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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780064410328
ISBN number: 0064410323
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: April 01, 2002
Publishing house: HarperCollins
Age index: Ages 9-12
Release Date: March 26, 2002
Sale Popularity Level: 67136
Studio: HarperCollins
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
'The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in.'
Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie's cousin Cody isn't sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination -- and its passengers search for their places in the world.
Amazon.com Review:
'I am not always such a dreamy girl, listening to the sea calling me. My father calls me Three-sided Sophie: one side is dreamy and romantic; one is logical and down-to-earth; and the third side is hardheaded and impulsive.'
Thirteen-year-old Sophie, skipping between 'dreamland or earthland or muleland,' hears the sea calling her. Much to the concern of her adopted parents, she decides to join her uncles and male cousins on a sailing voyage from Connecticut across the Atlantic to England (and her grandfather Bompie) on a 45-foot sailboat. Not only does she want to make the trip, she feels she has to.
This perilous cross-Atlantic journey will make young readers feel the wind in their hair and the salt spray on their face. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech (Walk Two Moons) describes the sailing experience with astonishing precision--from the smell of the sea to the intricate workings of The Wanderer itself.
Along the way, Sophie proves her bravery and competence to the rather grumpy all-male crew; intrigues and captivates her cousin Cody with her beautiful, odd stories of Bompie that always somehow end in underwater disaster and apple pie; and spills her heart into a daily journal. Readers get another angle on her, too, as Cody keeps a log that alternates with hers. He grows to know, and like, and wonder about, his new cousin Sophie along with the reader, and as her mysterious past reveals itself bit by bit, we are all right there on the edge of our seats, ready for the boom to crash over to the other side.
Sophie's adventures take her not only straight into perilous waves higher than buildings, but deep into her hidden past. This profound, suspenseful novel will pull you into its swift current and barely let you surface for breath. (Ages 9 to 13) --Karin Snelson
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Rated by buyers 
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after reading Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird....
this book almost seems like a dissapointment...........
but none the less is a good book.......
but surely not her best.............
Rated by buyers 
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The Wanderer is a book about a journey on The Wanderer. It appears that the title of the book is just the name of the boat, but the reader may look at it as a metaphor describing Sophie, and how she is wandering through life. The book is written in the style of a journal, written by Sophie. The reader also gets another point of view from a journal by Cody. The writing style is written just as a child would write in a journal. Sophie's entries were much more in depth, while Cody's entries were a little less detailed, but still very interesting. The switching from back and forth between characters was not confusing, but engages the reader. It makes the reader eager to hear both sides of the story instead of just one. The entries were not very lengthy and resulted in a quick read. The author wrote the story so that any of the questions the reader may have had throughout the book are answered at the end. This book was an exciting adventure and I would definitely recommend it.
Rated by buyers 
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When I very first read this story I was a kid. Now, a few years later, I still return to it often, as it was my favorite and a great read. Don't be turned off by the age recommendation-this is interesting for older teens as well. I very first picked "The Wanderer" from the library after reading another one of Creech's books, "Walk Two Moons". They do pose some similarities, namely a female main character on the brink of discovering herself and her past. Creech does a good job with the "show, don't tell" rule in writing, but the meaning behind the scenes remain clear. What isn't clear at times is the sailer jargon, but the book contains little of that and actually seems to mock it ("Mind the mizzen pot! Hoist the flibbergibbet!" Cody exclaims in jest while cooking.) Most of the time the story takes place on a boat, and in the story there are many analogies to waves and water. The viewpoint of the story changes just like waves do, alternating between Cody and Sophie (the main character). This allows them to provide insights on one another which could not be portrayed so poetically if the story was written by only one viewpoint.
Something tells me that years from now I will still be returning to this book, reading it again and again until (God forbid) its pages are stained with coffee and the pages start to fall out.
~D.N.M.
Rated by buyers 
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Walk Two Moons is a beloved book, but I am disappointed in The Wanderer. If I hadn't read Walk Two Moons, I probably would have enjoyed The Wanderer more than I did. Like Walk Two Moons, the storytelling is well done and the writing is solid. Sophie is an interesting character and the growth of her and her cousins is enjoyable. What I don't like about The Wanderer is that it is essentially the same story as Walk Two Moons -- a girl on the cusp of womanhood is taken into the protection of colorful relatives who allow her the space to discover the truth about her past and her parent(s). Like Walk Two Moons there is a grandparent who needs the love and support only our hero can supply. Like Walk Two Moons, there is the moment of harsh realization.
If you can read only one of the two books, read Walk Two Moons.
Rated by buyers -
I think when I have my own children to mess with I will introduce mandatory mid-day power outages. Then they can spend days like I just spent this afternoon when some trouble with a breaker-switch-thing ruled out the all too tempting computer or television but it was still light enough to read . . .and read I did!
The book helped. The Wanderer is written in journal form with alternating entries between two thirteen-year-old cousins, Sophie and Cody. These two very different but very loveable and real children have embarked on a trans-Atlantic voyage on a 45 foot boat, facing fears and many discoveries. The book is beautifully written in believable "kid speak."
Throughout the story you have to uncover mysteries about the characters, mainly about the past. Usually I can't stand "repressed memory" stories, but the style which flits between Sophie's view--denying bits of her past and conveniently inserting other people's stories into her own--and Cody's view--trying to figure out the conflicting stories--works perfectly. I care about Sophie, about whether she will be hurt when the stories she has built up as her own come crashing down and she doesn't know who she is, or what a Sophie is at all. The conclusion is utterly satisfying.
The diary format does have some weaknesses. I never get a good picture of the characters. I never figure out the ages of anyone besides the two leads, and a lot of details go unfilled. Despite this, however, the book went by at a clip, and I absolutely adored it.
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