Rosetown

by Cynthia Rylant Narrated by Lisa Flanagan

Overview

“Eloquent and resonant...poignantly underscores the significance of family, friendship, and home.” -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Gentle and old-fashioned in the best sense...a little gem about small-town life.” -Booklist (starred review)
“A sweet story for children dealing with change.” -Kirkus Reviews

From Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant comes the charming story of nine-year-old Flora Smallwood and the eventful year she spends in the quiet community of Rosetown, Indiana.

For nine-year-old Flora Smallwood, Rosetown, Indiana, is full of surprises, many of the best of which happen at the Wing and a Chair Used Book Shop, where she loves to read vintage children's books after school in the faded purple chair by the window.

But lately, those surprises haven't been so good. Her dear old dog, Laurence, recently passed away. Not long after, her parents decided to take a breather from their marriage, and now Flora has to move back and forth between their two houses. Plus, she's just begun fourth grade, and it is so much different than third.

Luckily Flora has two wonderful friends-one old and one new. And with them around to share thoughts and laughs and adventures big and small, life in Rosetown still has many sweet moments-and even some very happy surprises!

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Lisa Flanagan’s quiet, gentle voice invites listeners to tune in to all the happenings in Rosetown, Indiana, in 1972. Nine-year-old Flora is facing change all around her—with new, confident students in her fourth-grade class, with the death of her beloved family dog, with changing friendships, and with shuttling between the homes of her newly separated parents. Flora’s solace comes from nestling into the purple chair and reading vintage children’s books in the Wing and a Chair Used Book Shop. Flanagan’s brisk pacing requires keen attention. She voices all events with equanimity, leaving interpretation to the listener. Yet, as the story’s climax nears, Flanagan’s verve is present in each character’s voice, making it all the more heartfelt. A.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/26/2018
A sensitive and perceptive girl searches for balance and order in this taut, graceful novel from Rylant, set in small-town Indiana in 1972. Flora, “who sometimes felt quite acutely the stress of being nine years old,” is grappling with the death of her beloved dog and with her parents’ separation, and wonders where her fellow fourth-graders found their “sudden confidence.” A comforting constant in her off-kilter life is Wings and a Chair Used Books, where her mother works; Flora is happiest curled up in the store’s eponymous armchair, reading “extra-vintage” children’s books. She shares the bookshop, and the worlds and words its books contain, with Yury, a compassionate new classmate from Ukraine, who in turn “shared his cleverness” with Flora and makes her “feel more certain.” Serenity, the stray cat she adopts, brings another affirming change to Flora’s life, as does her parents’ reconciliation and their decision to purchase an 1890 letterpress and open a paper and printing shop. Eloquent and resonant, Rylant’s writing is as timeless as the deceptively simple story she relays, which celebrates objects and relationships both old and new, and poignantly underscores the significance of family, friendship, and home. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)

May 1, 2018 - Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*

Gentle and old-fashioned in the best sense, this story introduces nine-year-old Flora Smallwood, who loves living in Rosetown, Indiana. Not everything is perfect. Her dog Laurence has recently passed on, and her parents have decided to live in separate houses, at least for a while. But Flora has two good friends that support her: Nessy, who she’s known since they met at the library storytime, and Yuri, from Ukraine, who likes to read as much Flora does. Simply written, the book’s leisurely pace belies the fact that quite a bit happens during this school year. Flora finds a new pet; learns some new skills; and is surprised when her teacher informs her she might have the makings of a real writer, urging her to send her poetry to the newly launched Cricket magazine. All the characters, children and adult, get their due, but Flora’s dad is especially finely drawn. Set in 1972, this references some of the issues of the era—environmentalism and the end of the Vietnam War, though not civil rights—but in many ways, this could as easily have been set in 1952; some readers may hardly recognize the setting's enduring calm. Rylant, a Newbery medalist, seems to polish each word she writes, and here offers a little gem about small-town life. — Ilene Cooper

School Library Journal

04/01/2018
Gr 2–5—A keen observer of life with a passion for old, antique books, Flora Smallwood is increasingly worried about fourth grade. With her parents newly separated and the recent death of a beloved dog, this sensitive introvert takes small, careful steps to understanding herself and truly experiencing her own life. Flora's journey begins with a new friendship and a found pet, both of which help refine her understanding and tolerance of change and trust in others. Her trips to the used book store and time spent with friends keep Flora reaching outside her comfort zone. As she slowly opens up to new experiences and others, Flora begins to understand that sometimes the future is not something to fear, but rather something to look forward to. Acclaimed author Rylant quietly draws readers into the quaint Rosetown through her expertly crafted characterization. The contemplative, examining eyes of Flora create an empathic lens for readers as they experience the community through her eyes. Rylant's prose works to establish a slightly nostalgic feel, complemented by a leisurely paced plot, mimicking Flora's perspective. While the writing style and plot work well together, younger readers more accustomed to fast-paced, action-oriented tales may lose interest. Likewise, Flora's gradual transition will have readers craving and anticipating a major plot twist that never comes. VERDICT A beautifully crafted piece of writing that would be best appreciated by readers who value character over plot. An additional purchase for collections in need of gentle realism.—Mary-Brook J. Townsend, The McGillis School, Salt Lake City

