Ruby Holler

Ruby Holler
By Sharon Creech

Booktalk:

“ A silver bird-a magical silver bird” appears one day to a young man named Dallas. After the bird disappears from his sight, Dallas follows that bird in his mind hoping that this “magical bird” can find a “place where cool breezes drift through trees and where the creek was so clear that every stone on its bottom was visible”.

Dallas and his twin sister Florida are orphans living in the Boxton Creek Home for Children. They are known as the “trouble twins” at this dreary, unloving home run by an inept couple, Mr. and Mrs. Trepid and their worn out assistant Morgan-referred to as Chief Gopher. The twins consistently are punished to the “Thinking Corner, the damp, dark, cobwebbed corner of the basement”, wear the rough “I’ve Been Bad” shirts, shovel manure, pull weeds, or perform other rigorous household chores for breaking the Trepid’s stringent rules.

Dallas and Florida have gone through their share of foster homes and truly believe that there is no hope for them in being placed in a caring home. They have a plan in mind to jump a freight train in the night and ride out of Boxton forever until an older couple-Tiller and Sairy Morey enter the Boxton Creek Home. Tiller and Sairy invite the twins to their home in Ruby Holler and to join them on two separate dream journeys-“a river trip across the state to the Rutabago River and a little trip to Kangadoon” The twins are told that this will be a temporary arrangement and then back to the orphanage after the journeys are completed. The twins are very reluctant to go with these “old lunatics”-as Florida refers to them but decide to take a chance…

That chance turns all their lives around-Dallas’, Florida’s, Tiller’s and Sairy’s. Ruby Holler turns out to be the magical place where the silver bird flies to in Dallas’ mind and more…. Take a trip with the twins and enter Ruby Holler.

Related Activities
• Discussion of what a “holler” is and where one might be found. Would one want to live in a holler? Draw a picture of that holler.
• Have a “Ruby Holler” scavenger Hunt looking for the “understone funds”.
• Locate a “professional” woodcarver and have a workshop allowing the children to actually carve an animal or figure out of wood.
• Create a map of Ruby Holler with intricate details.
• Divide group in half and plan out trips (to the Rutabago River and to Kangadoon) with agendas, itineraries, and lists.
• Create a board game on the basis of the book.
• Research the author and find out her inspirations of why she wrote this book and other details.
• Have a “fun” cooking session and bake a cake allowing the kids to put anything they wanted in it (within reason) and have the kids name it like Sairy and Tilly did to their foods (“Getting Over Being Orphans Brownies”).

Discussion Questions
• Why do you think Dallas and Florida were always getting into trouble?
• Why were the twins named after states?
• Do you feel that Ruby Holler was realistic, fantasy, or both?
• What other stories can you relate to this one that deals with orphans and wicked orphanages?
• Why do you think Tiller and Sairy bury their money “understones”?
• Who do you think could have been the twin’s biological father? Why didn’t the author connect them to this person at the end?
• Do you think the relationship between the twins was similar to the relationship between Tiller and Sairy?
• Why do you think Tilly and Sairy named foods and meals they cooked?
• Were you satisfied with the ending? If not-If you could change the ending what would you change it to?

Information taken from:

Creech, Sharon Ruby Holler HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 2002
www.harperchildrens.com
www.sharoncreech.com
www.sptimes.com/2004/01/12/Nie/Book_Club_Discussion_.sht

Submitted by Melissa Bates
Durham Public Library

Last updated on: 18 September, 2008

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