What do you think?
Rate this book
Wren
Wren’s gleeful mood at becoming lead in the summer musical crashes with the news of her mother’s diagnosis of advanced-stage Breast Cancer. While her mother focuses on healing, Wren is sent to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.
Grandma and Grandpa live on an acreage of rural land. The not-so-typical grandparents are aging hippies with goats, chickens, and alpacas as companions. Wren finds that happiness comes with new friends, increased independence, and acres of woods to explore. She tries to discover what she wants to do when she is grown—an archaeologist, or ranger, perhaps a writer or a singer?
Without cell phone reception and internet access, Wren feels detached from those back home. Chiggers bite. Spiders lurk. An owl calls outside of Wren’s window. Sometimes Wren gets scared. Yet, even bleak sorrow and loss are no match for family, friendship, and laughter.
Grandma and Grandpa live on an acreage of rural land. The not-so-typical grandparents are aging hippies with goats, chickens, and alpacas as companions. Wren finds that happiness comes with new friends, increased independence, and acres of woods to explore. She tries to discover what she wants to do when she is grown—an archaeologist, or ranger, perhaps a writer or a singer?
Without cell phone reception and internet access, Wren feels detached from those back home. Chiggers bite. Spiders lurk. An owl calls outside of Wren’s window. Sometimes Wren gets scared. Yet, even bleak sorrow and loss are no match for family, friendship, and laughter.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 13, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 28, 2020
A Sensitive & Profound Teen Journey Filled With Summertime Sweetness & Daring Adventures!
Overview: While her mother deals with a diagnosis of advanced-stage breast cancer, Wren is sent to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Living without cell phone reception and internet access, Wren feels detached from those back home. Nevertheless, she learns a valuable lesson—Sorrow and loss are no match for family, friendship, and laughter.
Author Alice Longaker pens a highly personal and emotional coming-of-age journey for her wry yet affable teenage character, Wren, in this diary-style story. As she transitions from adolescence to womanhood, Wren’s humorous yet touching memoirs elicit summers spent chasing butterflies—or in Wren’s case, spiders—even as she copes with tough circumstances like homesickness, adolescent changes, shyness, boys, and rocky friendships. Readers get to know a precocious and talented young teenager who is far from home and on the brink of becoming a young woman as she wrestles with life changes and the possible loss of her mother.
Longaker’s memoir writing style in this novel allows readers to form an intimate link to her plucky main character as she regales readers with Wren’s quirky but profound reflections on daily life. The author sweeps us along on several hilarious adventures with her hippie grandparents and introduces us to new circumstances and friends.
“Wren” is filled with summertime sweetness and daring adventures. The story comes without the sappiness or idealism one expects with the usual coming-of-age read. This novel deals with difficult topics while providing lessons on how to move through Life’s toughest challenges with positivity, self-assuredness, and a healthy dose of prayer.
I highly recommend “Wren” to anyone, ages 12 and up, who loves a sentimental story that deals with life’s greatest joys and tragedies. It’s worth noting that the story also covers much of the history and flavor of the Ozark region. “Wren” is a must-read novel for pre-teens, teens, and young adults. This is a sensitive and profound journey not to be missed.
Overview: While her mother deals with a diagnosis of advanced-stage breast cancer, Wren is sent to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Living without cell phone reception and internet access, Wren feels detached from those back home. Nevertheless, she learns a valuable lesson—Sorrow and loss are no match for family, friendship, and laughter.
Author Alice Longaker pens a highly personal and emotional coming-of-age journey for her wry yet affable teenage character, Wren, in this diary-style story. As she transitions from adolescence to womanhood, Wren’s humorous yet touching memoirs elicit summers spent chasing butterflies—or in Wren’s case, spiders—even as she copes with tough circumstances like homesickness, adolescent changes, shyness, boys, and rocky friendships. Readers get to know a precocious and talented young teenager who is far from home and on the brink of becoming a young woman as she wrestles with life changes and the possible loss of her mother.
