Ruby Holler audiobook

Dallas and Florida, orphans, have had a remarkably tough life. Nobody wants them or ever cared for them. Florida has a very rough and negative pattern of speech. She everything is “putrid” or “nasty” and she believes everyone (except Dallas) is trying to harm her. This negativity is a defense mechanism. She has been hurt and let down so many times before that she doesn’t trust a soul. Dallas deals with this in a different way. He escapes to vivid dreams of nature and calm places to get away from his terrible reality. A particularly heart-wrenching moment is when Tiller, the one man to ever love the children, finds out Florida has never been rocked in a rocker. Florida has never even seen a real rocker before. Tiller sees Florida privately rocking her wooden birds and speaking to them in a motherly way. This longing for a mother or affection of any kind is so apparent in Florida’s normally rough persona. It is clear that she puts up a front to hide her broken heart.The vivid descriptions of the holler brings all the camping trips, hikes, drives in the country or any other outdoor activities from the reader’s memory to the front of the mind. Descriptions like “the tall leafy trees” and “stretches of wild grass with blue and red and yellow flowers.” The reader yearns to be there with the twins in the wonderful holler to experience the rural lifestyle.

Dang, I wish I had parents as nice as Sairy and Tiller. Tiller, do we have any rules here that you know of? Oh yes, I believe we have a rule about not letting any Donkeys on the roof.Great book about two orphans that keep getting rejected by foster parents and finally find a home with two people who are great parents. great book for tweens, but people of all ages can enjoy it.

This was super cute and memorable and family-based 💕I loved me some Florida and Dallas everyday tbh, I’ve read it so many types it’s not funny 😂 but for real, this is a super good read. Despite it being middle grade, I could still read this and enjoy it.

I read this book in 6th grade and it is still my favorite book! This book was full of suspense, adventure, and revealed an amazing message in th end

OK, I have to read all of Creech's books. After reading 'Bloomability' last year, and now 'Ruby Holler,' and with 'Walk Two Moons,' 'Pleasing the Ghost,''Granny Torelli Makes Soup,' 'Chasing Redbird' and 'Love That Dog' already under my belt, I'm convinced she is one of the greats. And kids like the books, too. In 'Ruby Holler,' she once again captures just the exact way children express insecurity and anxiety and leavens those feelings with needed understanding and caring love. Florida and Dallas, orphaned twins who depend on, and complement each other, are nicely echoed by Tiller and Sairy, the old couple who give the twins a real home.

I remember listening to this several years ago and really enjoying it. After listening to it again, I was just as delighted with it as I was the first time. This still holds up as my favorite book by Sharon Creech!

This book is hilarious and adorable and I loved every second of it. I would totally recommend it to anyone who likes a fun and cute story to read! It is also appropriate for all ages, so anyone can enjoy it!

One of my favorites from when I was a kid so I reread this for the Expand Your Horizons Reading Challenge

Another precious Newbery Award winner that's been on my list forever. Perfect grandparent types that melt your heart and kids who make you laugh and love. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes these kinds of books, and I'm definitely one of them: A Long Way from Chicago, Walk Two Moons, Misty of Chincoteague. Where the Red Fern Grows CrashHeartwarming, wholesome.

This was a beautiful, whimsical book which could speak to any kid that is finding it hard to trust others after past experiences. I enjoyed witnessing the character development of Dallas and Florida, the two orphan twins, and their reliance upon each other throughout each of their hardships. Sharon Creech has an amazing knack for demonstrating the complexity of her characters through small yet revealing nuances described through masterful imagery. Many of these nuances can be seen in the people around us. This is definitely a book that will stay in my thoughts for a while!

Daisy told me to read this book and It was really good! It's not my favorite book but it was still good! some parts I didn't understand, but most parts I did understand.

A cute book for young audiences!

Orphans Florida and Dallas have an awfully interesting past, which unfolds throughout the story through flashbacks, sharing of memories, and mysteries that come back to haunt them in both good and bad ways. Raised primarily at the Boxton Creek Home by the "putrid" couple that runs the orphanage, they grow up thinking of themselves as the "trouble twins," spending plenty of time in the cellar as punishment for running, yelling, and being themselves. When Sairy and Tiller, an elderly couple, borrow them from the orphanage to accompany them on two different trips, the twins have little hope that this time will be any different from the many other times a foster family took them in, treated them horribly, and quickly sent them back. The love, patience, and wisdom of Sairy and crotchety-old-Tiller work their magic slowly and realistically on these two children. Several times they attempt to run away, steal from Sairy and Tiller, punish themselves for being "bad," and fight the temptation to get comfortable. Unlike some other classics about orphans finding a family, these two are compelling and likable from the beginning, in spite of Florida's crankiness and their penchant for breaking things and distrusting everyone. Love runs throughout this story, as well as questions of identity, family, and right and wrong. It's beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy realistic fiction with compelling characters (and maybe a hint of magic) such as books by Wendy Mass, Jerry Spinelli, and others by Sharon Creech.

Sharon Creech is a new author for me and I really enjoyed this book. Although delivered with a lighthearted touch, this book covered some serious topics and will resonate with young teens trying to find their role in the world, and the balance between dependence and independence. The main characters are twins Dallas and Florida, who have been in foster care all their lives. Creech does a nice job of detailing their trials and tribulations, and the coping mechanisms they have evolved, without being maudlin or horrific. I thought her portrayal of this age group (13) was realistic. The "trouble twins" are taken in by an older couple, Sairy and Tiller, and these characters' views on life at their age, with grown children, was also well done and might be eye opening for young adults who have never considered that adults have fears and go through changes as well as children do. I did feel the character of 'Z' was a little convenient, and was very uneven in terms of his importance to the story and his overall character development. I thought he was a thread left hanging, and was the reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. Overall, a well-written, fast-paced book that was both enjoyable and thought-provoking.