The Great Unexpected

By Sharon Creech

A boy falls from a tree, sparking mysteries that change two orphans' lives forever.

3.7/5 Goodreads · 5,157 ratings

226 pages· 40,921 words· Est. 5.5 hour read

$16.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In Blackbird Tree, Naomi and Lizzie, two curious orphans, encounter a mysterious boy who falls from a tree. As they unravel secrets involving locked trunks and peculiar townsfolk, their lives intertwine with estranged sisters from Ireland. What connects these worlds, and how will it mend their hearts?

From the publisher

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.

At a glance