Replay

I like Sharon Creech as a writer, and I particularly like Walk Two Moons and Love That Dog. So I expected to like this story and wanted to like it, but I found myself not that interested in Leo, who finds his father's journal in the attic, written when his father was a teen. The journal reveals his father's dreams and Leo comes to appreciate his father in a deeper way. The journal also reveals that his father had a sister -- a sister who Leo has never heard of. Part of the plot in Replay involves Leo finding out what happened to that sister, his aunt. Part involves putting on a school play titled Rumpopo's Porch. The message in this story is important: that families and people need to talk about things, need to share the past with the present, not hide the past from the present, and that in order to heal, people must talk, telling what's in their minds and hearts. While the message is important, the story just never came to life for me.

Sadly this wasn't one of my favorite books from Sharon creech. I couldn't really relate to the boy but still there were nuggets that were thoughtful. I liked the play at the end but I feel like the whole story was rushed or maybe shouldn't have taken the for, of a full novel. I still love Sharon though.

Replay is a very exciting book to read besides it is by my all time favorite author Sharon Creech I can not stop reading her books I will not stop until I read all of them

my son loves this author but I didn't give it to him because it's only about a 3rd grade book. not spending money on a book that he'd be done with in a day.

I loved this novel because it was so detailed anyone who read it would imagine everything that sharon creech was trying to explain precisely.

Sharon Creech is a master at young adult literature. This book had humor, emotion, and was an accurate depiction of families. It was also very touching. I really enjoyed it.

Replay Review The book Replay is mostly about a kid named Leo who is best kid in the house. Leo's nickname is sardine and fog boy. Leo is in a play at school and in Broadway. Leo is always the one home first so he reads his papas book called Autobiography, Age of Thirteen. Leo was always the most helpful in the house. Leo is always at home or at school where they would practice the play. When Leo is not at school or in the house he is outside jumping place to place. Leo is always at school practicing for the play. When he is at home he go's through his papas old stuff. Leo is every where but not always busy. In Leo's play he got picked an Old Crone but that was a girl so he had to fight with the director. That night Leo's papa asked what he was in the play and Leo said an Old Crone papa said is that a girl and he said yes, papa and Leo were a little angry about that. Leo went back the next day and told the director. The director said you just have to imagine Leo and you will be fine. Leo then kept his hopes up so every thing would be fine. By: Gabby Pasti #20 5B

I've always been a mite bit cautious around Sharon Creech. She's one of those authors I have a great deal of difficulty wrapping my head around. I can never quite figure out if she's the greatest living children's author to set foot on God's green earth, or if she's a proto-Joan Bauer teetering on the edge of treacle. I was hoping that "Replay" might clear this problem up for me. Though I've read Creech's extraordinary, "Walk Two Moons" her amusing, "Love That Dog" and her difficult "Ruby Holler", the jury is still out on her as a writer. As it stands, "Replay" is a very amusing book. It uses an occasional play format to convey a single boy's journey from his private fantasy world to a place where he doesn't mind living. Along the way he solves a mystery and gains a small measure of small-time fame. I've read it through and thought it over, but "Replay" doesn't solve my Creech dilemma. All we have here is a very nicely written book that never becomes too dark or too malicious and ends in an exceedingly satisfying way.Leonardo is our hero, but you'd never know who he was if you lived in his house. No one calls the boy by his real name. He's usually Sardine, after an amusing childhood incident, or Fog Boy, due to his dreamy nature. The second eldest child in a family of six (NOT including the million or so sundry aunts and uncles and other relatives that come over regularly), Leo's used to feeling invisible. He had hoped that maybe getting cast in the school's upcoming play, "Rumpopo's Porch", would give him the attention he feels he so desperately deserves. Instead, he ends up as the Old Crone. Not the most glamorous of parts. Still, Leo's a good kid. He's willing to tough it out. And while he does, he somehow manages to stumble across his father's diary from when he was thirteen. Reading this book, Leo begins to understand how a person like his dad can change as the years go by. And by talking to his friends and chipping through the topics the family is never supposed to discuss, Leo finds a way to come to terms with what it means to be alive, change as a person, and get what you want out of life.Ms. Creech has narrowly avoided the trap that authors like E.L. Konigsburg have repeatedly fallen into. She is able to introduce big big themes (death, life, small dogs, etc.) without making her children talk like miniature adults. Leo is a kid from page one and despite his musings, you really do come to think of him as twelve years of age. His family is loud, obnoxious, and just the kind of group you absolutely would NOT want to be born into if you were a shy introspective person like our hero. The gentle arc of "Replay" skillfully balances the dark aspects of the book (Leo's no longer fun dad and his no longer caring siblings) with lighter amusing moments. Creech is not a laugh-out-loud author. She never has been. But you definitely sense a release to the tensions constantly building up in parts of this book. It's funny without ever making you come on out and smile (if that makes any sense).When it comes to books where the narrator repeatedly inserts himself into a world of fantasy, I think that, "Ruby Electric" by Tess Nelson is better than "Replay" in terms of integrating dream worlds with real ones. I did enjoy the tiny black sardines that were printed on some of the book's pages to indicate to child readers that Leo was about to dive into a fantastical world of his own making. Once kids get a grip on Creech's style, they'll be able to figure out what's going on. I was pleased to find that in the back of the book, Ms. Creech has included the play, "Rumpopo's Porch", that Leo and his classmates perform throughout the book. For those of you with kids involved in reader's theater, this part of the story can easily be read by ten or so kids without difficulty."Replay" is probably not Creech's strongest work, but it may be one of her most touching. The book starts out tough and then works in a tenderness that's almost palpable by the story's close. Kids will enjoy the original format and those children involved with theater will recognize the flubs, fears, and pains Leo and his fellows go through as their first performance draws closer and closer. I still don't know if I'll ever be able to truly characterize Ms. Creech as a writer, but maybe that's okay. Maybe that's her charm. Just when you think you've figured her out, she pulls something like "Replay" out of her hat and gives you another reason to reconsider her as an author. As it stands, this is a book that every kid will relate to in some way. A lovely little work.

My 13 year old son loved this book

Newbery Award作品のＷａｌｋ　Ｔｗｏ　Ｍｏｏｎｓから　この作者の作品に入りました。あたたかな筆致が好きで　この作品を読んでみました。主人公Ｌｅｏは、４人兄弟の2番目12歳の男の子で　普段はあまりぱっとしなくて”fog boy"とか”sardine"と呼ばれたりしています。時々、自分がヒーローになった時のことを想像しては　現実にひきもどされて・・・そんな中、学校でスクールプレイ（劇）をすることになり　Ｌｅｏは、Ｏｌｄ　Ｃｒｏｎｅ（老婆）の役をもらいます。最初はしっちゃかめっちゃかな劇も　みんなで段々と作り上げていく・・・そんな過程やその中での成長が描かれています。家族とのやりとり、昔　お父さんが持っていた夢のこと（お父さんの中学生ころの日記のようなものをＬｅｏが見つけて読んでしまいます。）、友達のこと・・・多彩な日常がちりばめられていて　楽しい1冊でした。