My second life began when I was kidnapped by two complete strangers . . .
That the kidnappers are actually Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max makes no difference to thirteen-year-old Domenica Santolina Doone, better known as Dinnie--she just doesn't want to go. Dinnie's accustomed to change, with her family constantly moving for "opportunity"--but when her aunt and uncle whisk her far away to an international school in Switzerland, she's not sure she's ready to face this "opportunity" alone.
All at once she finds herself in a foreign country, surrounded by kids from different cultures speaking all sorts of languages and sharing various beliefs. Home and her first life seem so far away.
But new friendships and the awesome beauty of Switzerland begin to unlock thoughts and dreams within her. Her joys and struggles make up a rich tapestry of experiences she can find nowhere else. Switzerland begins to be more than a temporary home--it becomes a part of Dinnnie herself, the self she never knew she could be.
Switzerland is the picturesque backdrop of Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's new novel about a young girl discovering the beauty of nature, her place in the world, the value of friendship--and that life is full of wonderful "bloomabilites."
Download and start listening now!
"One of my favourite books as a child; I must've read it about five times in a row it was that good. Bloomability is about life's adventure and all its possibilities, and it has really encouraged me to travel and see the world. I am even planning on re-reading it this summer (even though I am relatively grown up). It really is a fantastic novel. One day I will go to Switzerland and stroll along the Collina d'Oro and ski on St. Morritz and write about it too :)" — Chloe (5 out of 5 stars)
"One of my favourite books as a child; I must've read it about five times in a row it was that good. Bloomability is about life's adventure and all its possibilities, and it has really encouraged me to travel and see the world. I am even planning on re-reading it this summer (even though I am relatively grown up). It really is a fantastic novel. One day I will go to Switzerland and stroll along the Collina d'Oro and ski on St. Morritz and write about it too :)"
“Creech does great kids and dialogue. She also conveys a nice sense of place and of Dinnie’s role within this place while trying to work out where she truly belongs.”
“A light first-person narrative and some insightful dream flashes…convey an uprooted 13-year-old’s coming of age.”
“Creech sends readers along on a thoughtful young character’s life-changing odyssey…Creech also poses an array of knotty questions, both personal and philosophical…A story to stimulate both head and heart.”
“Another deeply felt novel…Metaphors mixed in several languages, dream images of snow and distance, and the bittersweet terrors of adolescence will keep readers turning the pages and regretful to reach the last one.”
" Really enjoyed reading this book!! "
" This is one of those books where the kid gets sent away to school and then she discovers herself. I remember that I liked the story and was interested in the main character. Plot: girl goes to Switzerland after leaving her family in America, she tries to figure herself out and makes many friends. "
" This was my all time favorite book as a thirteen year old. Sharon Creech is a wonderful author and I would highly recommend any of her works. "
" I read a lot of Juvenile and Young Adult fiction to find books that are entertaining for me that I can also read to my kids so I don't die of boredom while reading to my kids and so I will actually want to spend a lot of time reading to my kids. This book is probably pretty good if you are one of these kids. I didn't actually dislike anything about it, it just felt very young and didn't do anything special for me. "
" Is about this girl who travels around the United States until her aunt and uncle tells her parents and her parents let her go with her aunt and uncle to the Artic. "
" Among other enjoyable things, this book completely captured the feeling at the end of a school year when everyone is going separate ways (permanently) and celebrating is bittersweet. "
" i have read this book a lot, and it never fails me! last time i read it was right before school started, so it was really inspiring to read about Dinnie and her experiences at the school in Switzerland. speaking of which, it would be sooo cool to go to school in SWITZERLAND!!!! "
" Sweet, predictable, somewhat formulaic- kid goes to Switzerland, adjusts, makes friends, is sad to leave, grows in understanding, becomes more mature. Still, charming in parts, and quite readable. "
