A Fine Fine World

Although Sharon Creech’s first novel was for adults, she really came into her own with her work for children. She will discuss her latest book and children’s literature at Barnes and Noble in West Windsor Feb. 19.

By: Susan Van Dongen

"Pennington
Pennington author Sharon Creech will read at Barnes and Noble in West Windsor Feb. 19.


   Although her works are housed in the young people’s section of book stores and libraries, author Sharon Creech says she doesn’t classify herself as a "children’s writer."
   "I don’t see myself writing for children so much as writing about them," she says. "I hope the stories will be appealing to adults too. Since what I write includes not only children but also adults — parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and teachers — I feel I have the best of several worlds and can explore issues of the young and the old at the same time."
   Writing for children seems to have kept the Pennington resident young herself, as well as catapulted her career as an author. Although Ms. Creech’s first novel, Absolutely Normal Chaos (HarperCollins, 1995) was for adults, she really came into her own with her work for young people. On Feb. 19, she’ll be at Barnes and Noble in West Windsor to discuss the world of children’s literature. Ms. Creech will also be signing her latest book, Ruby Holler (Harper Collins, $16.99) which focuses on 13-year-old orphaned twins, Dallas and Florida.
   Disparagingly called the "trouble twins," the youngsters have been shuffled between foster homes and the Boxton Creek Home orphanage all their lives. The kid-phobic Mr. and Mrs. Trepid run the orphanage and can’t cope with Dallas and Florida’s exuberance and quirks — hence the nickname.
   One summer, they are invited to stay in a mysterious outpost named Ruby Holler with Tiller and Sairy, an eccentric older couple who have enough patience and imagination to nurture the twins. The experience at Ruby Holler changes their lives forever. Ms. Creech says the magic that helps make that change comes from the rural surroundings.
   "In this story, the twins are deprived of loving family relationships as well as beauty of place," says Ms. Creech from a stop along her book tour. "I think every child needs and deserves beautiful surroundings. I’m not thinking of material objects, but of natural beauty, of the outdoors — having trees and creeks, places to run and just be a child. Ruby Holler is that magic place for the twins, a place where they can be children, free of rules and punishments. It’s a place where they can inhale the natural beauty.
   "I think we’re shaped not only by the people in our lives, but also by where we live. Just as it’s important to have people in your life who accept and support you, it is also important to live in a place where you can find comfort and freedom. I think most people have or yearn for a ‘Ruby Holler.’"
   Ms. Creech, who comes from a large Midwestern family, finds her personal "Ruby Holler" in the Finger Lakes region of New York, where her kin gather regularly for reunions.

"Cover
Cover of "Ruby Holler," the latest book by Ms. Creech.


   "It’s a place of great natural beauty and calm," she says. "It’s also where I’m able to shed work for a few months and just be with my family. I feel freer there. I don’t have to be ‘the author’ there, or ‘the headmaster’s wife.’ I can simply be mother, wife, sister and friend."
   The headmaster she refers to is her husband, Lyle Rigg, who oversees the Pennington School. Ms. Creech and Mr. Rigg moved to Central Jersey after almost two decades in England, when Mr. Rigg was offered the position at the school. She says they also chose this area because the winding roads, lush foliage and small towns reminded them of the U.K.
   In addition to Ruby Holler, Ms. Creech is the author of the Newbery medal-winner Walk Two Moons and Newbery honor-winner The Wanderer. Her other novels include Love That Dog, Bloomability and Chasing Redbird, all published by HarperCollins.
   She also has written two picture books, Fishing in the Air and A Fine Fine School (Harper), which was partially inspired by her husband’s enthusiasm for his job. Ms. Creech was an educator before she pursued her writing career full-time. She especially enjoys working with and "getting into the skin of" junior high school kids, whom she describes as being on the cusp between childhood and maturity.
   That’s one of the reasons she was able to morph herself into Dallas and Florida and speak through their adolescent voices. Ms. Creech has great empathy for this awkward age and obvious love for the twins’ natural gifts.
   Interestingly, Ruby Holler’s plot involves the sister’s great courage and innate skill with her hands as well as the boy’s dreamy, intuitive qualities — just the opposite of traditional male-female roles. The author says the characters in most of her stories are creative types and many challenge rigid societal expectations, such as those having to do with gender stereotypes. In other words, her boys can be soft and her girls can be tough.
   "I’m intrigued by the vast and creative imaginations of children, and I do hate to see those imaginations dampened by pressures of conformity in school, or by emphasis on logic and order as opposed to artistic endeavors," Ms. Creech says.
   "I hate to see any child labeled as ‘troubled’ or ‘difficult.’ Too often these children are the round objects being forced into square holes, and often they need and deserve a different sort of environment."
   Ms. Creech’s next book is due out this summer. Granny Torelli Makes Soup (HarperCollins) is "the story of the relationship between a funny, astute grandmother and her 12-year-old granddaughter, Rosie," she says. Ms. Creech hopes to continue to explore the grandparent and child relationship with two more novels in the works. It’s one of her favorite dynamics, perhaps inspired by memories of times spent with grandparents and various extended family members.
   "I was fortunate to have grandparents and parents like Tiller and Sairy," she says. "But (our family) was not so unusual in that regard.
   "Some adult readers might think that Tiller and Sairy and Ruby Holler are idealized people and places that do not exist, but I find them everywhere. There are loads of generous, loving people among the folks I know and those I meet out on the road."
Sharon Creech will discuss Ruby Holler and children’s literature at Barnes & Noble, 3535 Route 1 South, West Windsor, Feb. 19, 7 p.m. For information, call (609) 716-1570. On the Web: www.sharoncreech.com