The Unfinished Angel
>> Monday, April 8, 2013
Author: Sharon Creech
Recommended Age: 8 to 12
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061430951
Year Published: 2009
No. Pages: 176
Genre: Fantasy
Main Character Gender: Female
Read & Reviewed by: Mikaila
This book is about someone special, an angel. Angel lives in Switzerland in a 400-year- old tower called Casa Rosa. Angel watches over the village but she is unsure of her purpose. All this changes when she meets a girl named Zola, a girl who has strong opinions about what it means to be an angel and what angels should do. Together, Zola and Angel embark on acts of kindness that change the lives of the villagers. Even they can’t predict what effect they will have.
This book appealed to me because it was an easy, simple and a short read. I am what you would call a reluctant reader so, I initially picked it up to just get the book read. I ended up really enjoying it because it wasn’t what I expected- it was like no other book or film I have read or have seen about angels. This angel wasn’t so sure of her gender although, I found her more feminine than masculine. Most other angel stories have angels that are gorgeous, determined, and on a mission. Angel was none of these things, which made her a more refreshing character. She was more three-dimensional because she wasn’t perfect and, made mistakes. I wanted her to be successful; Sharon Creech gave me someone to cheer for in this book. Since I believe in angels, this made me question if my assumption of what an angel is meant to be, is accurate.
Sharon Creech writes this novel in a simple, yet cut to the bone way. Angel doesn’t speak English well because she was self-taught and so, the language is simpler and mixed up to mimic this. The language is similar to that of a young child which also helps reflect Angel’s innocence. Instead of saying, “people,” she says, “peoples” or “fabbagrating” instead of “fabricating.”
The theme of this novel is kindness and helping others. Zola helps Angel spread kindness in the village. There is a group of 8-10 kids that live in a chicken coop and who struggle to survive. With Zola’s and Angel’s help, they find food, water, and shelter. This act of kindness in turn, starts a domino effect. This showed me the importance of kindness and how one kindness can bring a multitude of others.
Angel didn’t know what to do, and she wasn’t perfect yet, she had a tremendous effect on others. This inspired me because it showed me that you don’t have to be magical or perfect to know what you’re doing to have an effect on others. Seeing this novel from Angel’s point of view also helped me understand the theme and the novel in a way I wouldn’t have done otherwise.
I would recommend this book for ages 8 to 12 because it was a simple read and the words weren’t challenging. Sharon Creech is a good author for kids and I have loved all of the books I have read by her including, Love that Dog and Hate that Cat.
Sharon Creech writes this novel in a simple, yet cut to the bone way. Angel doesn’t speak English well because she was self-taught and so, the language is simpler and mixed up to mimic this. The language is similar to that of a young child which also helps reflect Angel’s innocence. Instead of saying, “people,” she says, “peoples” or “fabbagrating” instead of “fabricating.”
The theme of this novel is kindness and helping others. Zola helps Angel spread kindness in the village. There is a group of 8-10 kids that live in a chicken coop and who struggle to survive. With Zola’s and Angel’s help, they find food, water, and shelter. This act of kindness in turn, starts a domino effect. This showed me the importance of kindness and how one kindness can bring a multitude of others.
Angel didn’t know what to do, and she wasn’t perfect yet, she had a tremendous effect on others. This inspired me because it showed me that you don’t have to be magical or perfect to know what you’re doing to have an effect on others. Seeing this novel from Angel’s point of view also helped me understand the theme and the novel in a way I wouldn’t have done otherwise.
I would recommend this book for ages 8 to 12 because it was a simple read and the words weren’t challenging. Sharon Creech is a good author for kids and I have loved all of the books I have read by her including, Love that Dog and Hate that Cat.
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