Sharon Creech's novel, Chasing Redbird I can easily say may be one of my favorite books that I have ever read. Creech's purpose in writing Chasing Redbird is to create two main themes. This first theme is that everyone grieves in their own way. The second theme is that amongst the tragedies and chaos in life, it is inevitable that one should experience self-discovery and growth. The impact that this book had on me was tremendous, so I can only assume that a wider audience would, too, enjoy reading this if they are looking for something dramatic, emotional, and most importantly relatable. Because anyone can relate to this book in one way or another, Chasing Redbird WILL have lasting value. Chasing Redbird is very captivating. I read this book so quickly and easily, not because of its length, but because of how good it was. I did not relate to one character alone, but to many different qualities of a couple of the characters. The main character, Zinny, felt a sense of responsibility and leadership towards her family in the very same way that I feel. She, like me, is curious and longs for self-liberation, for example when she asks her Uncle Nate, "What exactly did people do when they had all the time in the world and could do whatever they liked?" (Creech 153). Zinny's uncle Nate's sense of hope and belief that anything is possible also reminded me of myself and the mindset I try to have in life. Chasing Redbird was mostly serious in that it covered the topics of death, insanity, and insecurity, but it still managed to skip over being depressing and get straight to the thought-provoking art that it truly is. This book was very well written. Creech did a great job writing in style of each character's personalities as well as kept it easy to understand and get in to. The greatest strength of Chasing Redbird would be the storyline. Throughout reading this book, the reader is overcome with suspense leading up to the end. The fact that the end is so unclear until literally the last few chapters is amazing. The storyline consists of a variety of characters, a sad, yet inspirational tale, and an ending that is hard to see coming. The book's weakness is hard to say. Although I really liked Creech's input of flashbacks and thought they did a great job revealing how life was before Aunt Jesse and Baby Rose's deaths, they did get a little confusing sometimes. The flashbacks made it hard to tell whether the story was in the present or past at that moment. Most of the flashbacks were even "revived" when Uncle Nate saw hallucinations of his wife and daughter, claiming that they were still alive. For example, Uncle Nate claims he sees Aunt Jesse on the trail, saying, "There's my Redbird. She's still with us" (Creech 122). Determining the difference between whether it was an actual flashback or Uncle Nate's sanity could be difficult for some readers. I would certainly recommend Chasing Redbird to a friend. The feeling I got after I finished reading was beyond compare. The trail in the woods that Zinny literally travels down throughout the story is also a figurative trail, symbolic of the "trails" we take in life and the decisions that we are forced to make at each turn. I found myself relating to every page I read and discovering symbolic themes, like the trail in every chapter. The topic of self-discovery and identity in a tragic world is what truly makes this book a classic. Zinny keeps herself busy in regards to dealing with her tragedies, saying "These were trivial things my find focused on, and I knew it, but they kept me from thinking about the bigger things that were lurking behind this clutter. I felt that if I didn’t keep busy, a million, million scenes were going to burst out of my head all at once. Part of me was curious to see what was in there, but I wanted to see them slowly, one at a time" (Creech 245). Chasing Redbird not only lets readers into a world closely familiar to many of our worlds, but also teaches us and makes us really think.
