  | Will Sparrow's road Author: Cushman, Karen | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
In 1599 England, twelve-year-old lying, thieving Will Sparrow runs away, meets many colorful characters on the road, and then reluctantly joins a traveling "oddities" exhibit, where he learns to see beyond appearances.
Audio Prevew:
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.30 Points: 7.0 Quiz: 154899 |
Common Core Standards
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 6 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 5 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Range of Reading & LEvel of Text Complexity
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (05/15/12)
School Library Journal (11/01/12)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (01/13)
The Hornbook (00/11/12)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 11/01/2012 Gr 5–8—"I care for no one but myself and nothing but my belly." Somewhere in England in the year 1599, this is the philosophy of 13-year-old Will Sparrow, abandoned by his mother, sold to an innkeeper by his father in exchange for unlimited ale, and on the run from his grim prospects as a chimney sweep. He is barefoot and hungry, and his naïveté and desperation make him a repeated target for ruthless folks along the way. When he hires on with an oddity show, traveling from fair to fair, Will thinks he's found a benefactor in its owner, Thomas Tidball, only to discover that things are not always as they seem. It may just be that the disagreeable dwarf, Lancelot Fitzgeoffrey, and the "creature" Greymalkin, a girl with the head of a cat, provide the care and friendship he seeks. Vivid description brings the period and setting to life, and colorful characters flesh out the simple plotline. Fascinating, sometimes seemingly preposterous, details are solidly corroborated in the informative author's note that reflects Cushman's extensive research. As she did in Catherine Called Birdy (1994) and The Midwife's Apprentice (1995, both Clarion), the author has skillfully evoked a period far outside readers' experience to tell a good and accessible story.Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2013 Sold by his father to a cruel innkeeper for unlimited ale, twelve-year-old Will Sparrow has finally had enough abuse and takes to the roads of Elizabethan England to make his own fortune. Thinking himself a sharp young lad, with his taste for lying and thieving, Will is surprised to encounter tricksters far more savvy than he and ends up with an empty purse and belly after being had not once, but three times. He eventually falls in with a traveling caravan of “oddities and prodigies,” but even here he is deceived: believing that the show’s cat-whiskered girl and bad-tempered dwarf deserve their poor treatment, Will attempts to ingratiate himself with the show’s ringleader only to discover that Master Tidball is as lazy and violent as the men Will has left behind. As usual, Cushman is adept at bringing the past to vivid life, with evocative details from daily Elizabethan life and authentic, often humorous dialogue (“Pah, boy, be not afeared of this impolite porker”). Will’s experience as both a target of abuse and as a bystander to the sufferings of others brings a contemporary (but universal) twist to this historical tale, broadening its appeal; youngsters who have been lucky enough to avoid being bullied will recognize Will’s initial response of staying silent to save his own skin, and they will similarly relate to his internal struggle when he finally decides to help the “oddities” escape their master. Cushman includes as extensive author’s note on market fairs, traveling shows, and the economic climate of sixteenth-century England as well as a bibliography. Will’s journey has considerable classroom potential as supplemental reading for an Elizabethan unit or as a springboard for discussions on inclusions and exclusions, both contemporary and historical. KQG - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
