num_pages: 210
description: When Eben McAllister reads about the Seven Wonders of the World, he longs to escape the small farming community of Sassafras Springs and do some exploring f his own. No one else ever seems to want to leave Sassafras however -- not even his best pal, Jeb -- and so, for now, Eben figures he's stuck on the farm with Pa and Aunt Pretty until he grows up.All that changes when his pa, tired of Eben's moping, challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras Springs that can stang up to the real Seven Wonders of the World. And if he does? Then Eben will get the adventure he's been craving for -- a trip out West. Eben doesn't reckon he'll have any luck -- he can't think of even one thing that would be called "interesting," let along wonderous, in Sassafras, but he figures he'll give it a try; there's nothing else to do in Sassafras anyway.While his mission puzzles and annoys some of his friends and neighbors, Eben perseveres, little knowing that he is in for a big surprise. For what with a singing saw, a floating table, and a truth-telling loom (just to name a few), the Wonders Eben will discover among his neighbors, friends, and family will give him the adventure of a lifetime...without his ever leaving home.Told in a down-home narrative with glimmers of magical realism woven throughout, and illustrated with sumptuous drawings by Matt Phelan, Betty G. Birney's tale about a boy's journey of discovery reminds us all that extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary of places...even in Sassafras Springs.
language: English
title: The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
titlecomplete: The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
genres: Fiction, Family, Historical, Juvenile, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Classics, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction
ratings_count: 2201
places: Missouri
awards: awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, awardedAt: 1199174400000
name: California Young Readers Medal
category: Intermediate, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature
publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers