The Unfinished Angel

What happens when an angel is left floating around in a small town in the Swiss Alps without any supervision, training, or even knowledge of what an angel is supposed to be, do, or look like? For one angel, years (probably even centuries) have passed in peaceful existence. But when Zola, an American girl, moves into the tower room that the angel has occupied, life begins to get complicated. Zola is unique. She wears layers of clothing in bright disturbing colors. She yells at Vinny, the grandson of Signora Divino, who lives next door. She wanders around without any clear supervision. But most bothersome of all, she can see the angel, and she thinks she can order the angel around! Angel doesn't always want to do what Zola wants though, and sometimes angel doesn't know what Zola really wants, so accidents can happen. Creech spins a hilarious and delightful story about the antics of Zola, the pesky Divinos, awkward Mr. Pomodoro, and more residents of the Swiss village as she tackles the issue of an untrained angel who wants to help but doesn't always know how. Readers of all ages can enjoy this tale and will fall in love with both the lovely, lonely little angel that lives in the tower room and the strange, caring little girl who turns everything upside down. Reviewed by: Theresa L. Stowell

The Unfinished Angel is a wonderful book. It is for children or juveniles (a bit younger than I usually read), but it's really sweet. I think what attracted me to the book is the cover... or rather, the back cover :) The front cover is a simply drawn rainbow-colored pigeon. On the back or multi-colored pigeon footprints. It's adorable. I love rainbows, and the simplicity of this cover (with its intriguing title) drew me in. The story is told from the point of view (POV) of an angel, who readily admits he doesn't think he's all he's supposed to be. He doesn't have a mission; he doesn't know what he's supposed to do for people; nor does he have all the words he knows he needs to communicate properly. Reading from his POV is like reading a story told by someone who speaks English as a second language, but it's done well enough that you don't mind. I really enjoyed reading his made-up words. Some of them are just so perfect. For example, "... below the mountains is a blue-green lake, and above the mountains at night is a blue-black sky all pokeled with blue-white stars." Pokeled is exactly how the sky looks at night! He describes the secondary main character, Zola, as having "crippy-croppy hair." It certainly puts a strong image in my head. The book's plot is simple, and it doesn't end up finishing the angel or answering any of his many questions, but it's a sweet and simple story that I think would entrance younger children. If you have a 7-10 year old, this is definitely something you can read to them or with them.

In this tale of quirky characters and mystical beings, beloved author Sharon Creech gives fans a new perspective on the worries of the world, such as homelessness and child hunger. After developing a sizable fan base, Creech may be intentionally pushing at certain boundaries with this book about a young American girl named Zola Pomodoro who lives an adventuresome life in rural Switzerland while her father builds a school for children from all over the globe. Some authors choose a certain point in their careers to challenge social issues with their work, and this may explain why Creech is offering this treatise. Zola's father is an educator, and his goal is to teach peace and tolerance to youngsters from all nations in hopes of eradicating social evils. Zola is a social activist of her own merits and discovers local children hiding in a barn at night who don't have parents, food, clothing, or shelter. Zola sets out to remedy their plight but not by herself. She insists that a local "angel" living in the tower near her home help her aid the starving children. The "unfinished angel" is the primary narrator of this tale that centers on saving local children while a host of tangent plot lines circle at their own pace. A nasty neighbor who speaks Italian and throws garbage in Zola's yard is disarming with her temperament. Zola's dad is distant and distracted but always a constant in her life until mother and brother arrive (without explanations as to why they weren't there in the first place.) And then there is Zola herself: "Zola, she is intrigueful to me. In her many-layered clothings, with her chippy-choppy hair and the eyes with the big black poppils, in her sometimes bossy way, she has also the soft heart of a bunny. The soft heart is also a smart heart because it is not soft for every puny silly thing, but over the things that are matterful. Are you knowing what I am meaning?" This is the angel describing her new acquaintance, and Creech has decidedly projected a special image for this unique character while pushing the envelope of standard English. It is never quite determined what "unfinished" means, but the internal dialogues and the speeches delivered by the angel are colorful and creative to the point of possibly explaining the endearing moniker. It's obvious that the angel who shadows Zola on her quest for social justice is a being that didn't get everything from the heavenly factory that he or she (it's never clear which) should have, including a strong command of the English language. Or perhaps he/she is speaking a language unknown to anyone but other angels. Whatever Creech's purpose for writing THE UNFINISHED ANGEL, she aptly captures the reader's attention with the extra effort it takes to comprehend the narrator's speech patterns. After a chapter or two of getting used to the awkward syntax and creative word inventions such as "flooshing" and "stickly," the angel's words become charming and meaningful as if you are being taught

In an old stone tower in the Swiss Alps, life has been the same for one angel has for as long as it can remember. But one day peoples move into the Angel's casa. And the girl, Zola, can see the angel and begins to tell her to help people in the village. But the Angel doesn't like people telling her what to do. And how does Zola know so much about what an angel should do when the angel doesn't really know herself. This book is full of crazy characters like Signora Divino who lives next door and is always sneaking her snakes into their yard (they keep following her back home!). And her dog who barks arf, arf, arf, arf day and night until even the angel wants to kill it. And there's Signor Rubini who collects drawers full of blue socks because when he was a child he always had cold feet. And the bossy Zolo, the girl who moves into the Angel's casa. She wears at least 3 outfits at once even though it is summer. But the best is the angel who drops pinecones on the heads of people she doesn't like and has the craziest vocabulary--but deep down wants most of all to be a "finished" angel. I just loved every word of this hilarious book. I highly recommend it for both kids and adults.

I found The Unfinished Angel (uncorrected proof) in the trash bin of the newsroom where I work, along with other children's book proofs. I looked through the others and picked this one to read on a flight. I had never heard of Sharon Creech before. Three pages into Unfinished Angel, I turned to my wife and said, 'This is incredibly good.' I raced through the book. What a joyful experience, very funny, very touching. Maybe it is because my Italian grandmom, who couldn't read or write, talked just like this angel. Maybe it is because I am not at all religious but really need and want an angel. Or maybe it is because I don't have kids and got to share some in this wonderful book. The back cover, I think, said it was for children 7 to 12 - something like that. Ha! It is for anyone, any age. The humor and plays on words on are so imaginative. When I finished the book, I turned to my wife, a tear on my face, and said: 'It was poetry.' So I thank my angel for finding The Unfinished Angel in a trash bin. I have read several other Sharon Creech books since, and I am a huge fan -- Love that Dog, Hate that Cat, Two Moons. 'Unfinished Angel' is still my favorite. It lacks the deeper emotion of those other books, but it radiates joy. It's a treasure.