It really is a beautiful book. The writing is beautiful, the setting is the best, the characters are pitch-perfect. I never wanted it to end! To the rear is a well maintained and mature private garden mostly laid to lawn and benefiting from a garage/ workshop.

Lillian was great. Her spot at the orphanage was never fully revealed, but it was good enough. When she said after the Art Extravaganza that she needed a nap, I was POSITIVE she was going to die in her sleep. POSITIVE! It'd be an ultimate climax for the ending. The part of the story with Gray was really touching and meaningful. He never really got to full "Dad" status, but I think he's getting there. I wanted Eleanor to play a better role. Her final scene about dreams and stuff was nice, but I was thinking more along the lines of a huge, emotional breakthrough where the reason for her crudeness is revealed and she becomes nice. Instead, I just got a sad little departure. And, yes, I was sad for her to leave. Lyrical writing in this first-person narrative, good character development, and a sympathetic heroine will keep readers absorbed.” – School Library Journal Twelve-year-old Raine is not happy. Her mother just took a summer job at an artist's sanctuary called Sparrow Road and she's forcing Raine to go with her. Raine would rather stay in Milwaukee with her Grandpa Mac, working in his store and eating all the candy she can get her hands on. It's always been that way, and she doesn't understand why it has to change now. To make matters worse, Sparrow Road has all sorts of rules, the worst being that you are not allowed to talk except for after dinner and on Sundays. As soon as Rainne arrives, she is devising an escape plan. Surely her mother won't make her stay here all summer. Maybe she can convince Grandpa Mac to come get her. As Rainne settles in at Sparrow Road, she gets to know some of the quirky artists and writers that reside there, and she begins tapping into some of her own unknown talents. She also learns that Sparrow Road used to be an orphanage and there are many secrets waiting to be discovered. As the days pass, and Rainne settles in with the artists, a number of things begin taking place that Rainne doesn't understand. Why does she get the feeling that her mother knows Viktor, the caretaker, better than she lets on? Why is Rainne not allowed to go into town with her mother when she runs errands? Why do the residents of Sparrow Road still talk about the orphans that used to live there as if they still exist? As the summer progresses, Rainne will uncover the answers to these questions, and some of them will change her life forever.On the first floor, there are two good size double bedrooms and a single room all benefiting from a modern bathroom.

Of course, rules are meant to be broken and soon Raine is talking with the artists, exploring the grounds, and finding her own artistic expression (writing). She's also puzzling out what the fate of the orphans was, and how Lillian and possibly Viktor are related to them. And then there's Gray... By the end of the summer, the orphan's story has been told (somewhat), and Raine has learned to make peace with her mother and her newly rediscovered father - it's one of those "growing up" (not quite coming-of-age) books. Raine is a character I loved. She's innocent, and strong, open minded and well grounded. I found it easy to relate to her through her story, though I never experienced a lot of the things she does. She's a character who grows a lot over the course of the book. I sympothized with her when her mom up and moves her from Milwaukee to a sleepy little town in Michigan. She leaves behind her beloved Grandpa Mac, and finds her life turned upside down when she learns she's spending the summer at Sparrow Road, a quiet, get away for artists to come to. With no tv, radio or talking during most hours of the day, I would have problems with that as much as Raine does. I didn't want Raine to leave Sparrow Road. Grandpa Mac should've come live with them in the cottage! That would have been the perfect ending!If there is one book you read this summer. This is it. This is the book that made me fall in love with reading again. 12-year-old Raine has an unexpected summer that at first she resists and as she transforms, and the people she meets transforms - it changes her life forever. My guess is that anticipated audience won't get the significance of the nearby town being named Comfort, but they will understand how a summer in the country, away from one's normal life, can help change people. I thought Viktor would also have a bigger role, but I didn't really care for his character so it's fine that he didn't.

For Scotland, 2011 data is shown (update coming soon, the Scottish census was delayed by a year unlike the rest of the UK). T]he strength of even imperfect human connections is celebrated through the relationships among a multitude of vivid and varied characters.” – BCCB When I saw that Sheila O'Connor was a professor at Hamline University where Gary Schmidt and Anne Ursu work I wondered if she would have strong characters like they do in their middle grade and young adult novels. She does. It is the main strength in this novel along with beautiful writing. The emotional arc of twelve-year-old Raine and the character development of secondary characters kept me going in this book. The plot was predictable and the action minimal, but the subplot had surprises and the ending was strong. Much of the tension is centered on adult issues and this will appeal to students who like realistic fiction that tug at emotions. The messages of missing people, addiction, abandonment, artistic creations, and dealing with conflict (between adults) make for good discussions. After being there for a week Raines is thinking of how much she misses her Grandpa Mac and Milwaukee terribly. Soon after she is there for another week she begins to like it there with all the starry nights, rowboat rides on the lake and bike rides to the town. Raine wants to know more about it and the children that used to live there. Next, my major, major problem with this story is that it features a bunch of non-functioning adults who rely too much on a 12 year-old. A 12 year-old that they do not tell the truth to, and then expect her to make mature decisions. HUH? Several times, I wanted to reach into this book and punch the mother. Was she not the most immature woman EVER? She sneaks her kid away from her loving grandfather, without telling her why, tells Raine her father wants to meet her, and then dumps the whole thing in the kid's lap. No one, with the exception of Diego, ever asks Raine how she feels or if she is okay. It is all about their own agendas!Sparrow Road is a place for wishing long and dreaming, and so is this terrific novel. Sparrow Road is quite wonderful and I recommend it highly.” – Karen Cushman author of the Newbery Medal-winning, The Midwife’s Apprentice, and the Newbery Honor-winning Catherine, Called Birdy