Poppy and Rye - Softcover

Avi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0689837194 ISBN 13: 9780689837197

Publisher: Pocket Childrens Books, 2005

Synopsis

Devastated by the death of her friend, Ragweed, Poppy once again journeys through the vast and dark Dimwood Forest to bring the tragic news to Ragweed's family. But when Poppy and her prickly pal, Ereth the porcupine, arrive, they find Ragweed's family already in turmoil. The quiet serene valley where Ragweed lived has been flooded by beavers, and the mice have been forced to move for fear of drowning. Together Poppy and Rye, Ragweed's brother, face kidnapping and imprisonment, near death and a daring rescue to fight the beavers. Will they succeed? And will Rye manage to step out of Ragweed's shadow and prove himself worthy of Poppy's love?

About this title

About the Author

Avi has written over forty-five highly acclaimed books ranging from fantasies to sports stories, from tales of suspense and terror to historical adventure. In 2003 Avi won the Newbery Medal for Crispin.

From Kirkus Reviews

Still grieving over the loss of her beau Ragweed of Poppy (1995), the intrepid deer mouse decides to bring the sad news to his family in this uneven, heavy-handed sequel. Setting out from Dimwood Forest with her hopelessly infatuated porcupine friend, Ereth, Poppy arrives just in time to help Ragweed's parents and numerous siblings avert eviction. Led by ruthless Caster P. Canad, a crew of beavers has dammed up the nearby brook in preparation for a housing project. The mice have already been flooded out of one home, and their new one is about to be threatened. Saddened--but also secretly relieved to be out from under his brother's shadow--dreamy Rye dashes out to see what he can do against the beavers, and is quickly captured. Having fallen in love with him at first sight, Poppy organizes a rescue, urging the meek mice to fight back; they do. The bad guys silently depart, and Poppy and Rye set a date. Avi develops his characters to a level of complexity that provides a distracting contrast with the simplistic story, an obvious take on human land-use disputes, and easily distinguishable victims and villains. In language more ugly than colorful, Ereth chews over his feelings for Poppy in several plot-stopping passages, and is last seen accompanying the happy couple back to Dimwood. Readers may wonder who to root for in this disappointing follow-up to one of the best animal stories in years. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pocket Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689837194
• ISBN 13: 9780689837197
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192