The Ornament Tree (An Avon Flare Book) - Softcover

Thesman, Jean

3.99

155 ratings by Goodreads

9780380729128: The Ornament Tree (An Avon Flare Book)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380729121 ISBN 13: 9780380729128

Publisher: HarperTeen, 1998

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Bonnie Shaster, fourteen years old and recently orphaned,has happily come to live with her mother's family in Seattle,never expecting to find such chaos. Her charming, haplessrelatives have been forced to take in gentleman boarders tomake ends meet. The progressive ladies crusade for causes likewomen's suffrage, yet they are quite inept at managing thehousehold. Money is always a problem and the boarders arefrequently at odds with one another and with the household ofwomen, not one of whom knows how to cook. Yet whenhandsome young boarder Carson Young, a blind veteran of theGreat War, jokingly warns Bonnie to run for her life,she knows she isn't going anywhere.

After escaping from the misery of living with herdisagreeable aunt, Bonnie has found a home where sheis happy and where she is valued-often for taking chargeof problems that threaten to become disasters. And as sheties her wishes on scraps of paper to the family's"ornament tree," Bonnie dares to believe that her newhome and the people in it are the beginning of a new lifewhere her fondest wishes can come true.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Jean Thesman is a highly regarded author of a number of successfuil books on the Avon list, including Cattail Moon and The Ornament Tree. She lives in surburban Seattle, Washington, with her husband Bob and four dogs.

From Publishers Weekly:

Graduates of the American Girls series who are looking for a slightly more sophisticated read may find what they seek in this period novel about a recently orphaned 14-year-old. There are plenty of surprises in store for Bonnie when, in the year 1918, she moves into her elderly cousins' boardinghouse in Seattle. The clashing personalities of roomers plus numerous household crises-cooks quitting on the spur of the moment, estranged spouses popping up unexpectedly, debts accruing at an alarming rate-create a series of conflicts nobly endured by gracious Cousin Audra and feminist Cousin Winnie, who are both frustratingly helpless at running a business. Although themes remain somewhat unfocused, the backdrop of labor strikes and flu epidemics offer a dramatic portrayal of American life just after WWI. Bonnie's personal dilemmas tend to get lost in the flurry of activity around her, yet the events that she witnesses provide some food for thought. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.