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Summary
Summary
In this utterly transporting debut about the power of words, the importance of friendship, and the magic of wonder, Curly Hines must decide whether to fight to save the mountain he calls home.
Having lost most of his family to coal mining accidents as a little boy, Curley Hines lives with his grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Wonder Gap, Kentucky. Ever since Curley can remember, Papaw has been giving him a word each week to learn and live. Papaw says words are Curley's way out of the holler, even though Curley has no intention of ever leaving.
When a new coal boss takes over the local mining company, life as Curley knows it is turned upside down. Suddenly, his best friend, Jules, is interested in the coal boss's son, and worse, the mining company threatens to destroy Curley and Papaw's mountain. Now Curley faces a difficult choice. Does he use his words to speak out against Big Coal and save his mountain, or does he remain silent and save his way of life?
From debut author Mary Knight comes a rich, lyrical, and utterly transporting tale about friendship, the power of words, and the difficult hurdles we must overcome for the people and places we love.
Author Notes
Mary Knight has lived in many wondrous places -- Traverse City, Michigan, and Whidbey Island, Washington, among them. She and her husband now reside in Lexington, Kentucky, where she enjoys living in the rolling green hills of horse country, exploring the Appalachian Mountains to the east, and watching University of Kentucky basketball. Most of all, she cherishes time with friends and family, who add great wonder to her life. Saving Wonder is her debut novel.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Knight delivers a strong environmental message and a language lesson in her debut novel, which stars a dauntless young hero living in an Appalachian mining town. Seventh-grader Curley Hines has seen firsthand how cruel the coal-mining industry can be. If it weren't for the mines, his parents and younger brother might still be alive. Now Curley lives with his grandfather, who educates him on the power of words, giving him new ones to learn each week; organized alphabetically, the words (like dillydally and juxtapose) and their definitions close each chapter. Papaw thinks Curley should leave the mountains someday, but Curley wants to stay close to his best friend Jules and his family's graves. When the mine changes ownership, Curley faces new crises, including the possibility of losing two things dear to his heart: his favorite tree and a mountaintop scheduled to be blasted. Readers will feel Curley's sorrow and cheer him on during his campaign to save what he loves most. Knight frankly addresses the reality of harsh changes, but Curley's spirit, moving people inside and outside the community to act, is inspirational. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Big Coal dominates eastern Kentucky and casts a long shadow over Curley, whose parents and brother all died from mining-related accidents. Convinced that words are your way out of the holler, his grandfather gives him one each week, in alphabetical order: conundrum, dillydally, eradicate. Curley is happy with his life and his best friend, Jules, until a new coal company threatens to destroy Curley's mountain, and the owner's son, with his bad-boy charm, threatens to steal Jules' heart. It will take all of Curley's words to fight for what he loves. Chapters are labeled with that week's letter and end with the word's dictionary definition, a device that, while slightly contrived, provides foreshadowing and structure. Curley's voice is distinct and poetic, conveying a strong sense of place, and the author effectively captures people's mixed emotions toward coal and thoughtfully portrays members of the Cherokee tribe. However, the oft-predictable plot slows to a crawl as the love triangle resolves and focus shifts to the environmental fight. Recommended for regional interest and larger collections.--Harold, Suzanne Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-The coal industry has taken a lot from 12-year-old Curley. Both parents and his brother were killed in coal-related accidents. Now a new coal company wants to mine his Kentucky mountain home, and the company owner's son, JD, wants to date his best friend/secret crush, Jules. But Curley's determined to fight for what he loves and has the resources to prevail. Grandfather Pawpaw raised Curley with an appreciation for the power of words, and with help from Jules and even JD, words become Curley's tools to save his home. The streamlined plot moves quickly toward two climactic scenes on the mountain: one will bring tears, the other, cheers. Descriptions of the setting's fragile beauty are so subtly interwoven with dialogue and action, they're not only powerful visual images but ever-present reminders of what's at stake in Curley's fight. With the exception of JD's father, drawn as a one-dimensional personification of Big Coal-materialistic as well as a neglectful husband and father-all the characters are fully developed and endearing, their dialogue direct and sincere. Adults are loving but don't always have all the answers; kids show their emotions with straightforward honesty. Curley and Pawpaw's word-a-week ritual crystallizes their relationship for the readers and gives Curley the confidence to take on an adversary that seems more powerful than he is. VERDICT A remarkable debut novel from an author to watch.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It's been five years since 12-year-old Curley's mother and little brother drowned when a coal mine slurry pond broke its banks and swallowed them and seven years since his father died in a mining accident. Now Curley, his best friend, Jules, and the mine owner's son, JD, join together to prevent the coal company from clear-cutting and surface-mining the mountain that they love. The catch: Curley and his grandfather subsist on cash from an informal settlement with the mine company, which will end if Curley continues his protest. Winning means moving away. Unfortunately, the premise is the book's fatal flaw. It is wildly unlikely that any coal company in existence would settle a clear-cut wrongful-death claim with just a handshake, and moreover, Curley would automatically receive social security and worker's compensation benefits due to his father's death, which undermines the central plot. Knight ably navigates middle school friendships but in demonstrating Curley's and his grandfather's love of language sometimes carries cleverness too far: Curley uses every one of his "words of the week," in alphabetical order, to denounce the coal company in a video. Appalachian tropes abound, and the local opposition to Big Coal also strains credulityin a part of the country where good jobs are scarcer than scenery, not everyone can afford to be an environmentalist. A likable protagonist and good writing can't overcome the novel's problems. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
From Saving Wonder I pull the ribbon loose and the burlap falls away. The book has a brown leather cover but no title, and the pages are blank. "Gosh, Jules, just what I always wanted -- a book with no words. I guess you could say it's a fast read." I crack myself up, Papaw, too, but I guess Jules doesn't think it's so funny. She kicks me under the covers and just about jams my big toe. "It's a diary, stupid." Her dimple shows up, so I know she's not really mad. "But that's not how you're going to use it." Papaw raises his left eyebrow. "Well, that's a relief." I sigh. "You know how I hate to write." That isn't entirely true and she knows it. I try my hand at short stories once in a while, when we have to write something for English, and I always choose Jules to be my reader. "It's not for writing, exactly, at least not in the way you think. It's for keeping track of your Papaw's words. Like keeping a dictionary." Well that makes me speechless, mainly because I'm not sure what kind of work this dictionary idea's going to entail. Jules keeps talking about how Papaw's leaving me a legacy, like a hope chest of words, and how I should have a place to keep them. So I guess you could say Jules has saved me. No way Papaw's going to make me pick my own words now. After Jules finishes her explanation, Papaw winks at me. Jules keeps tapping my foot under Mama's quilt like she's stepping on the gas real gentle like. Even though it feels like she gave me homework for my birthday, I'd let her drive me just about anywhere. "Thanks, Jules," I say. "You're a gem." She usually hates it when I say that, but she knows I have mixed feelings. She cocks her head all apologetic like and grins back at me. Her gift falls open, its pages all naked and white. Excerpted from Saving Wonder by Mary Knight All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
