Ruby Holler (Carnegie Medal (Awards))

by Sharon Creech

Hardcover, 2002

Status

Available

Local notes

Fic Cre

Barcode

113

Collection

Publication

HarperCollins (2002), Edition: 1st, 310 pages

Description

Thirteen-year-old fraternal twins Dallas and Florida have grown up in a terrible orphanage but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure, beginning in an almost magical place called Ruby Holler.

Awards

Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2005)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2005)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Children's — 2005)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Grades 4-8 — 2007)
Great Stone Face Book Award (Nominee — 2004)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Children's Fiction — 2004)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2004)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2004-2005)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2005)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2005)
Mitten Award (Honor — 2002)
Land Of Enchantment Book Award (Winner — Young Adult — 2005)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Elementary — 2019)
Golden Archer Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2005)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-9 — 2004)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Grades 4-6 — 2005)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2008)
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Children's Book Award — 2005)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Intermediate — 2003)

Original language

English

Original publication date

2002

Physical description

310 p.; 5.5 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member electrascaife
Dallas and Florida - the Trouble Twins, as the couple who run the orphanage call them - are taken in by an older couple, who want young companions on the canoe and bird-watching trips they're planning. The twins are slow to trust adults, since they've been placed in several homes with people who
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have mistreated and exploited them and then sent them back to the orphanage, where they don't fare much better. But Tiller and Sairy (the older couple with whom they are now staying) are kind and loving and patient, and they live in Ruby Holler, a utopia of woods and streams and wilderness, and between the people and the setting, the kiddos learn to trust and love.
I normally really enjoy Creech's books, but this one was a little too much: the kids were a little too exasperating, the mean adults a little too cardboardy-mean, the good adults a little too quirky in their niceness, and the ending a little too pat. Still, the story itself is interesting enough to have kept me engaged and helped me look past the saccharine parts.
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LibraryThing member mrsarey
This is the story of Dallas and Florida, two foster children, who are afraid to trust anyone after the homes they've lived in. They get taken in by an eccentric old couple who find themselves more and more taken with the two siblings. Excellent novel!
LibraryThing member sonam_soni
Tiller and Sairy are the most amazing parents and it takes Florida and Dallas a while to trust them but they fall in love with Ruby Holler and eventually trust and love Tiller and Sairy. The meals/desserts named after events are fun (we've started doing that at our house too). I read this book and
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then, 2 years later, listened to the audio version and enjoyed it both times.
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LibraryThing member readingrat
A sweet and touching story about finding love and family.
LibraryThing member ANIRoom042009
This book is about two twins who are orphans and they have spent their whole life being carted around to different foster parents. Who all turn about to be unbeilivably cruel. Untill the find the perfect foster parents.
LibraryThing member catz
This book made me feel the pain of the twins, and their laughter, and happiness.
LibraryThing member hockey101
I enjoyed this book in adventure to mischeif and team work.
LibraryThing member wmswarriors
This is a great and interesting book about orphans.
That is what it makes it interesting!
LibraryThing member reading_dog14
A really good book that lets you dream about what happens in the end.
LibraryThing member LibrarysCat
This book tells the story of twins who were left behind at an "orphanage" run by a disreputable husband and wife who called them trouble. They think that perhaps they will always live in this horrible place where punishment is the norm. Until they move to Ruby Holler to live with an elderly couple.
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They learn that parenting can be good.
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LibraryThing member socapeci
Ruby Holler is a fascinating story about twins (Florida and Dallas) who live at a strict foster home. When they finally get adopted they only expect the worst in their new foster parents but soon they find out that some people have good in them.
LibraryThing member rsteinberg
In this book Dallas and Florida are the two main children characters.
The main adult characters are Tiller and Sairy. Dallas and Florida are living in the Boxton Creek Children's Home. Tiller and Sairy come to Boxton looking for some children to accompany them on their trips. Dallas and Florida are
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chosen to go. Tiller and Sairy live in Ruby Holler. Ruby Holler is a sunny place where there are creeks, trees and animals everywhere.
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LibraryThing member Nbrowne
This book is an adventurous book Florida and her brother Dallas were raised in an orphanige together. But they are still having a hard life until they meet a couple going on separete trips and the couple want to bring Florida and Dallas .It is a great story that you will love.
LibraryThing member supertomato
This book is really good because it talks about a couple of kids who move from foster home to foster home. Finally they stay at one home and gets to know these people.They start liking eachother and by the end they are a happy family.
LibraryThing member PatsyAdams
Grade: 3-5
Genre: Fiction
Themes: Family, Hardships, Perseverance
Dallas and Florida start out in an orphanage run by the hateful Trepids. They have been sent to live with many families throughout their short lives but have always been sent back. That is, until the meet Tiller and Sairy, an old
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couple who bring them to stay in Ruby Holler. Trust begins to develop between the four and in time the begin to become a family. I did not understand the connection between "Z" and the children. i want to know if he is their dad or not? The book never really develops that plot line except to leave it in the air at the end of the story. I was left wanting to know about that relationship. I do know that the children will be well cared for and have finally found a home. I would use this book as a read aloud and discuss resilience with my kids and how there are rainbows in clouds.
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LibraryThing member jty
I think that this is a good book cause it talks about how they get in trouble and what they do
LibraryThing member jkmurray
13 year old twins Florida and Dallas are orphans at an orphanage with people there who are not very nice to them. Things change though when they are brought to a house with very nice people who are taking them on adventures...Do they stay with them? Or runaway?
LibraryThing member sacamp
Florida and her twin brother Dallis have lived in the orphanage all their life. One day an old copal, Tiller and Sairy, Take in the twins for a vacation. They deiced to take a practice run but that was a bad idea.
LibraryThing member briankerr
This book is about 2 orphans who get adopted after living and going to horrible places.

