” ‘Know what that is, all around us, Winnie?’ said Tuck, his voice low, ‘Life. Moving, growing, changing, never the same two minutes together…Dying’s part of the wheel, right there next to bein’ born. You can’t pick the pieces you like and leave the rest… being part of the whole thing, thats the blessing.’ ”

Written by one of my favorite authors, Natalie Babbitt, this fanciful tale Tuck Everlasting is a delight to read, yet it has a strong message at its core. The message is that there is a time for everything – living and dying. It is the way all life on earth works. Life simply can not support us all living forever and multiplying. The author manages to get this point across clearly without saying “and the moral is:” which I also appreciated.

The Tuck family happened upon a stream in a wood that made them stop growing and changing, which also made it impossible for them to die or be killed. When a merchant hears this story and wants to make a profit off of it, everything gets interesting. Will he find the water and sell it to make his millions? What will become of the Tucks?

Winifred Foster leads a sheltered life. A couple of seemingly random occurrences all happen at the same time upsetting the wheel of life as she knows it. For the most part, we are watching everything happen through Winnie’s perspective which is one of the reason I love this book. We not only see whats happening, but we also get a clear picture of Winnie’s reactions to the various events. I really connected with Winnie as I felt like I would do the same in her situation.

Another interesting character is Jesse Tuck, the younger son. All of the Tucks view their predicament differently – a blessing, a curse, possible but will take work or just plain fun. I think all of these viewpoints are feasible for the situation. The last, just plain fun, is Jesse’s opinion. He drank the water when he was 17, and he only sees this as an opportunity for perpetual pleasure. He offers this life to Winnie, but does she take it? Would you take it?

There is only one scene that is remotely violent, but on the whole, I would say it would be fine for almost all readers.

Kate

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
ALA Notable Book, Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book, Janusz Korczak Medal, & Christopher Award
(c) 2002, A Sunburst Book, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Publisher Reading Level: 9-12
ISBN: 0-688-00938-7
139 Pages