Product Description

"Trouble twins" Dallas and Florida are orphans who have given up believing there is such a thing as a loving home. Tiller and Sairy are an eccentric older couple who live in the beautiful, mysterious Ruby Holler, but they're restless for one more big adventure. When they invite the twins to join them on their journeys, they first must all stay together in the Holler, and the magic of the place takes over. Two pairs of lives grow closer, and are changed forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #110304 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Released on: 2003-12-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060560157
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Having suffered through a string of appalling foster homes (the spitting Cranbepps; scary, toothless Mr. Dreep who locked them in his cellar; and the mean Burgerton boys), 13-year-old orphan Dallas and his twin sister, Florida, have pretty much given up on ever finding a happy home. So when an eccentric older couple enters their lives, providing such adventures as a river expedition, a treasure hunt (of sorts), and a whole lot of remarkable meals: "beat-the-blues broccoli," "anti-cranky crumpets," and "getting-used-to-kids- again stew," the twins take a while to warm up. Florida's language teems with outrageous, telling negativity--everything is "putrid"--and even dreamy Dallas is inclined to bouts of doubt. But warm up they do, to the continual delight of readers of all ages.

Sharon Creech, author of Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons and Newbery Honor book The Wanderer, is in fine form with her hilarious yet poignant novel about downtrodden siblings who refuse to be squished altogether. The perfectly happy ending is somewhat predictable, but readers who have fallen in love with each quirky character won't mind a bit. (Ages 8 to 13) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
The characters introduced here two abandoned children, their villainous guardians and a kindly country couple might have stepped out of a Dickens novel, but as Creech (Love that Dog) probes beneath their facades, the characters grow more complex than classic archetypes. Florida and her brother Dallas, raised in an orphanage run by the cold-hearted Trepids, rely on each other rather than grownups for support. They become suspicious when Mr. Trepid informs them that they are going to a place called Ruby Holler to accompany old Mr. and Mrs. Morey on separate vacations. Florida is to be Mr. Tiller Morey's companion on a canoe trip; Dallas is to help Mrs. Sairy Morey hunt down an elusive bird. Readying for the trips proves to be a journey in itself as the Moreys, Florida and Dallas make discoveries about one another as well as themselves in a soothing rural environment. This poignant story evokes a feeling as welcoming as fresh-baked bread. The slow evolution of the siblings who are no angels parallels the gradual building of mutual trust for the Moreys. The novel celebrates the healing effects of love and compassion. Although conflicts emerge, readers will have little doubt that all will end well for the children and the grandparently Moreys. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Orphaned twins Dallas and Florida have resigned themselves to living within the confines of the Boxton Creek Home for Children. It's a loveless existence. The Trepids, owners and "rule enforcers" of the home, target the brother and sister at every opportunity and all of the prospective adoptive parents have returned them to the orphanage. Eventually the children are sent to act as temporary companions to an eccentric older couple who live in Ruby Holler, and there they find love and acceptance. While the plot is predictable, the story weaves in an interesting mix of mystery, adventure, and humor, along with age-old and modern problems. Creech does a fine job of developing the unique personalities and the sibling relationship, and the children's defense mechanisms (Dallas's dreamy escapism and Florida's aggression) figure prominently in the interplay among the characters. The text is lively and descriptive with an authentic, if somewhat mystical, rural ambience. This entertaining read from a first-rate author will not disappoint Creech's many fans.
Robyn Ryan Vandenbroek, Elgin Court Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

This is a book that you'll enjoy while you're reading it, and feel good about afterward
Ruby Holler is the story of "the trouble twins", 13-year-old Dallas and Florida, who have spent their lives living in the dilapidated Boxton Creek Home. They've had many failed foster parent experiences, some terrifying, some grim, and they are very wary of adults. They remind me a bit of Tony and Tia Malone in Escape to Witch Mountain (another pair of twins who seem unable to keep out of trouble, and who no one seems to want).

An elderly couple asks the twins to come and live with them in their country home in Ruby Holler (named for the red maple trees in the fall), to help with a project. The twins by this point have serious trust issues, and keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Tiller and Sairy Morey are different from anyone that the twins have encountered before. Together, the four embark on a series of adventures in the lush, rural Ruby Holler.

This book reminded me a little bit of Louis Sachar's Holes, with the bleakness of the Boxton Creek Home, and the quirkiness of the Moreys (although the main setting is the exact opposite of the setting in Holes). Throughout the book, we learn about the various other homes that the twins have lived in, gradually coming to understand their prickliness and acting out. In parallel, we watch Dallas and Florida, and Sairy and Tiller, gradually changing one another. It's a story about love and patience and second chances, and suspense and adventure, too.

There are many small things to like about the book. I love the way that Sairy and Tiller are with each other, two halves of a whole, with their own unusual endearments. I smiled at the way that Dallas has of painting a positive future with words, even when things seem bleak. And I laughed out loud at some of the wonderful foods cooked up by the Tillers: mission-accomplished-cake, be-nice-to-orphans brownies, and welcome-home-bacon. Even the names of the dreadful owners of the Boxton Creek Home, the Trepids (as in, the reverse of intrepid?) are clever and apt.

This is a book that you'll enjoy while you're reading it, and feel good about afterward. It's suitable for fairly young kids, with lots of dialog, and short chapters. The bleak incidents in Dallas and Florida's past have an exaggerated quality, like a Roald Dahl story, rendering them less disturbing than they might be otherwise. This book won a much-deserved 2002 Carnegie Medal.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 17th, 2006.

Terror Next Door
The book I read is by Sharon Creech. The name of it is Ruby Holler. She is an amazing author that wrote other books such as Love That Dog, Walk Two Moons, The Wanderer, and many more. This was a great book like all the other ones I read of hers.

This story is about two kids called Dallas and Florida. These two mischievous twins are a little out of hand at times but really they just want to have fun. They get sent to this horrible orphanage run by the Trepids. The Trepids are mean, cranky, and old people who love rules. They make Dallas and Florida sit in a thinking corner and have to sit in corners for dinner. The orphans have to eat horrible food and the Trepids make good food for themselves. Things don?t look good though and something good happens, Tiller and Sairy adopt Dallas and Florida. Florida thinks that they are going to be mean to them and wants to hop on a midnight train. Dallas thinks otherwise, he thinks it may not be too bad and that they should wait. Sairy is taking Dallas on vacation with her and Tiller is taking Florida on vacation with him. Something bad happens though, will Tiller survive?

Ruby Holler
Ruby Holler
Sharon Creech

Dallas and Florida have been together since they were found on the steps of Mr. and Ms. Trepids orphanage. The girl, Florida is a rebel she will not do any thing the Trepids say. The boy Dallas is a quite and peaceful who also likes nature. One day a couple named Tiller and Sairy go to the Trepids orphanage, and see Dallas and Florida they decide that they want to adopt them. So the next day the twins go home with Tilller and Sairy. When they get there the twins are amazed, the warm little house in the country is so different from the cold orphanage they are used to.

I really liked this book because I have read all the other books by this author and really liked them so it was no surprised after I read it that this was a very good book. I also liked it because the way the author uses detail in explaining the characters, and by the end of the book you feel like you really know. I would really recommend this book to people who are fans of Sharon Creech.