The Wanderer

Sophie sets out on a sea voyage from New England to England with her 3 uncles and 2 cousins.  At the beginning they are a loosely connected group of people going somewhere together.  They become a family as they share the tragedy and triumphs of each individual person.  In the end, they all recieve the gift of being loved for who they really are, weakness, strength, and all.

Audience

Early 4th grade could understand the words of this book.  I think most of the content is geared toward 6th and up, but it wouldn't be bad for younger kids to read and understand it.  It's a human interest story, so I don't think it's gender based at all.  There is discussion of Sophie's role as the only girl on board, but I like the way it was handled and the ultimate delegation of roles.

What I Love In This Book

This is an interwoven story.  It's told through both Sophie and Cody's eyes in the form of jornal entries.  We also gain perspective on the other cousin and on each of the uncles.  This is a story of a bunch of related people starting out on a journey and learning each other's hearts on the way accross the sea.  The hopes, dreams, and fears of each person are shown in some touching and poingant ways.  My favorite thing is the love they have for each other at the end.  We all want people to love us for who we really are, and each person aboard the Wanderer ultimately recieves that gift.

Cautions
1) This book requires patience.  Sophie has a story that is hinted at, but not told until very near the end
2) The family here starts out as disfuntional family and the interactions are painful at first.
3) Sophie is an unreliable narrator and a large part of the story is deciding the fact and fiction in what she writes.