Release Date: January 20, 2015 (40th Edition)
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 192 pages
Blessed with—or doomed to—eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less of a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.
A brand-new introduction from Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked, and additional bonus materials make this special edition of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting a must-have for lovers of the book and a great way to introduce a new generation to a classic.
Would you believe me if I told you I've never read this book? Shocking, I know. I will say, I've watched the movie and I really enjoyed it. I have the book now so this will be changing and it will be changing VERY soon. Books are always better than movies and I'm excited about this because I enjoyed the movie. I had to see the movie. Part of it was film not only in my state but in my county. It's not every day that happens - and we stayed until the very end of the credits so we could see "Thanks to Harford County" in the film.
But that's not why I'm here - I am here to answer the burning question of "what if you could live forever?" We've all thought about this question, right? The idea of dying is scary so the idea of living forever sounds pleasant but is it? I don't think so. Forever is a really long time, especially seeing people come and go. I'm not sure I could do it but let's say that I could do it - what would I do with all that time? I'd like to think of myself as someone who would make a change in the world; try to make this world and the future a better place for those who are mortal and those who can and will die. Everyone deserves the best life possible because it may be the only one you get (depending if you believe in reincarnation or not, but that's another story).
I think I'd go fight in a war or two. Imagine the good you could do when you can't die. I'd like to think the war(s) I'd fight in would be the last because after that, there'd be no point in war. Maybe when I'm done being a hero, I'd look in to an education in medicine to help the sick and the poor, who couldn't afford medicine. I'd volunteer to help out in places where most people are afraid. Like, for example, Africa last year when the Ebola outbreak reached an all-time high. I'd be the first doctor to volunteer to help because I knew I'd be safe. Just imagine the good I could do there, too. Maybe I can't save everyone but at least I won't have the fear of dying in the process of helping. I mean, just think about it - the opportunities are endless. If I was stuck on this earth for eternity, I'd want to make the most of it and help everyone I could.
But I need to have fun, right? I'd make sure in between my time helping others, I'd travel the world. There wouldn't be a place in this huge world I wouldn't visit and who knows, maybe I'd even travel space because, why not?
As fun as it would be and as humble as it would make me for all the helping of others I'd be doing, I'd find it boring and depressing. I do believe the one thing that most mortals fear, I'd be wishing for more than anything. An end. Because there isn't one in sight for those who live forever.
So now I ask you, what if you could live forever . . . would you?
About the Author:
A gifted artist and writer, Natalie Babbitt is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting, The Eyes of the Amaryllis, Kneeknock Rise and many other brilliantly original books for young people. She began her career in 1966 as the illustrator of The Forty-ninth Magician, a collaboration with her husband. When her husband became a college president and no longer had time to collaborate, Babbitt tried her hand at writing. Her first novel, The Search for Delicious, established her gift for writing magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned her a Newbery Honor Medal, and in 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture. Natalie Babbitt lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a grandmother of three.
*Biography courtesy from Macmillan's website
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I will have to get this; I have never read the book either but I loved the movie. And the book is always better than the movie so I'm looking forward to it :)
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