Unexpected

"Did a delicate cobweb link us all, silky lines trailing through the air?"
-The Great Unexpected, by Sharon Creech

Yes.

We must all be connected, because that is the only way I can explain how so many questions and ideas that have been swirling around my mind for months found their answers in someone else's book. Revenge, forgiveness, ghosts, a girl like Anne Shirley, the way we are put into each other's lives just when we most need it, fairies, orchards, witches...

A good friend just brought us a copy of Sharon Creech's newest book, The Great Unexpected (which will be released in September), fresh from Book Expo America. I peeked into it Sunday evening and have been devouring it every spare moment since--now my heart is full and I can't even start on the next book on my long list until I let this one settle in for a while.

I'll attempt to calm down enough to write you a more traditional review:

Naomi Deane lives in the town of Blackbird Tree with Joe and Nula, who have been her caretakers since her father died in an accident that shaped not only Naomi's life but that of Blackbird tree itself. When a dead body falls out of a tree practically at her feet, her first thought is, "Is this my fault?" To her relief, the body opens his eyes and introduces himself to her and her best friend Lizzie (who could hop right into Anne of Green Gables with no trouble, by the way) as "Finn." He has a charming smile, a penchant for popping up at just the right moment--and holds clues to a mystery that spreads even "Across the Ocean" to Ireland.
There were some lovely unexpected moments and twists in this story--and many expected elements, too, considering the author. It was no surprise, for example, that the characters are so real you wouldn't be surprised to meet them someday, that the prose is lyrical and poetic and begging to be read aloud, or that the story has a heart bigger than the Atlantic Ocean.
September, friends. Mark your calendars.