The Wonder of Charlie Anne, Kimberly Newton Fusco
The Wonder of Charlie Anne, Kimberly Newton Fusco
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The Wonder of Charlie Anne

Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco

Narrator: Ann Marie Lee

Unabridged: 6 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/10/2010

Synopsis

Charlie Anne is devastated when her father must go north to build roads after the Depression hits. She and her siblings are left with their rigid cousin, Mirabel, and a farm full of chores. The only solace Charlie Anne finds is by the river, where the memory of her mother is strongest.
 
Then her neighbor Old Mr. Jolly brings home a new wife, Rosalyn, who shows up in pants—pants!—the color of red peppers. With her arrives Phoebe, a young African American girl who has also lost her mother. Phoebe is smart and fun and the perfect antidote to Charlie Anne's lonely days. The girls soon forge a friendship and learn from each other in amazing ways.
 
But when hatred turns their town ugly, it's almost more than they can bear. Now it's up to Charlie Anne and Phoebe to prove that our hearts are always able to expand.

About The Author

KIMBERLY NEWTON FUSCO is the author of Tending to Grace, which  received multiple starred reviews and the American Library Association’s Schneider Family Book Award. It was also an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, a Booklist Top 10 First Novel for Youth, an IRA Notable Book, and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Before becoming a novelist, Kimberly was an award-winning reporter and editor. Visit her website at www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tracey on September 10, 2017

This was a really beautiful read. I bought it last year in Mystic, CT, and only just got around to reading it. The writing and storytelling are unique, and gorgeous, and very true to life. I loved Charlie Anne a great deal. I loved the magical realism woven into the book. I love found families and h......more

Goodreads review by Margo on August 03, 2010

Kimberly Newton Fusco's new novel, her second book for young people, introduces us to the spirited Charlie Anne, who narrates this unforgettable story of family, friendship, prejudice, courage, and vinegar pie set in a small town during the Depression. Charlie Anne's mama has just died in childbirth......more

Goodreads review by Sandy on July 28, 2014

I think when I see lemon drops, I will think of Birdie in this book. Birdie is Charlie Anne’s youngest sister and this girl can make a lemon drop last forever. Lemon drops are a special treat so Birdie only takes a few licks of her beloved sweet and then she folds it up in her hand and she saves it......more

Goodreads review by Sandra on October 31, 2010

Charlie Anne's life has just gotten harder. First her mother dies in childbirth, and the baby also dies. Her cousin Mirabelle moves in to help her dad. Since it is the 1930's and the Great Depression is in full swing, her father has decided to leave her and the other children in the care of Mirabell......more

Goodreads review by Laurie on January 02, 2013

I love Charlie Anne's voice. She is feisty and full of life and hope. This is another beautifully written book by Kimberly Newton Fusco.......more

Quotes

Charlie Anne makes use of her "most terrible mad look" with some frequency, but she’s most furious about her papa’s heading north from Massachusetts to build roads for Roosevelt’s New Deal, abandoning family and farm to the joyless clutches of her late mother’s cousin Mirabel. When not busy baking hard-times vinegar pies (almost like lemon!) or mucking out the privy, Charlie Anne has a lovely, supernatural way of interacting with the world; her recently buried mother, the river, the molasses-eyed cows and even the clothesline communicate with her regularly. Fusco’s mellifluous style often sounds like singing: "Go do this, the new mama tells me, and I do it, just because." Two conflicts loom largest: dyslexic Charlie Anne’s battle with "jumbled letters" and her controversial friendship with an African-American girl who moves into the all-white community and stirs up its "backwater" hatred. Good humor, kindness and courage triumph in this warm, richly nuanced novel that cheers the heart like a song sweetly sung. (Fiction. 9-13) - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Each character is distinct and adds flavor, but it’s Charlie Anne’s voice that resonates as she confronts both the hardships and unfairness of life, yet finds ways to change things for the better." - School Library Journal, starred review

Awards

  • Amelia Bloomer List Recommended Title
  • Bank Street Child Study Children's Book Award
  • Connecticut Nutmeg Children's Book Award
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Award
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