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Bloomability
Bloomability
Author: Sharon Creech
When 13-year-old Dinnie Doone is plucked out of her troubled life by her aunt and uncle and whisked away to an international school in Switzerland, her world is turned upside down. Suddenly surrounded by different cultures, languages, and beliefs, Dinnie struggles to holdon to her past life. Gradually, through friendships and experiences she cou...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780439133067
ISBN-10: 0439133068
Publication Date: 1999
Pages: 273
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 10

3.9 stars, based on 10 ratings
Publisher: Scholastic
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

auntyb avatar reviewed Bloomability on
Helpful Score: 1
This honest, hopeful slice of adolescent life successfully explores how Domenica Santolina Doone, known as Dinnie, comes to terms with her past and establishes a secure identity for the future.
skywriter319 avatar reviewed Bloomability on + 784 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Classic Creech. Not as good as some of her other books, but interesting and full of intriguing characters.
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reviewed Bloomability on + 219 more book reviews
This honest, hopeful slice of adolescent life successfully explores how Domenica Santolina Doone, known as Dinnie, comes to terms with her past and establishes a secure identity for the future. Creech's skill at character development and subtle, effective use of metaphor shine in this first-person narrative with crisp, appropriately titled chapters. Deliberately, Creech introduces Dinnie as somewhat of a nonentity. Readers don't learn much about the specifics of her family life, only that her older sister and brother tend to get into various kinds of trouble, and that her parents are always looking for a new "opportunity" in some other town. By the second chapter, Dinnie explains that she's been "kidnapped" by her Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max, who take her with them to Switzerland to attend the school where Max is headmaster. In Dinnie's "second life" in Europe, her family continues to neglect her, forgetting even to let her know where they've relocated. Dinnie gradually adjusts to her new environment as she makes friends with other students from around the world: exuberant Guthrie; bitter Lila; and language-mangling Keisuke, who says "bloomable" when he means "possible." Together, these middle schoolers share classes and adventures, and explore ideas and emotions. As she reflects on her friends, her kind aunt and uncle, and her own vivid dreams, the youngster no longer sees herself as "Dinnie the dot in my bubble." Everyone can relate to the hard struggles of life, but, as the heroine comes to realize, the world is still full of "bloomability."
reviewed Bloomability on
This was my favorite book growing up - I've read it so many times!
reviewed Bloomability on + 17 more book reviews
This book is absolutly AMAZING. One of my all time favorites. It's about a girl who is forced abroad to a boarding school in Switzerland. She faces romance, difficult friendships, and her battles with her family. This book is great for teens.
wintersqt4ever avatar reviewed Bloomability on + 61 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book mroe than I thought I would. I liked the descriptions of Switzerland, they were extrememly vivid and made me feel like I was there.
reviewed Bloomability on + 80 more book reviews
Great book! Highly recommend it!!
annapi avatar reviewed Bloomability on + 334 more book reviews
Twelve year old Dinnie Doone has lived a nomadic life, with her father always pursuing the next "opportunity", and the rest of the family following in his wake. But her brother keeps getting into worse and worse trouble, and when her sister secretly elopes and gets pregnant, her mother decides to send her to live with her aunt and uncle in Switzerland, where they will be teaching. It's a great opportunity for Dinnie, but she feels terribly homesick.

I like Creech's books, but this one was a little disappointing. It had a great build-up, but somewhere along the way the storyline scattered and then petered out. Creech has a great way of putting the reader into the mind of her adolescent protagonists, but though I loved the characters, the story seemed to go nowhere and left me a little dissatisfied. Still, it's one to make a young person think, and the descriptions of Switzerland are beautiful.
reviewed Bloomability on + 2 more book reviews
A good read for teens.


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