" Uh, the first 3/4 of the book was a total sleeper and the last 1/4 was fantastic. It's written by one of my favorite author's, but it was my least favorite of her books. I liked a secondary character (Guthrie) way more than the main character. Anyway, it was ok, but not one that I would read again. "
" i really liked this book! its a little slow at first, and once you get over some of the irregularities of it (sharon creech books are a little different that others) its really good! "
" This book is why Switzerland became my number one traveling destination. I adored this book. "
" I picturesque coming-of-age novel filled with real world issues and fresh personalities. Bloom where you are planted and take every opportunity live gives you. This book was like a fresh slice of pie with cool milky ice cream. I enjoyed it immensely. "
" Thought very cute. It is for a younger audience though. Easy read. It has real life problems and it shows the characters growth into maturity. I thought that the writing was not great either a lot of run-on sentences and other grammatical errors but it was written from a younger kids point of view. "
" pretty much one of my favorite books of all time! i even gave it to the girl that i'm tutoring as a book to read. she's in 6th grade and she LOVED it too! "
" I read this book a while ago, so I don't really remeber much bout it. I just remmeber I really liked it! "
" read this book for summer reading last year and i liked how the author kept me interested "
" This book is good, I'm sorry I don't have anything else. "
" This read makes you feel like a normal person. "
" A good story, enjoyable quick read, not as good as "Walk Two Moons" and a few parts that were a little predictable or just plain ridiculous, but they were minor enough that it didn't bother me. A lovely story about a girl finding herself and discovering who she is. "
" So good. Fun and about a girl in Europe. Yay. "
" Anyone who has ever moved from home and familiarity can relate to this book. Dinnie's moved from place to place, now all she wants is to fit in and make friends. Complications: she doesn't speak Spanish. Read on as Dinnie discovers friendship and herself. "
" this book was so good but it kinda leaves ya hangin and it should have a sequel in mi opinion. but either way its amazing!!! "
" I'm a high school freshman and am not ashamed to say this is still my favorite book, since fourth grade. "
" Love this book! Another great coming of age-ish story by Creech. Fun fact - I went to a book signing/book talk by Creech when she released this book. Love it. "
" In the beginning i did not really understand this book, but i began to enjoy it towards the end. "
" >Dinnie was whisked away to Switzerland by her aunt and uncle. I love that she referred to it as being "kidnapped".If you love to daydream about traveling then this is definitely the book to read. Makes you wanna fly to Switzerland and roll on the snow at the mountain. "
" super super boring... the only interesting part of the book lasted like 5 pages "
" As always, a joy to read a Sharon Creech novel. "
" I really enjoyed this book.It was almost as good as Walk Two Moons. The character developement was awesome and the story was interesting. The italian words were great and added to the feel. I just didn't get into the story as well as Walk Two Moons. "
" This was a really good book, I really liked it. I'm going to take an A.R. test on it. "
" This was a sweet story of self-discovery. My 14 year old who doesn't really like to read, LOVED it. It really makes you think and contemplate things. "
" This was the group book club book for me, Carlin, $arah, Safa, and Lacey. I really enjoyed it!! "
" I was in love with this book for awhile while I was growing up. It hasn't aged so well, although I still adore the idea of going to a Swiss boarding school. "
" Also one of my favorite Sharon Creech books "
" It was a great book.... the blurb wasnt so intresting. (but never trust blubrs) The charachters were amazingly described and the story was just so intresting, when it ended it made want to plead the auther for writing a sequal to this book! it was just amazing!! "
" This book seemed a lot more silly that Creech's other books, but that wasn't a bad thing at all. Very enjoyable. I wish she had been writing when I was in elementary school. I'm sure I would have loved her as a kid. "
Sharon Creech has written more than twenty books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the United States and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler. Before beginning her writing career, she taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland.
Mandy Siegfried has worked at theaters in New York, on and off Broadway, and around the country. Her film work includes School of Rock, Two Weeks Notice, Winter Passing, Liberty Maine, The Out-of-Towners, and St. Andrew’s Girls.
Audiobooks Were Restored to Your Cart
[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.