Book Summary
The Wanderer by
Sharon
Creech
Sophie is a 13 year-old
who often dreams of the sea, so when her uncles and her cousins plan to sail
across the Atlantic, Sophie knows she must go with them. The journal entries
written by Sophie and her cousin Cody tell the story of a journey across the
ocean and toward feelings of self- acceptance and respect for one another.
Family bonds grow stronger as the crew battles the forces of the sea, and as
Sophie battles with memories that must be understood and accepted.
The Wanderer
combines adventure, family relationships, and compelling characterization to
tell a tale of a difficult journey to another land, and to a sense of
self-awareness and acceptance for Sophie and the crew members. The crew of
the Wanderer sets sail from Connecticut, passes through Long Island Sound,
and makes stops at Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Grand Manon Island
off the coast of Nova Scotia before crossing the Atlantic and is heading for
England. There they will dock the Wanderer and drive to
Ireland, the
home of Bompie, Sophie's grandfather. Along the way, Sophie learns about
lobsters, fishing,
seals, dolphins, and whales. Her vocabulary is enriched
with words like grommet, slides, and outhaul. The Labrador Current and the
Gulf Stream take on new meaning for Sophie as well, and all the while she is
learning about family relationships, lost dreams, and continued hopes.
She is traveling with her two cousins, Cody and Brian, and three of her
uncles, Mo, who works as a data processor but
secretly longs to be an artist, Dock, who has been in love with a woman
who he hasn't seen since he was young for his entire life, and Stew, who got
his name for his tendency to "stew" when he is angry.
Sophie looks forward to
seeing Bompie. She thinks of him as a third parent, and as someone very like
herself; he is a sweet man and a teller of tales. It is this connection with
Bompie that urges Sophie to become the story-teller aboard ship. She shares
with her uncles and cousins the many stories Bompie has told her of his
youth. The author relates these stories through Cody's journal entries. In
this way, Sophie's cousin is able to comment on and question the stories as
Sophie tells them. This technique tells the reader as much about Sophie as
about Bompie, and soon questions arise as to the authenticity of the
stories.
The journey aboard the
Wanderer is not without peril. The crew faces a force ten gale with winds at
fifty knots. Sophie and Cody are on watch when the boat is struck by a huge,
white wave that knocks out the
radio and the GPS; all the crew members
wonder whether they will ever make it to England. For Sophie, the wave
brougDecember 19, 2005nother
wave, memories she had repressed for a long time.
The Wanderer
shows Sophie to be a courageous and imaginative girl who makes a difficult
and frightening journey from America to England. However, it is Sophie's
journey into her past and her newfound memories that will change her life
forever.
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