Will Sparrow's Road
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Will Sparrow's Road Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Karen Cushman (Author), Katherine Kellgren (Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
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Will Sparrow, liar and thief, is running away—from the father who sold him for beer, from the innkeeper who threatened to sell him as a chimney sweep, from his whole sorry life. Barefoot and penniless, without family, friends, or boots, Will is determined to avoid capture and, of course, to find something to eat.

Some of the travelers he meets on the road have a kind word for him and a promise of better things to come, such as coins and juicy beef ribs. Eager to go along, Will repeatedly finds himself tricked by older and wiser tricksters. Each time, he resolves afresh to trust no one and care for no one. But luckily for Will, he can’t keep his guardup forever.

The lively goings-on behind the scenes of Elizabethan market fairs provide a colorful, earthy backdrop for Karen Cushman’s wise and funny story of a runaway who finally, and unexpectedly, stops running.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    5 hours and 9 minutes
  2. Author
    Karen Cushman
  3. Narrator
    Katherine Kellgren
  4. Audible release date
    November 6, 2012
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B009WW5BJC
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 5 hours and 9 minutes
Author Karen Cushman
Narrator Katherine Kellgren
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 06, 2012
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B009WW5BJC
Best Sellers Rank #381,076 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#15 in Audiobooks on Circuses for Children
#248 in Children's Books on Runaways
#1,412 in Children's European Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
62 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

rainonme
5.0 out of 5 stars Will sparrows road
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
I’m still a fan of “coming of age” stories. Especially those set in different times. This book held my interest from start to finish
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Blair Hopkins
4.0 out of 5 stars Great young adult read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
Delightful story about a band of misfits in Elizabethan England who create their own unconventional family. I enjoyed learning about this period of history and even bought the book for my 14-year-old nephew when I finished.
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224perweek
3.0 out of 5 stars Just ok
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
This story was ok..........not great but ok. I was a little bored with it and the kids I was reading it to seemed to be bored also.
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Deb Cushman
5.0 out of 5 stars Will is a Thief and Liar, but Can He Change?
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017
Verified Purchase
There are no breaks in life for Will Sparrow. But, when his father sells him to an innkeeper who plans to send him to the city to be a chimney sweep, he runs away and begins a journey that helps him find himself. All of the quirky characters he meets along the way help him grow into a boy who is nothing like the thief and liar that plagues his initial identity.
One person found this helpful
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Hope Irvin Marston
2.0 out of 5 stars "Too many characters and too many days at the fair for me"
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2015
I enjoyed CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY, THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE and MATILDA BONE, so I was eager to read WILL SPARROW’S ROAD. The book jacket is appealing, the story was a big disappointment. The first half intrigued me, but my attention began to lag midway and I had to force myself to finish the book. I couldn’t keep up with so many characters with yet another fair coming up. It seemed like too much of the same thing I had just read. Maybe I need to stick to Karen’s American stories. I thoroughly enjoyed THE BALLAD OF LUCK WHIPPLE.

-Hope Irvin Marston, author of EYE ON THE IDITAROD: AISLING’S QUEST
One person found this helpful
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Jim Hardison
5.0 out of 5 stars A great story!
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very good, very engaging, realistic and educational book for young readers that their parents can enjoy too. I read this with my eight-year-old and we both loved it. Good, solid story-telling combined with meticulous period detail. Highly recommended.
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April
4.0 out of 5 stars Teaches A Lovely Lesson
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2012
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
Will Sparrow has had a hard life. Sold at a young age by his father for a pint of ale, Will works at an inn but is not fed well so he must resort to stealing food. One day he steals a pie from the innkeeper which results in the innkeeper deciding to sell Will to the chimney-sweeps. He takes issue with this, and so goes on the run. Will Sparrow sees himself as a thief and a liar with no cares for anyone but himself. By happenstance, he ends up traveling with a troupe of oddities including an intelligent pig, a dwarf and a cat-girl. He does not realize the leader of the troupe is not exactly a kind and caring person. What drives Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman is the hope that Will overcomes his trust issues and lets others care about him.

The character of Will Sparrow was quite realistic for a 12 year old boy who has been kicked around. Cushman does a decent job showing how Will's backstory affects his attitude towards others. He is not wise beyond his years like plenty of other middle grade main characters. Instead, Will Sparrow is given the freedom to make mistakes and bad decisions and then grow from them. I thought that for Cushman's first main character that happened to be male, she did well.

Cushman's writing style isn't very hard to follow. She uses some vocabulary words that are fitting with the time period that Will Sparrow's Road is set in which enhances the story and really provides a sense of place and time. I liked the setting of the Elizabethan market fairs, because it is one that I have not encountered very much in my reading. I did find the pace to be a bit slow and I was not all that compelled to pick up Will Sparrow's Road in my free time, as I didn't entirely connect with will. However, I think this book has an audience.

Perhaps the best thing about Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman is the lesson it ultimately teaches -- to not judge others by their appearance. Cushman wonderfully shows how Will's snap judgments about others are wrong. It's a lovely lesson to learn and isn't exactly rammed down the throat of the reader. I'd recommend this book to 8-12 year old children with an interest in historical fiction as well as children with an interest in animals.
2 people found this helpful
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Joanna
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it.
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
Once again, Karen Cushman is the #1 at her craft. Made me feel like I lived in midieval times with Will. The author is the master of characterization and brings the hopes and dreams of her characters to life.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

homeschooler
5.0 out of 5 stars Bought it as an audio book
Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
We are listening to this novel on audio and are loving it. Highly recommended! True picture of what poor kids in the middle ages faced.
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