Homecoming (1) (The Tillerman Cycle)

It's still true. It's still true that Dicey and her three brothers and sisters are alone. It's still true that their mother abandoned them at a mall in Connecticut. It's still true that they have very little money. And it's still true that twelve-year-old Dicey must keep them safe, fed, and together. Dicey knows that if they contact the authorities, the siblings will most likely be split up in foster care. So, in a way that is clever, intuitive, and brave, Dicey leads her brothers and sisters from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to their Gram's house by the Chesapeake Bay in Massachusetts. The long journey leads the four children into danger and hunger, but Dicey Tillerman courageously and cleverly finds ways to keep them fed, warm, and away from authorities. At long last, the four find their way to Gram's house, where they have a home at last, perhaps. It's still true that their mother has abandoned them, and it's still true that children are wise, resourceful, and funny. I couldn't put this book down. You will laugh, cry, and recognize yourself in the passionate, gritty characters of the four Tillerman children--Dicey, James, Maybeth, and Sammy.

I'd worn out my copy of Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. Oh this is my favorite family story book. Real....really real people, who are not perfect but are brave and determined to survive...that's what this is about. And children at that. You will not believe what this little sibling group of four got through to survive alone on America's East coastal highway. It is mind-boggling and tender and sometimes hard to bear. But the result is so satisfying as they come to their journey's end and even fight to survive there. What victory and strength you'll discover as these four brothers and sisters depend on each other, fight their way through sorrow, hunger, heat, rejection and all through it discover their strengths and talents to make a life in this hard world. Along the way they meet memorable heroes who stop to help them and love on them and inspire them. All young teens should read this book. It will help them become their best selves. See Gee

I first read this book with I was eleven or twelve years old. I stayed in the libary at my middle school looking for books. I liked to expierement and try new authors or books. This one grabbed me becaue of the synopsis. I liked it and when I read it, I fell in love with Dicey and her siblings. THis story was well written and showed the strenght of four kids trying to find a way to thier grandmother's after being abandoned by thier mother in a mall parking lot.

In fifth grade I fell in love with this book. I read the tale cover-to-cover with the single-minded obsession that’s unleashed in me whenever I find a compelling story. The next week, at the school library, I turned my book in and checked out the sequel.I liked my book so much I bought a paperback copy at the school book-fair. Not wanting my book to be lonely I bought the sequel too. In seventh grade, on the way home from school I left my book on the bus. The next day a girl I knew handed it back to me. Inside the front cover she had written my name in pencil, but she spelled my last name wrong. Her handwriting distinguishes the copy as mine to this very day.My book moved with me from mom’s house to dad’s house and back-and-forth again and again. It followed me to the dorms in college, lived in a handful of apartments, and joined me for the years at my grandparents’ house. Today it sits in my condo on the bookshelf in our living room. Every year or two, no matter where I live or what has changed in my life, I scan my shelves looking for something to read. Inevitably my hand falls on the worn spine of my book, because this is the tale that speaks to me over all the others on my shelves.However, it wasn’t until winter dumped mountains of snow upon us last month that I realized the depth of what my book has done. For the first time since I’ve started writing seriously, I went and pulled my book off its shelf. I opened the cover, passed over my handwritten incorrectly spelled name, and turned to Chapter 1.I worried that maybe this time it would be different. That my writer’s brain would over analyze the author’s use of adverbs and choice for point of view. That I would no longer get lost in the story because somehow, after twenty-three years, I had out grown the tale. The story began and for the first two pages my brain screamed—throwing all my doubts at me. By the third page the voice was talking, by the fourth whispering, and by the fifth it was silent. Because this was my book, and it carries the magic that makes me want to be a writer.It was just as I remembered, but at the same time it was different too. I traveled with my heroine as she began a long, hard journey, and I thought Hey, that’s like in the book I'm writing. I saw the places she traveled because of the vivid detail and dead-on imagery, and I thought Hey, that’s like in the book I wrote. I saw two minor characters subtly named after cartoon characters that were linked to one another, and I thought Hey, that’s like in my book. Page after page went by. I loved every one of them, but by the end I knew what was different.It’s not that her story was like the book I’ve been writing, it’s that my story was like the book she had written decades ago. It’s that the author’s voice has spoken to me from the age of ten, and somewhere along the way her book became a part of me. Whatever modicum of skill I possess was unconsciously modeled after her talent, and she is an aspect of the voice I hear when I write. And I realized if I ever write something that shapes a whole person’s being, that’s when I will have done it right.Cynthia Voigt changed my life when she wrote Homecoming. I just didn’t know it until now.I wonder if she has a book too?p.s. This piece was written for an old blog of mine in March of 2013. At that time, I also forwarded this to Ms. Voigt. I was sitting on my boyfriend’s couch when the reply email came in, and I just kept saying, “She wrote back! She wrote back! She wrote back!” It took me a good twenty minutes before I could explain to him who had written back. It’s one of my favorite writer memories.

I've loved this book since I was a kid. I've enjoyed reading it to my kids a couple of times now. We used it as a book club book for my son when he was entering 5th grade, and later again, at my daughter's request, for her book club as she was entering 5th grade, as well. (Both are strong readers. The book is 400 pages and may be more than some want to tackle at that age.) This book is full of strong, quirky personalities and strong bonds between siblings. It's a great family read. It lends itself well to discussions of what it's like to not have money and what is most important for happiness.Homecoming is the first of many great books following an overlapping set of characters. Dicey's Song and A Solitary Blue (both award-winning) and The Runner are also favorites from my childhood and with my children.

Homecoming is a book I picked up from the library in fifth grade, and has stayed close to my heart throughout my life. This is a book that teaches compassion, and has hard, real life things for young minds to process. I am going to share it with my eldest child this year, and hope it brings her as much joy as it has brought me.

My favorite childhood book! Beautifully written by the wonderful author Cynthia Voigt. I had no idea that there are sequels (the Tillerman cycle). Truly a beautiful piece of art that has guided me through some tough times as a kid and taught me a lot about resilience. I enjoyed re-reading it again and again.

Superbly written compelling story of a 13 year old girl who takes her younger siblings to find a relative when her mother goes missing. My 14 year old daughter and I both separately enjoyed this tale very much. I had remembered my sister enjoying it as a teenager.

Classic read for 10-11 year olds. Fast delivery.

Read as a teenager and loved - rereading and reloving!Emotive text with a strong female lead in the form of the young Darcy. A lovely read.

Das Buch ist wunderbar zu lesen, die Sprache einfach und klar, die Situationen, die Charaktere und die Landschaft eindrücklich beschrieben. Band 1 macht Lust darauf, auch die anderen Bände des Tillerman Cycle zu lesen. Ich lese "Homecoming" mit meinen amerikanischen Schülerinnen (Alter 12-14) und auch sie finden, dass sich die Lektüre wirklich lohnt.

Purchased it for my niece because I truly loved this series growing up