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This book had some ups and downs. Sometimes it would bore me with all of the extra information it had, but then it made me smile with how the main character finally finds peace in her new home.
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The Truth About Sparrows
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"The Wynns are an unforgettable family. The details of their struggle to survive the Great Depression will linger long after the last page has been read."-Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe
A stunning debut novel about
the true meaning of home
Sadie Wynn doesn't want a new life; her old one suits her just fine. But times are hard in drought-plagued Missouri, and Daddy thinks they'll be better off in Texas. Sadie hates this strange new place, where even children must work at the cannery to help make ends meet and people are rude to her disabled father.
Yet when trouble comes, it is the kindness of these new neighbors that helps the family make it through. And no one helps more than Dollie, a red-headed chatterbox of a girl who just might become a good friend-if Sadie gives her half a chance. The Truth About Sparrows is a 2005 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
A stunning debut novel about
the true meaning of home
Sadie Wynn doesn't want a new life; her old one suits her just fine. But times are hard in drought-plagued Missouri, and Daddy thinks they'll be better off in Texas. Sadie hates this strange new place, where even children must work at the cannery to help make ends meet and people are rude to her disabled father.
Yet when trouble comes, it is the kindness of these new neighbors that helps the family make it through. And no one helps more than Dollie, a red-headed chatterbox of a girl who just might become a good friend-if Sadie gives her half a chance. The Truth About Sparrows is a 2005 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1,2004
This edition
- Format
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272 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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September 1, 2004 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
- ISBN
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9780805075847
- ASIN
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0805075844
- Language
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English
About the author
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Marian Hale is an American author known for her historical novels for young adults. Her first novel, The Truth about Sparrows (2004), tells the story of twelve-year-old Sadie and her family's journey from Missouri to Texas during the Great Depression. The novel is praised for its historical accuracy and the development of its protagonist, Sadie. Hale's second novel, Dark Water Rising (2006), is set in 1900 and follows seventeen-year-old Seth during the devastating Galveston hurricane, blending fiction with historical events.
Hale also writes The Goodbye Season (2009), another young adult novel that explores family and personal growth. She lives with her husband, daughter, and grandchildren on the Texas coast.
Hale also writes The Goodbye Season (2009), another young adult novel that explores family and personal growth. She lives with her husband, daughter, and grandchildren on the Texas coast.
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Community Reviews
Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
28(28%)
4 stars
32(32%)
3 stars
40(40%)
2 stars
0(0%)
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100 reviews All reviews
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Great story. One of my favorites
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Twelve year old Sadie Wynn and her family have to leave their home in Missouri because her father has lost his job and they will have to look for a job elsewhere. They decide to look for a job in Texas. Many people have been affected by the drought and Depression. Sadie’s best friend Wilma and her family lost their home and had to go live with relatives in California. Wilma begs Sadie to never forget they are best friends and they promise to write to each other every day. Sadie is resentful about leaving her home and angry at strangers that stare at her father’s polio-withered legs. They find a one-room shack made out of tar-paper on the coast of Texas. Her father builds a fishing boat and fishes to earn money. Sadie is unappreciative of what she has and what is really important until she has to deliver her newborn sister a month early. The baby has trouble breathing and her new friend Dollie is there to support her. Sadie realizes that “instead of counting my blessings like Daddy asked me to do, I’d been feeding my bitterness.” This family learns to endure the Depression and they also become closer and stronger through it. This book would be good for students in grades 5-8. There are many themes that could be discussed such as, The Depression, survival, living with disabilities, and life in Dust Bowl Missouri. There are other books that could be read to delve deeper into The Depression. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is another historical fiction book that could be read, compared and discussed. n Students could write in a journal as they read this fiction books. They could write about the hardships that were endured. There are nonfiction books that would give the students more information like, The Great Depression by Jacqueline Farrell and Hardship and Hope: America and the Great Depression by Victoria Sherrow.
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This is one of the best books of the Depression era. Man - o - man, these were some strong people.
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This book follows Sadie and her family through their many struggles in the Great Depression. First, they move to a run-down shack in Texas, then many other misadventures occur to bring them closer as a family and make Sadie a better person.
I liked this book because of Marian Hale's elegant writing style and her "rich" characters. Though set in the Depression, Sadie's experiences are relevant today.
I liked this book because of Marian Hale's elegant writing style and her "rich" characters. Though set in the Depression, Sadie's experiences are relevant today.
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Twelve-year old Sadie and her family move from Missouri to the Texas Gulf Coast during the depression. The author captures the pioneer spirit and growing up during the Depression. It reminded me of the Little House books. Appropriate for grades 5-8.
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I gave this book four stars because I could never do all the things they had to do. I think sadie is much braver than I will ever be and I wish I could be more like her. I liked the unexpected parts that you didn't see coming. She has to take care of all her siblings and go to a new school.
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A fantastic little book about a young girl struggling to come to terms with life changes during the Depression.
I loved the contrast of dry and dead Missouri against the windy, Texas coast…teeming with life; broken and parched wheat fields surrounding a home with a broken screen door and a dust covered front porch compared to a tar paper shack and a coastline filled with seagulls, herons, fish, crab, shrimp, and trees. Sadie learns several valuable lessons in this book; lessons even adults are still learning. It’s a well-written middle-grade book about friendship, family, sacrifice, love, and what makes a home a home.
⚠️ content warnings:
None!
I loved the contrast of dry and dead Missouri against the windy, Texas coast…teeming with life; broken and parched wheat fields surrounding a home with a broken screen door and a dust covered front porch compared to a tar paper shack and a coastline filled with seagulls, herons, fish, crab, shrimp, and trees. Sadie learns several valuable lessons in this book; lessons even adults are still learning. It’s a well-written middle-grade book about friendship, family, sacrifice, love, and what makes a home a home.
⚠️ content warnings:
None!
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