From Newbery Medal winner and bestselling author Sharon Creech comes a grand， sweeping yarn that is a celebration of the great and unexpected gifts of love， friendship， and forgiveness. With a starred review from Kirkus Reviews calling it an "enchanting tale to treasure，" The Great Unexpected captures the heart and the imagination. Humorous and heartfelt， this is a story of pairs—of young Naomi and Lizzie， both orphans in present-day Blackbird Tree， USA， and of Sybil and Nula， grown-up sisters from faraway Rook's Orchard， Ireland， who have become estranged. Young Naomi Deane is brimming with curiosity and her best friend， Lizzie Scatterding， could talk the ears off a cornfield. Naomi has a knack for being around when trouble happens. She knows all the peculiar people in town—like Crazy Cora and Witch Wiggins. But then， one day， a boy drops out of a tree. Just like that. A strangely charming Finn boy. And then the Dingle Dangle man appears， asking all kinds of questions. Curious surprises are revealed—three locked trunks， a pair of rooks， a crooked bridge， and that boy—and soon Naomi and Lizzie find their lives changed forever. As two worlds are woven together...