Miracles on Maple Hill

Sixty years after it was first published, Virginia Sorenson’s Miracles on Maple Hill remains as fresh as it was when it was first released in 1956. How is it that I had never even heard of this Newbery Award-winning book until it was an Amazon Daily Deal?

In a time of Iraq- and Afghanistan-induced PTSD, modern readers will completely identify with 10-year-old Marly, her shell-shocked former POW father, Dale, and her patient but overwhelmed peace-keeping mother, Lee. Lee hopes that moving into her own grandmother’s farmhouse, Maple Hill — “Up here, there’s all outdoors!” Grandma used to say — will help Dale heal and end the sullenness, tiredness and flashes of temper that have bedeviled the family. And it’s no spoiler to show more say that Maple Hill transforms the family and its dynamics. Hey, it’s right in the title! But the novel is never cloying, and readers — young and old — will adore every bit. Highly, highly recommended! show less

Marley's family (Mom, Dad, and slightly older brother Joe) leaves the big city to visit the rural Pennsylvania Maple growing area where her mother was raised. They meet nice neighbors, learn how to identify plants, and how to make maple syrup. That's pretty much the entire plot. The point of the book isn't telling a story so much as just being a gentle paean to an old fashioned, rural life. And that is fine. That's not the reason this book is so weak.
None of the characters are developed into truly interesting three dimensional people; they're all just cardboard cutouts who exist with only one or two personality traits. The blurb on the back of my edition says that the big "miracle" of Maple Hill is that it cures Marley's father's post show more traumatic stress disorder from fighting in the war. However, in the actual book, though this is strongly implied, we never see her father at his worst, and it's rarely mentioned... we just see him doing better and the Mom says a few times that this visit is good for him.
Perhaps the biggest of the many drawbacks that prevent this book from aging well... Marley and Joe seem constructed solely to reinforce 1950s era gender stereotypes. It's absolutely embarrassing how the author portrays Joe (12 I think) as brave and strong, while Marley (10) is weak and emotional and fearful. Ugh.
I'd skip this one. Most of the Newbery winners are excellent, but this one was a dud. show less

Marly's mother used to visit her grandmother on Maple Hill, where there was all the outdoors to play in, and where you might say that miracles happen. Now, Marly's mother has inherited the little house on Maple Hill, and Marly and her family are going to spend some time there -- weekends, and then the summer -- and Marly is hoping for a miracle. Her father came home from the war with deep psychological wounds, and life in their city apartment is not helping him recover. Maybe at Maple Hill, where there is work to be done in the fresh country air, their family can come together and be as they once were. Arriving in the early spring, Marly's family is introduced to the almost magical (but labor-intensive) process of collecting maple sap show more and converting it into syrup. They learn this, and many other useful things about country life, from their neighbor, Mr. Chris. Are there still miracles on Maple Hill? Marly is about to find out.

I enjoyed this book for a lot of reasons. It's what some people think of as a "typical" Newbery (though there are plenty that break the mold): female protagonist, rich writing and character development, not a lot of plot. I like that sort of story if the writing is truly good enough to draw you in, and it certainly is in this case. However, readers who enjoy a more action-packed narrative might get impatient with this story, which reads like a long, leisurely hike through the woods. I also appreciated the wealth of detail about maple sugaring (a process I have been involved in at my own grandparents' Pennsylvania farm, so I can attest to the accuracy of the description) and all of the nature description. The writing reminded me of Madeleine L'Engle -- perhaps not surprising, since this is a story from a similar era; only five years separate this book and A Wrinkle in Time. (L'Engle usually has a bit more in they way of plot, though, I would say.) I'm not sure how well or poorly this book handles the depiction of Marly's father's PTSD, since I don't have a great deal of knowledge on the subject. I will say, though, that any improvement he saw was not immediate, but was a slow process, aided, perhaps, by peace and work. Judging by the year of the book's publication, I'm guessing that the war her father served in was the Korean War, though I suppose it might have been WWII. My grandfather served in Korea, so that was another personal connection I made with this book. It was just the right book for me, so I would recommend it to readers who like the same sorts of contemplative, character-driven narratives that I enjoy. show less

This is a simple tale of the healing miracles of rural living and the work and friendships that Marly's family found. Ms. Sorensen addresses such ideas as the paradox between hunting and valuing life, the damages of war and the healing of nature, and learning to look beyond appearances and prejudices. Marly is an appealing character - wanting miracles to happen in her family, alternately annoyed with her older brother and then loving him more fiercely than ever. Watching Marly's family come together after the difficulties caused by the father's time during the war is a rewarding read.

Over the past year I have seen this book pop up over the blog world and kept meaning to check it out from the library to read. Well, a few weeks ago I did and what a treat it was to read! Someone once told me that a really good children's book is one that engages not only children but adults as well. Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen fits right into that category.

The story is about Marly, a young girl and her family, her Mother (Lee), her Father (Dale) and her older brother Joe. Marly's father has just returned from war and is having a difficult time re-adjusting to city life and family. He's not the same man he was when he went off to war. Marly and her family are very worried for him and in an effort to help him, they all show more decide to spend the summer at Marly's great grandmother's home on Maple Hill. Once there, the family finds healing, miracles an so much more!

This book a delight to read! Ms. Sorensen wrote a lovely story of family, friendship and miracles. What touched me most is the emphasis of getting back to nature and a simpler way of living. The theme of greeting the day with an open heart and mind and finding miracles in the simplicity of productive days, friendships and nature.

This would be a wonderful read aloud book for younger children and a read alone book for older ones. I'd recommend it for ages 7-10 and to kids of all ages! show less

Delightful story set right after WWII. Marly's dad comes home from the war and he's sad and mad by turns. The family relocates to Maple Hill, where they become immersed in the country life and learn about maple syrup and neighborly connections. Sweet but not treacly, and full of believable miracles.

While this book seems a bit dated if read as a current novel, there is no reason it can't be loved as historical fiction, albeit at a more recent date than the Little House series. First published in 1956, I'm sure the children then were thinking that the experiences of Marly and Joe were within the realm of possibility for themselves. And, while not labelled as PTSD, I think the father's difficulties after his return home from the Korean War may resonate with some current readers.
I was a bit bothered in the beginning with the sibling bickering which seems to be a standard theme in many books. Fortunately the siblings are shown to develop tolerance and appreciation for each other before the book's end.
A positive theme was the connection show more developed between each of the family members and their elderly neighbors. show less