Someday

by Jackie French Koller

The building of the Quabbin Resevoir in western Massanchusetts in the 1930s signals the end of three small rural towns-and the beginning of a different life for 14-year-old Celie Wheeler.

Celie Wheeler's family has lived in Enfield, Massachusetts, for generations, and she would love to live there forever. For all of her fourteen years, though, the threat that Enfield and two other neighboring towns might be claimed by eminent domain to build the Quabbin Reservoir has been very real. For Celie the coming of the reservoir has always been "someday", far off in the future. But that "someday" has now arrived, and the secure happy world she's known will soon vanish. What does the future hold for her and her family?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Book Club

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

Jackie French Koller (born 1948) is an American author of picture books, chapter books, and novels for children and young adults. She lives and writes in western Massachusetts.

Koller is also an accomplished painter. Her interest in art inspired her to open The Little Black Dog Gallery in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Koller's young-adult novel If I Had One Wish was adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie under the title You Wish!.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it was decided that the Quabbin reservoir would be created by eliminating 4 towns, it was a classic city vs. country issue. Bostonians needed water, and rural citizens were being asked to give up their homes so they could have it. On the one hand, there are a lot more people in the Boston area than out here, that's still true, and all the citizens who had to leave were compensated for their homes, but I think to some of the people of the Swift River Valley felt like they weren't worth as much because they weren't from the city, a chip on the shoulder that lots of people in rural communities carry.

This book is a nice work of historical fiction that does a good job of presenting the point of view of the citizens of the Swift River Valley. French Koller interviewed surviving members of those communities, who are all elderly now since the reservoir was created in 1938. She doesn't just concentrate on how sad everyone was to leave home, though that's her main emphasis, she also points out that for some people it was an opportunity to try something new with a little money in one's pocket. The Depression had kicked everyone in the teeth, and the chance to start over was certainly welcome for some.

I read this book in hopes of using it as a read aloud with my third and fourth graders this year, but unfortunately it's really more of a middle school book. My kiddos would just be grossed out by all the lovey dovey stuff. I'm still hoping to teach them about the creation the the Quabbin reservoir, since it's so close to home. We're doing a geology unit in the fall, and I think it's the perfect local event to look at the conflicts that can arise over land use.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from the point of view of a young girl whose entire town will be wiped out when the valley it is situated in will
be flooded to create a reservoir. Takes place in Massachusetts in 1938, and is based on a true event.

[Tabby Martinelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a superb read. I am from the Quabbin area and have read this book with multiple classes, especially eighth graders. The ending is so emotional for me that I cannot read it aloud without tearing up. This is a great book for middle schoolers.

[Adeeti Devkota · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it a 3.5 to be honest. I hated Jake. He was just...gross honestly. I liked it though. There was no happy ending which broke my heart a little, but hey, not everything has a happy ending.

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There is no doubt that the availability of clean drinking water will continue to be an issue in the next century and beyond, but it is unlikely that a land grab the size of the Quabbin will ever be tolerated again. Today he opposition would be stronger and more organized. The people are more aware of their rights and have more resources available to help them protect this rights. New, more creative approaches to water Aquisitions must be and are being explored ... the days of cheap water, like the days of cheap power, are numbered in this country.” Pg. 213

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up after learning about the towns that were forcibly disincorporated to make room for the Quabbin Reservoir, and it was a really interesting fictional perspective. I could have done without the romantic subplot, which felt a little forced at times, but the main story was great.

CW: major character/family member death (grandmother

[Melonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this book because the house I grow up in was a home from the town of Enfield. My grandparents bought it for $1 and paid to have it moved to Indian , MA
Reading this book makes me wonder about the family that lives there before the town was flooded. The book certainly makes the flooding of the Swift River Valley come to life .

[YRM]

I've read most of this book but haven't been able to finish it since my late high school years. The story of a community coming together before their home is gone for good is an interesting topic to explore. And the fact that this is based on interviews/research the author did on real people who have faced this situation makes this story all the more compelling!

[Blanca Escoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book once i was at muy school singing Someday from the movie zombies in the library and then i found the book in one shelf and i was like OMG YES it was a great day

[Michael Kurrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my mother's biography fictionalized for young adults. The story of a valley, a set of towns, a local culture drown under a reservoir created to serve the needs of Boston.

[Deneen P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is historical fiction about the making of the Quabbin Reservoir. When I was little my Dad would take me fishing there once a year. He would share with me the history, which I found intriguing. This story portrays how many families felt (and still feel)at the flooding of their hometowns in order to pipe water to Boston. It goes through the process of moving cemeteries, homes, and whole lives.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my absolute favorite book.

[Atali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's about a girl who lives in a valley that the government plan to flood. They give the town a deadline of April 1.

[dene (Nene) · Rating 2 out of 5]

i love it

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I read books intended for 10 year olds. This was about the Quabbin Reservoir flooding and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Mary Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chidren's novel about the people who lost their homes and towns due to the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to hear about the history of the area I love in.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like part of a larger story.

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

NO .

[Mary]

Great historical fiction book on the 4 towns that sactrificed to form the Quabbin Reservoir.

[Narelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. SOMEDAY will arrive, and we can't do anything but enjoy what's left before it's time. Better days will come for sure. It's just matter of time :)