The Wanderer

     The Wanderer is a Newbery Honor book written by Sharon Creech and illustrated by David Diaz. The main character, Sophie, is an adopted child who goes on a sailing trip across the Pacific ocean with her new cousins and uncles. As the story progresses we find that Sophie's purpose in this trip is to face her fear. Sophie is a bit of an enigma and we wonder, along with her new family, just what exactly happened to her "first" family and how it is that she seems to know Grandpa "Bompie" better than his own sons.

     This story, and the illustrations of David Diaz, are brilliant. The front cover illustration depicts a sailboat highlighted in gold. Above it is a grey storm cloud, and below it the boat is tossed by spiraling blue and green waves. The sails form two arrows pointing to the right and inviting us to open the book. The illustration has soft edges as if it has been spraypainted. The clouds and waves have rounded lines. We get a feeling that although this boat may encounter rough weather, it will be safe in the end. This feeling is a perfect compliment to the family we get to know. They do indeed encounter rough seas both literally and figuratively in their lives and in their trip acorss the Pacific. The journey ends with this group safe and sound but a bit wiser for what they learn along the way, not just about about sailing, but about themselves. Insightful, heartwarming, and highly recommended.