SuitabookThe great unexpected
Sharon Creech
- Reading
- Read with attention to the clues surrounding the trunks, rooks, bridge and Dingle Dangle man. Pause when the setting changes, and compare what each group appears to know before discussing the ending.
- Themes
- Connection across different lives: The book addresses connection across different lives; the detail of how it is developed remains unclear. The book clearly values connection as a central idea, though the specific changes it brings are not given.
- Forgiveness after deception: An older woman whose heart has been deceived makes a plan, while forgiveness is named as one of the story’s gifts. Deception and forgiveness are present, but the book’s judgement of the people involved and the route to forgiveness remain unclear.
- Mystery and the unexpected: The children encounter locked trunks, a mysterious man, rooks and a crooked bridge as curious events unfold. These elements suggest a puzzle-like or mysterious atmosphere, but their meaning and whether they create danger are unknown.
- Worth knowing
- A useful focus is the contrast between the children’s mysterious local adventures and the older woman’s plan overseas. Notice whether the story treats forgiveness as earned, difficult, freely offered or left unresolved.