The Book of Bright Ideas: A Novel

Sandra Kring

May 2006 · Sold by Delta

About this ebook

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Sandra Kring's A Life of Bright Ideas.

Wisconsin, 1961. Evelyn “Button” Peters is nine the summer Winnalee and her fiery-spirited older sister, Freeda, blow into her small town–and from the moment she sees them, Button knows this will be a summer unlike any other.

Much to her mother’s dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mother’s ashes and a tome she calls “The Book of Bright Ideas.” It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no one–from Winnalee and her sister to Button and her family–will ever be the same.

Ratings and reviews

A surprising delight of a story that shocked me at how fast I read it. I've actually known real-life versions of both Winnalee & Freeda. Believe me, they were every bit the handful of firecrackers as their fictional counterparts.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit! Of course, I am a sucker for a good child narrator, but it was a good story with great characters and a far more interesting plot than it originally seemed to have. The ending was sort of sad... well, there's some hope, but I think I would've liked something a little more definite... Still, all in all, it was a very great read and I very much enjoyed it. I will definitely keep an eye out for her other books! Though, I must admit, the setting struck me as more of the south than Wisconsin, somehow...

A delightful book! I loved the detail oriented words. You could almost feel and see the objects in the story. It was a pleasure to read.

About the author

SANDRA KRING lives in the north woods of Wisconsin. She runs support groups and workshops for adult survivors of trauma. Her debut novel, Carry Me Home, was a Book Sense Notable pick and a 2005 Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award nominee.