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Product Details
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, July 2012
eBook, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1442417021
ISBN-13: 9781442417021
Grades: 4 - 7
Description
A girl’s struggle to save her family’s farm, told in verse, stands as a testament to the power of hope.
Twelve-year-old Eva is trying to remain hopeful as banks threaten to foreclose on Acadia Orchard, the apple and pear farm in Washington state that’s been in Eva’s family for generations. Acadia Orchard is long on lovely but short on cash and luck—and things go from bad to worse as one of the fruit crops is ruined, Eva’s parents start bickering, and her baby brother gets very, very sick.
Ever resourceful, Eva turns to her imagination for help. Soon, the importance of poetry and art become clear, not only as valuable means of expression, but also for their ability to connect people in profound and unique ways (and maybe even earn a few dollars).
Told in verse from Eva’s perspective, this is a lush, moving portrait of a family in flux, and the transforming powers of imagination and hope.
Twelve-year-old Eva is trying to remain hopeful as banks threaten to foreclose on Acadia Orchard, the apple and pear farm in Washington state that’s been in Eva’s family for generations. Acadia Orchard is long on lovely but short on cash and luck—and things go from bad to worse as one of the fruit crops is ruined, Eva’s parents start bickering, and her baby brother gets very, very sick.
Ever resourceful, Eva turns to her imagination for help. Soon, the importance of poetry and art become clear, not only as valuable means of expression, but also for their ability to connect people in profound and unique ways (and maybe even earn a few dollars).
Told in verse from Eva’s perspective, this is a lush, moving portrait of a family in flux, and the transforming powers of imagination and hope.
"Eva's spirit soars."
-- Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse
"Named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s heroine from his epic poem Evangeline, 12-year-old Eva lives on her family’s beloved Acadia Orchard in Eastern Washington. In this beautiful, tightly woven novel in verse, which follows the progression of the seasons, she may have to leave her idyllic home, just like her namesake. As Eva plucks words from the world around her--'They are warm, / as though sprinkled / with all the spices of the sky'--her 'plant a forest, save a polar bear' father only sees the value of math, science and economics. Their rift grows wider when a blight starts the ripples of foreclosure. Eva begins to blame their mounting misfortunes on a blackened tree in the canyon known as the Demon Snag and the evil it must be emitting. Forming a fierce bond with the local Bead Woman, who’s encountered her own tough times, the resilient girl not only discovers a kindred artist, but the power of imagination, hope and even poetry to save her farm--and spirit. Calhoun doesn’t shy away from Eva’s reality, offering snapshots of the cycle of life, including a baby deer ripped from its mother’s womb. Although Eva’s poetry far surpasses most experienced poets, the effect leaves readers with splendid images to savor.
Fans of Karen Hesse will welcome this partner in poetry."
Fans of Karen Hesse will welcome this partner in poetry."
-- Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2012
