The Ocean Within

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read aloud for a group of children...
Review: Caldwell's striking writing style emphasizes the emotions ofyoung Elizabeth, an eleven-year-old orphan faced with a boisterousfoster family who wants to adopt her. Rejected too many times in herlife, she refuses to believe they won't eventually send her away; and she rejects all offers of friendship and love until a steely grandmother finally breaks her resolve. A moving story of change, with a different emotional tone.

Rating:
Summary: A Rocking Good Book!
Review: Elizabeth is a Foster child, and the Sheridans is the 3rd family that asked to take her in, like the other 2 she agreed. After awhile of life in the Sheridan's home Karen and Kevin Sheridan ask if she wanted to be adopted, at first she didn't want too, but then she learned that over the summer all the Sheridan familys' were going to see their grandma that lived near the ocean! Elizabeth has never ever seen the ocean and yerns to see it, so she agees, hoping on the fact that Karen and Kevin will learn later that her quietness and the Sheridans loudness and laughter will never mix!

Over the first to Grandma's house Elizabeth meets many other Sheridans but her father is the littlest named Petey. Petey seemed to understand her better than all the others, as begin so quiet she spied and listened and learned a lot, the Grandma of the house punished her grandkids when the do bad things by spanking them as many times as their age! Elizabeth never got spanked, Adam (the oldest) said it was because she was 'specail'

Elizabeth has the ocean, but never dared to touch it, she has found a perfect name to call the 'grandma' that she didn't beileve was 'Her' grandma... Iron Women! Elizabeth has gotten in many fights with the fellow Sheridans but she didn't care because when this trip was over she'd be going back to the foster home... or is she???

I loved the book and the second book, Tides, and I hope you can read it!

Rating:
Summary: The Ocean Within Book Review
Review: I laughed and I cried. Then I laughed some more. The author has a very insightful view of an eleven year old girl struggling to come to terms with her emotional past, and learn to be apart of a very rambunctious and lovable family. Loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Touching Without Excessive Sentimentality
Review: In this book, Caldwell displays a well developed writing style that follows a young girl's acceptance into her adopted family. Elizabeth, who has been a foster child since she can remember, has developed an aversion to affection, and the family that adopts her is boisterous. While determined to accept her, the family is frustrated with her lack of response, and all of them have to adjust to redefine their family.

This book is revealing, showing the emotions of its protagonist starkly, and is free of the sloppiness that too often enters books with similar themes. It is a good read for children and young adults.

Rating:
Summary: Caldwell finally hits her shining star.
Review: The Ocean Within is an amazing story about a young girl who knows what it is like to be givin up. When Elizabeth is sent to another foster home she has givin up all hope that she will ever have a real family again. Elizabeths summer vacation starts when she is sent by her new parents to meet her new cousins and new grandmother. Her grandmother lives near the ocean. When she first arrives at the ocean she is quiet and unliked by her brothers and sisters. But that doesn't matter to her because she wants to see the ocean. Through out this book Elizabeth will live through many events that are breath taking and dangerous.

Rating:
Summary: The Ocean Within!
Review: The Ocean Within is one of the most wonderful books I have read!
This book is about a foster child named Elizabeth.
When she moves in with her foster parents Kevin and Karen.
After a few weeks she gos to see Kevin's mother Mrs. Sheridan.
Her cousins and grandmother are loud and big most of all they are a hugging kisses loving family. But Elizabeth stays apart knowing that one day she will be sent away. She soon hates the grandmother she calls Iron Woman. The only sane one in the house is 4 yr old Petey.Everyone is mad with her about how she never socializes with her as now temperary family.
She struggles threw out the story on how to deal with Iron woman.
When Iron Woman shows her whats it's liked to have a family and be loved.
I loved this book Irecomend it to children from the ages of
10 to 13.

Rating:
Summary: Touching and Revealing
Review: This was another one of those book discussion books. Reccomended to me by a close friend, I picked up The Ocean Within by V. M. Caldwell. This book tells the wonderful story of Elizabeth, an orphan who has been shipped around from foster family to foster family. Finally, Elizabeth meets the Sheridans, a family who wants to adopt her. However, Elizabeth shuts out all the love that the family gives her, when she spends a month with all the kids of the family, because of the great emotional loss that she has suffered. Even 4-year-old Petey, who calls her Turtle to remind him of her shyness, can't completely break down the barrier that stands between Elizabeth and the rest of the world. Even the ocean, the one thing Elizabeth always dreamed of, doesn't make her happy enough to break through her shell. This was the first book I had read about this type of experience, and I found it to be quite touching and revealing. Caldwell wrote this book in a fantastic fashion, showing the true emotions of Elizabeth and all of the Sheridans. This book was phenomanal, and I would openly recommend this book to any and all young adults looking for a good read.