Bloomability

Sharon Creech

The only way Dinnie Doone can keep track of all the places her family has lived during her 13 years is by writing them in a notebook as they move to a new home and "better opportunity" for her nomadic father. But this move is the most drastic. Her parents send her with her aunt and uncle to a private school in southern Switzerland.

Her uncle is the new headmaster there. Her older brother and sister are having problems. Her parents agree for her to go with her aunt and uncle. Dinnie goes because she has to. Once in her new room in Switzerland she puts signs in her window saying "kidnapped". That's how she feels. She's away from her family and everyone she knows. She doesn't even know her aunt and uncle.

Because she has no choice, Dinnie settles in the new school. She is classmates with children from around the world - American, like herself, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Canadian, and on and on. Their parents may be ambassadors or businessmen or travelers or even stay at home parents who wanted this opportunity for their child. \

Dinnie keeps track of her days and her dreams in her notebook. Bloomability is her story as she lives it. The word itself is a mixed up version of possibility. All the kids in her class pick up on these twisted English words and make them their own. By the end of the book Dinnie has seen the "bloomability" of the past year and her future.

Sharon Creech worked with the American School in Switzerland and was able to draw on that experience to write this book. It is interesting to watch Dinnie adjust and grow and remain homesick all at the same time. Bloomability shows the young teen how everyone has to make adjustments and how they can be made.

I chose this book because I wanted to read about the Swiss countryside in a contemporary setting. Sharon Creech has shown the countryside with the mountains and the lakes and the trees and the fresh air. It makes me want to look into those lakes. She also gives some glimmer into the other side of Switzerland. Early in the book Dinnie hears thundering sounds. It is the Swiss military on practice maneuvers. When she complains that Switzerland is neutral, her uncle answers that they need a strong military to remain that way.

Bloomability is a good blend of story and surroundings. I think that a young teen girl enjoy this book and get caught up with Dinnie.