I loved this book, it's in my top 2 for sure. It has suspence, excitement, and it is funny!
LibraryThing member ALindelof
this book is about two orphans call Dallas and Florida, they live in a very bad house till, Saray and Tiller come along and take them away. I recommend this book to people who like wild life.
LibraryThing member gvandevel
In this book Dallas and Florida are wanting to get out of the putrid orphanage.
LibraryThing member leah_miller
I read this book after one of my middle schoolers recommended it! I am adult and enjoyed every minute of this awesome book!
LibraryThing member LAteacher
Ruby Holler tells an adventure about a trouble twins name Dallas and Florida in Boxton Creek Home. The owner of the home, Mr. Trepid and Mrs. Trepid treated them poorly. Finally one day an old couple came to take Dallas and Florida, where there would be lots of adventures waiting ahead of the
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twins. They are excited about the trip but the couple is not going together. They need one person to go to a river trip across the state to the Rutabago River and one to go to Kangadoon in search of a special bird. Does this mean that the twins are going to be separated?
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LibraryThing member flackm
This is about twins who live in an orphanage and are considered troubled. They are invited to the a magical place called Ruby Holler by an older couple. This sets off a series of adventures and discovery. It isn't my favorite book by Sharon Creech, but I think it's worth reading.
LibraryThing member chinquapin
Dallas and Florida have lived their entire lives at this horrible orphanage or in a series of appalling foster homes. So when they are sent to live with elderly Tiller and Sairy in Ruby Holler, they are expecting the worse, and make plans to runaway at the first opportunity. But slowly, slowly, the
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good food and the understanding and patient Sairy and Tiller begin to break down the walls that Dallas and Florida have built around them. As the older couple help the kids, it is apparent that the kids are helping them also. There is excellent character development in the novel. And, although this whole story sounds somewhat sappy, it isn't...mainly because neither Dallas or Florida, nor Sairy or Tiller are the type of characters that would fit in a syrupy, sweet kind of novel. They are all a bit cantankerous and set in their ways.

However, as much as I tried, I just couldn't quite get into this story or form much attachment to the characters. There were 66 short chapters, most 3 to 4 pages, but several were just 2 pages. The chapters seemed to skip around to different people and places, and this led to a choppy, disjointed story. Florida just did not seem like a real person to me...something seemed off regarding her dialogue. And finally, there were several plot elements that were just left hanging, and not resolved. So all in all, this was somewhat of a disappointing read for me.
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Other editions

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech (Paperback)

Pages

310

Rating

½ (334 ratings; 4)
Page: 2.8077 seconds