing of feelings is palpable. You wanted to scream "share, share what you are feeling". A wonderfully put together book."
-- Bookshipper.blogspot.com
This gentle, insightful book does not have a Hollywood ending. Rather, it is realistic and open-ended. Tumbleweed Skies is one of the best orphan child novels since Anne of Green Gables.
-- Professionally Speaking
"This heartfelt story chronicles a prairie family adjusting to grief and change. As she explores the familial relationships, author Valerie Sherrard also provides fascinating descriptions of life in rural Canada."
-- Book Page
"Quiet moments abound and effectively convey a remarkable level of feeling, making this a worthy and moving purchase."
-- Kirkus
Product Description
The moment Ellie and her father pull up in front of Grandmother Acklebee's farm in Weyboldt, Saskatchewan, Ellie knows she isn't wanted. But Ellie's father has just taken a job s a traveling salesman, and he has no other choice. The road is no place for a nine-year old.
Ellie doesn't know her grandmother, but she learns quickly that the older woman blames her son-in-law and granddaughter for her daughter's death. And although her Uncle Roger is a kind man, Ellie is quickly cowed by the angry old woman, who shows her litle kindness and no affection. Determined to survive the situation with her dignity intact, Ellie isn't about to show her grandmother that she can be hurt.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poignant,
By
This review is from: Tumbleweed Skies (Paperback)
Valerie Sherrard's novels are always well-written and entertaining but this one stands out as her best of the best. Tumbleweed Skies is a tale of Ellie, a young girl in 1950s western Canada who must stay with her taciturn grandmother for the summer while her father tries his hand as a traveling salesman. The simplicity of the story lets the complexity of the characters shine through. Ellie herself stands out as a girl with a hard-luck life who refuses to be a victim. I found myself weeping on many occasions while reading this book as Ellie reacted to the rare instances of human kindness. Ellie's grandmother is a tough nut to crack and the novel wouldn't have been true to itself if she relented too easily. I read this novel in a single sitting and as I closed it, I wished I could read more. I would love to know what happens to Ellie as she grows. I know that she will be a remarkable woman. What I really loved about this novel was how Sherrard shows that what you see isn't what you get. Ellie's "friend" Marcie seems to have everything she wants, but she is not happy. Uncle Roger's disfiguration from an accident and his tragic circumstances have only made him kinder and stronger. The same tragic circumstances have made Ellie's grandmother bitter. The novel shows without telling that most people do live with tragedy, but it is up to us whether we take those experiences to make us bitter or better.Well done.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tumbleweed Skies - a quiet triumph,
By fiona (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tumbleweed Skies (Paperback)
Once again, Valerie Sherrard has demonstrated how skilled she is at creating thoroughly well-rounded and engaging characters. I found this story of a young girl who must adjust to living with a hostile relative incredibly moving. Sherrard does a wonderful job of creating a protagonist who struggles to understand the unfamiliar world around her - and, fundamentally, to be loved and accepted.The simplicity of the book's style belies its emotional complexity, and while the book itself is accessible Sherrard is not afraid to tackle more difficult subjects and situations. There is a veritable sense, though, that Ellie is made stronger by her experiences. What ultimately emerges from Tumbleweed Skies is an eloquent story about people learning to move beyond hurt and pain, and into a space of healing and reconciliation. Thank you, Ms. Sherrard, for creating a beautiful story that will appeal to young and older readers alike.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The story gently "hooks" the young reader and carries them through to new rainbows and experiences,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tumbleweed Skies (Paperback)
"Tumbleweed Skies" is a paperback chapter book written for children ages 8-12 about a girl named Ellie who spends a long summer visiting her grandmother on a prairie farm while her unemployed father seeks better paying employment. What makes the visit even harder is Ellie's grandmother does not particularly want her to be there. However her Uncle Roger is more gently welcoming and Ellie learns to do the hard work that is expected of her on the farm and she makes a strange friend of a magpie she names Sammie. "Tumbleweed Skies" is an appealing book about a tough heroine who learns to struggle and to find joy in odd places. The crusty teaching that life can deliver hard knocks is gently molded into a dawning realization that things are actually about as good as you can make them, with a little help. "Tumbleweed Skies" is today's generation's version of dust bowl depression stories from decades past. The story gently "hooks" the young reader and carries them through to new rainbows and experiences.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful,
By Tina "Tina" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tumbleweed Skies (Paperback)
What a beautiful bittersweet book. I love that this story is all Canadian - written by a Canadian author and based on a Canadian Prairie.The book tells the story of Lizzie who is "stuck" with her mean, old grandmother in the middle of nowhere Saskatchewan. Lizzie has lost her mom and now, her dad is leaving her with "a mean old grandmother" while he attempts to make a living on the road. The grandmother is bitter, in part because she blames Lizzie and her dad for the death of Lizzie's mother. What I immediately felt as I read this book is that absolutely everyone in this story is broken and in desperate need of love. Although the grandmother character is definitely not adorable, we somehow get the feeling that she is living throuh her own kind of hell and is determined to share this with everyone, specifically Lizzie. This book is so poignant - at times I hated all the characters for the way they were treating Lizzie and at times, I understood their pain. The lack of communication and verbally sharing of feelings is palpable. You wanted to scream "share, share what you are feeling". A wonderfully put together book - difficult to read, but all too real.
3.0 out of 5 stars
How do you define a family?,
By Experienced Editor - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tumbleweed Skies (Paperback)
"Tumbleweed skies" is what Ellie's mother called clouds that looked dry and dusty as they blew across the sky. At least, that's what Ellie's newfound Uncle Roger tells her; Ellie doesn't remember her mother, who died when Ellie was a baby. Now, 10 years later, Ellie's father has been laid off and takes a job as a traveling salesman, leaving her with family she'd never met. Living with quiet Uncle Roger and a bitter grandmother who clearly doesn't want her, Ellie anxiously waits for her father to come back for her. Set in the 1950s, the book includes elements that may seem foreign to the contemporary reader. Ellie meets the expectations of the time period that she will "mind her manners" and be seen, not heard. While some young readers may wonder why she doesn't rebel, her behavior rings true for the fifties. Her emotions are genuine for all times.
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