Longaker’s memoir writing style in this novel allows readers to form an intimate link to her plucky main character as she regales readers with Wren’s quirky but profound reflections on daily life. The author sweeps us along on several hilarious adventures with her hippie grandparents and introduces us to new circumstances and friends.
“Wren” is filled with summertime sweetness and daring adventures. The story comes without the sappiness or idealism one expects with the usual coming-of-age read. This novel deals with difficult topics while providing lessons on how to move through Life’s toughest challenges with positivity, self-assuredness, and a healthy dose of prayer.
I highly recommend “Wren” to anyone, ages 12 and up, who loves a sentimental story that deals with life’s greatest joys and tragedies. It’s worth noting that the story also covers much of the history and flavor of the Ozark region. “Wren” is a must-read novel for pre-teens, teens, and young adults. This is a sensitive and profound journey not to be missed.
September 22, 2017
Wren's summer is not going as planned. Her mom has stage 4 breast cancer and so rather than the lead in a musical, she's spending summer in the Ozarks on a farm with her grandparents.
While not written as poetry, Wren's journal entries remind me of the writing of Margarita Engle, simple but rich. The highest praise for Wren: the book was much too short. I want to continue to walk alongside Wren as she flits through life.
An excellent debut by a Colorado author.
While not written as poetry, Wren's journal entries remind me of the writing of Margarita Engle, simple but rich. The highest praise for Wren: the book was much too short. I want to continue to walk alongside Wren as she flits through life.
An excellent debut by a Colorado author.
December 3, 2017
A beautifully written story, with some touching moments, some amusing moments, and a great main character that readers can relate to.
May 4, 2019
A poignant coming of age story told through the journal entries of a young teen as she spends a summer with her grandparents on their farm. The author has a poetic style that captures the sights and sounds, the feel of the setting in a way that brings you there. She chronicles the ever-changing emotions girls experience at that age with empathy and insight. Touches on some serious subjects respectfully and skillfully. A short read overall, although I found myself lingering over some of the sentences or passages that were like poems within themselves. I enjoyed this quietly rewarding read.
July 13, 2017
An expertly woven story about Wren, a young Colorado teen, visiting her grandparents in Arkansas while her mother is being treated for cancer. Wren meets the locals, and like many who go live in a new place, she learns a lot about the world and herself while in Eureka Springs. The writing is poetic and Wren's voice is captivating from beginning to end.
September 3, 2017
Wren
Cute story appropriate for Ten to fourteen year olds. Good family story and how people and places aren't perfect, but still enjoyable. That life is both happy and sad but to appreciate it all.
Cute story appropriate for Ten to fourteen year olds. Good family story and how people and places aren't perfect, but still enjoyable. That life is both happy and sad but to appreciate it all.
June 14, 2018
Sweet love story
When I say sweet love story I don't mean romance. This book is about a young girl coming into adolescence. Learning about love of family, life, death and nature. It's well written and worth reading.
When I say sweet love story I don't mean romance. This book is about a young girl coming into adolescence. Learning about love of family, life, death and nature. It's well written and worth reading.
August 15, 2017
A lovely story.
July 27, 2019
Short, very sweet read. Touching, without being cloying. (- and Arkansas!) Highly recommended.
April 22, 2017
New to Goodreads--my first review. Tried to post on Amazon, but since I never order from them...
Good for young teen girls. A short, but satisfying read, and the author chose a unique character to tell the story. The plot is straightforward but with some unexpected surprises. Safely deals with sensitive issues without making reader (parent or teen) feel uncomfortable. Wren would hold up well in a book club discussion.
Good for young teen girls. A short, but satisfying read, and the author chose a unique character to tell the story. The plot is straightforward but with some unexpected surprises. Safely deals with sensitive issues without making reader (parent or teen) feel uncomfortable. Wren would hold up well in a book club discussion.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews