The Great Unexpected -- Sharon Creech, Paperback

From Newbery Medal winner and bestselling author Sharon Creech comes a grand, sweeping yarn that is a celebration of the great and unexpected gifts of love, friendship, and forgiveness. With a starred review from Kirkus Reviews calling it an "enchanting tale to treasure," The Great Unexpected captures the heart and the imagination.

Humorous and heartfelt, this is a story of pairs--of young Naomi and Lizzie, both orphans in present-day Blackbird Tree, USA, and of Sybil and Nula, grown-up sisters from faraway Rook's Orchard, Ireland, who have become estranged.

Young Naomi Deane is brimming with curiosity and her best friend, Lizzie Scatterding, could talk the ears off a cornfield. Naomi has a knack for being around when trouble happens. She knows all the peculiar people in town--like Crazy Cora and Witch Wiggins. But then, one day, a boy drops out of a tree. Just like that. A strangely charming Finn boy. And then the Dingle Dangle man appears, asking all kinds of questions. Curious surprises are revealed--three locked trunks, a pair of rooks, a crooked bridge, and that boy--and soon Naomi and Lizzie find their lives changed forever.

As two worlds are woven together, Creech reveals that hearts can be mended and that there is indeed a gossamer thread that connects us all.

What happens when a boy falls from a tree and connects two worlds?

• A Tale of Two Worlds: Follows two orphan girls, Naomi and Lizzie, in small-town America, and two estranged sisters an ocean away in Ireland, all linked by a gossamer thread of fate.
• An Enchanting Mystery: When a mysterious boy named Finn falls from a tree, Naomi and Lizzie's quiet lives are filled with questions, locked trunks, and curious strangers.
• Coming of Age: A beautifully written story about discovering who you are, what family means, and how the most unexpected gifts can mend a broken heart.
• Stories About Orphans: Perfect for young readers who love tales of resilient kids, found family, and the search for belonging in a world full of peculiar and wonderful people.