Holding Up the Earth

by Dianne E. Gray

Book Overview

It has been eight years since Hope's mom died in a car accident. Eight years of shuffling from foster home to foster home. Eight years of trying to hold on to the memories that tether her to her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618007032
• ISBN13: 9780618007035
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

ALYSSA;THE FOSTER CHILD.

The book, Holding Up the Earth, was about a girl, Hope, whose mother died when Hope was six. She went to seven foster families before she went to a lady's named Sarah. This is about how Hope overcomes her mother's death, and learns to live with Sarah. I think that this book is well written,because about every other chapter the author has a diary or a journal explaning what has happened at the farm where they live in the past. I think that this helps you better understand the book. I would recommend this book to someone who likes Realistic Fiction. As far as age groups go I would recommend this book to children ten and up because there are words that younger children probably shouldn't be reading. If you love books that will lift your spirits this is the one for you!

Beautiful story- beautiful writing

I was very moved by this story that followed the lives of these interesting, connected women. I was fascinated by the non-linear way they were related- the way it was woven together, and the manner the main character was kept at the center of the story. I think this book is a must-read for 6th grade girls and above, its appeal to boys is questionable, although I think there is hope! The historical detail is rich, the themes of finding family and being true to yourself are well explored. This is one of my favorites!

This book really struck a chord with me

I thought that 'Holding Up the Earth' was a powerful, moving, and inspiring story. It is beautifully written and tells such a wonderful tale. Fourteen-year-old Hope goes with Sarah, her latest foster mother, to the farm in Nebraska where Sarah grew up. It has been eight years since her mother died and Hope doubts that she will ever find happiness or a real home. Then Anna, Sarah's mother, gives Hope the letters written by a girl named Abigail who was the first girl to ever live on the farm. Abigail was a pioneer and came to Nebraska with her parents in the 1800's. After reading Abigail's story, Hope reads the diary of Rebecca, a hired girl who lived on the farm and was Anna's mother. Hope then discovers Anna and Sarah's stories and meanwhile her mother's story and her own. All of the young women in this story are strong, intelligent, and have made a difference. All of their own stories are intertwined and relate to each other. Certain things, like the cherry wood bedstead and the gold-rimmed china, are present in several generations of women and help the stories flow together. I think that every girl or woman should read this book because the meaning and hope and lessons it has to share with us are so poignant.

Wonderful Characters, Great Story for All Ages

The teenage girls in this story are truly unforgettable. Each character struggles with the difficulties of growing up and being female in various time periods, and the book does a great job of showing the problems girls encountered in the days when women had few priviledges or options. But as you're reading, you also realize that many of the problems teenage girls face are the same in the 1800's as they are now. Beautiful descriptions of the Nebraska prairie, a compelling story, and characters that stay with you for a long time, this is a wonderful read.

Quality fiction for women of all ages!!

Dianne E. Gray has created a quality fiction book that should be of interest to ALL women!! This book follows young Hope as she travels with her new foster Mom, Sarah, to visit Sarah's Mom, Anna, on a farm in Nebraska. Once there, Anna and Sarah share with Hope letters, journals, and their own personal stories from when they were growing up on this farm at about fourteen or fifteen years of age. The first story takes place from 1869-1870, the second in the 1900s, the third in the 1930s, the fourth in the 1960s, and Hope's in the present. This is a very entertaining and hard to put down book!! Recommmended to women of all ages!!