Ini mengisahkan tentang seorang gadis bernama Zinny Taylor yang tinggal di pinggiran kota kecil Bybanks bersama keluarga besarnya. Ia merasa terasingkan dalam keluarganya sendiri, ini dikarenakan dia memiliki 6 saudara, 3 adik laki - laki, seorang adik perempuan dan 2 kakak perempuan. Mereka adalah Will, Ben, Sam, Bonnie,May, Gretcheen. Namun May kakaknya yang menyebabkan dia tidak betah di rumah, karena May selalu mengatai Zinny aneh dan pelit. May terkenal sangat cantik. Banyak teman laki- laki Zinny pura-pura mendekati Zinny untuk meluruskan tujuan mereka mendekati May. Jadi Zinny tidak senang dengan keadaan ini, ia merasa bagaikan babi di balapan anjing. Hingga Zinny selalu merasa lebih betah tinggal dengan bibi Jessie dan paman Nate yang kebetulan tinggal disamping rumahnya. Sebenarnya pamanNate adalah sosok yang agak arogan namun kadang - kadng lucu. Ini terlihat saat ia memanggil keponakannya dengan " Cebong-Cebong" dan perempuan "Labu", serta panggilan "Burung Merah" kepada bibi Jessie karena bibi Jessie sangat cantik dan rambutnya agak kemerah - merahan. Apabila dia mengumpat selalu mengatakan "kutu kupret".Paman dan bibinya sebenarnya mempunyai anak perempuan seumuran Zinny bernama Rose,namun ia telah meninggal saat usia 4 tahun karena batuk rejan. Hingga pada suatu hari ia menemukan peta tua yang menghubungkan jalur Bybanks - Chocton saat rekreasi kelasnya ke museum. Hingga Zinny memutuskan untuk memecahkan misteri peta tua tersebut. Saat ia mulai membersihkan jalur rahasia peta tua, bibi Jessie meninggal setelah melihat medali dan ular kecil yang di tangkap oleh Zinny. Maka ia harus melanjutkan misteri ini sampai tuntas karena ia merasa bahwa ia-lah penyebab kematian bibi Jessie, padahal di akhir cerita di sebutkan kalu penyebabnya bibi Jessie lupa mnyuntikkan insulin kedalam tubuhnya. Tapi Zinny tetap merasa bersalah karena dia jugalah penyebab kematian Rose, karena batuk rejan ditularkan oleh Zinny. Zinny meminta izin untuk berkemah di jalan setapak rahasia tersebut dalam 10 hari. Saat Zinny sudah menyelesaikan setengah jalur ia menemukan sebuah gubuk yang tak berpenghuni, saat ia mengintip ia sangat terkejut, disitu terdapat jas dan parfum bibi Jessie dan barang - barang Rose kecil. Ia memutuskan untuk pulang ke rumah untuk memberi tahu paman Nate yang sedang sakit. Namundiperjalanan pulangnya ia bertemu dengan Jake Boone yang sungguh mencintainya. Dan pada hari - hari kedepannya ia sudah berhasil menuntaskan jalur rahasia tersebut dan dari Pemerintah Bybanks telah meresmikan jalur Bybanks - Chocton. Saat itu Zinny Taylor menjadi sangat terkenal.Novel ini bercerita tentang keluarga dan sedikit kisah remaja yang tak terlalu vulgar, jadi ini sangat bagus sebagai bacaan segala umur. Alurnya juga sangat mudah untuk diikuti. Penerjemah novel ini sangat cerdas sekali dalam mengalih bahasakan. Namun pada akhir cerita tidak di sebutkan bagaimana akhir kisah Jake Boone -Zinny Taylor. Jadi selamat membaca!!!
Do You like book Chasing Redbird (2007)?
Things Lost, Things RegainedAnother bittersweet story by Sharon Creech. Zinny is a girl surrounded by loving, but incredibly noisy family. She discovers a trail buried in the woods near her house. This is the story of how she wanted to clear the long trail between her home in Bybanks, and neighboring Chocton. On the way we learn a lot about her, her changing and growing, along with friend and family as the trail becomes clearer...Great characters and joy and sorrow intermingled with longing and wonder populate this tale, filling the reader with its poignancy and a feeling of traveling that trail with Zinny. A great read!
—Francine Plant
Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech is a realistic fiction about a girl named Zinnia. Zinnia is the quietest of six children and is often mistaken for her sisters. Tired of her lack of identity, she intends to clear a path she found when exploring. Driven on by the feeling of guilt for her aunt's death which Zinnia deems her fault. Along the way she encounters a confusing boy named Jake and maybe even a mystery or two. You can tell this is realistic based on Zinnia’s boy problems, while you are unlikely to meet a kleptomaniac with a crush, boys (and girls) have very strange ways of showing love. The main character has to deal with her aunt's death and her uncle’s strange habits of wandering in the wilderness as well. My favorite character would have to be Zinnia’s aunt, while she was a little off her rocker towards the end of her life, I liked how quirky she could be, pointing out little marvels. However, I would say I am most like Zinnia, as I tend to blame myself for things that aren't my fault. Over all I would say this book deserves four stars, and is best for 5-8 graders who enjoy a rustic, middle school story with a little bit of a mystery.
—Meline
Creech knows how to tell the story of someone coming to terms with family, self, and painful (often devastating) loss. The details are always interesting along the way, and the writing clear and un-self-conscious.I did have a little trouble with this book, though, because of the whole Rose component of the story. By "trouble" I mean I'm a pushover for that kind of thing and can easily be manipulated into any emotional corner desired. Was I a mess when we discover what's stored at the cabin? Big deal. Lots of grown men get a little verklempt reading young-adult fiction.Seriously. I'm pretty sure I can't be the only one.
—Peter Heinrich