JUNE 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Lisa Flanagan’s quiet, gentle voice invites listeners to tune in to all the happenings in Rosetown, Indiana, in 1972. Nine-year-old Flora is facing change all around her—with new, confident students in her fourth-grade class, with the death of her beloved family dog, with changing friendships, and with shuttling between the homes of her newly separated parents. Flora’s solace comes from nestling into the purple chair and reading vintage children’s books in the Wing and a Chair Used Book Shop. Flanagan’s brisk pacing requires keen attention. She voices all events with equanimity, leaving interpretation to the listener. Yet, as the story’s climax nears, Flanagan’s verve is present in each character’s voice, making it all the more heartfelt. A.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2018-03-04
Nine-year-old Flora experiences the loss of a pet, the separation of her parents, and the start of fourth grade, but a year of good changes is in store for her.It's 1972, and Flora Smallwood loves growing up in the small town of Rosetown, Indiana. She especially enjoys reading three times a week in the purple velveteen chair at Wings and a Chair Used Books. Flora needs the respite: She just lost her dog and is dealing with her parents' recent separation. Fourth grade is starting, and everything seems different. Flora finds comfort in her old routines with Nessy, her best friend, and new routines with Yury, her new friend from Ukraine. As the year goes on, there are nice changes in store for her family and friends, such as new pets, lessons, and interests. From a third-person point of view, readers get a glimpse into Flora's quaint, small-town life as she deals with all the changes, good and bad. Rylant shapes Flora's experiences and thoughts such that they are accessible to all children, as Flora tries to hold on to the old and comfortable while adjusting to the new and different. The narrative is a lovely story of Flora's daily life interlaced with hints of the 1970s. The book assumes a white default.A sweet story for children dealing with change. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170803118
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Rosetown
Wings and a Chair Used Books was where Flora Smallwood’s mother worked three afternoons a week. Inside, it had a purple velveteen chair by the window for anyone who wanted to stay awhile, and Flora, who sometimes felt quite acutely the stress of being nine years old, and sensitive, loved this chair. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were her favorite days because of it.

The owner of the shop was Miss Meriwether, a tall woman with deep black hair pulled tightly into a ponytail. Miss Meriwether told Flora that in her younger days she had been a free spirit but that one day she’d decided to grow up and open a shop.

Flora tried to imagine Miss Meriwether as a free spirit, but it wasn’t easy, as the words “inventory” and “bottom line” sometimes floated through the bookshop air as Flora sat reading. But Miss Meriwether did like long flowery skirts, so maybe she was still free in her heart.

Flora’s family had been through a time of sadness, for their old, loving dog, Laurence, had passed away one spring night while everyone was sleeping. They all knew Laurence was fading. But no one believed, really, that he would ever not be with them anymore. Especially Flora, who had held on to his collar ever since she took her first steps.

But he did: he left them. And since then the idea of a new family pet sometimes had been mentioned. Yet never followed through on. Everyone was, in some way, still holding on to Laurence’s collar.

Flora was an only child, and her parents were, for now, living in separate homes. The challenges of this, of course, were many. And there was the practical challenge for Flora of having two homes, with her own bedroom in each, for since most things do not come in duplicate, often the one thing she needed right that minute was not in this home, it was in the other. Sometimes the thing was not that important, as in the case of her green scarf or striped coat. But sometimes even something small like that—a scarf or a coat—suddenly felt so vital to her, and she felt a great sad longing because it was not in this home but the other one.

Flora’s father, Forster Smallwood, worked for the Rosetown newspaper, The Rosetown Chronicle, and he was, Flora thought, a nice man, a good father, and a lost soul. She was not sure why she thought he was lost. Maybe it was the look she often saw on his face, that look that detached him from wherever he was and whatever he was doing and put him somewhere else. Maybe Neptune.

But he was a good father and a good photographer, too. He often allowed Flora to stand with him in his darkroom to watch a photograph slowly come into being. Standing under the red glow of the darkroom light, Flora watched the blank photographic paper bathe in the pan of chemicals. And then the formerly invisible face of a person would begin to materialize on the wet paper, his features becoming clear and strong, like a ghost who has suddenly found teeth and eyes and ears and put them on.

Both Flora’s father and mother had been very troubled by the war in Vietnam, and now American soldiers were being withdrawn from the fighting. Rosetown, Indiana, in 1972 was like any other small American town, its citizens sharply divided over the war and what it all had been about. Flora’s father once told her, when he was in a dark mood after the evening television news, “You were born into an angry world.”

But then he had smiled, as if he realized how harsh this might have sounded, and he added, “Thank goodness you showed up just when we needed you.”

It seemed to Flora that the purple velveteen chair by the window in Wings and a Chair Used Books was more important than ever these days. Laurence had passed on. Her scarves and coats were confused.

And fourth grade at Rosetown Primary School was so very different from third.

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