{"product_id":"icy-sparks-paperback","title":"Icy Sparks - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGwyn Hyman Rubio\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA \u003cb\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/b\u003e Notable Book and the March 2001 selection of \u003cb\u003eOprah's Book Club(R) !\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIcy Sparks\u003c\/b\u003e is the sad, funny and transcendent tale of a young girl growing up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky during the 1950's. \u003cb\u003eGwyn Hyman Rubio\u003c\/b\u003e's beautifully written first novel revolves around Icy Sparks, an unforgettable heroine in the tradition of Scout in \u003cb\u003eTo Kill a Mockingbird\u003c\/b\u003e or Will Treed in \u003cb\u003eCold Sassy Tree\u003c\/b\u003e. At the age of ten, Icy, a bright, curious child orphaned as a baby but raised by adoring grandparents, begins to have strange experiences. Try as she might, her \"secrets\"--verbal croaks, groans, and physical spasms--keep afflicting her. As an adult, she will find out she has Tourette's Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, but for years her behavior is the source of mystery, confusion, and deep humiliation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNarrated by a grown up Icy, the book chronicles a difficult, but ultimately hilarious and heartwarming journey, from her first spasms to her self-acceptance as a young woman. Curious about life beyond the hills, talented, and energetic, Icy learns to cut through all barriers--physical, mental, and spiritual--in order to find community and acceptance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong her journey, Icy faces the jeers of her classmates as well as the malevolence of her often-ignorant teachers--including Mrs. Stilton, one of the most evil fourth grade teachers ever created by a writer. Called willful by her teachers and \"Frog Child\" by her schoolmates, she is exiled from the schoolroom and sent to a children's asylum where it is hoped that the roots of her mysterious behavior can be discovered. Here Icy learns about difference--her own and those who are even more scarred than she. Yet, it isn't until Icy returns home that she really begins to flower, especially through her friendship with the eccentric and obese Miss Emily, who knows first-hand how it feels to be an outcast in this tightly knit Appalachian community. Under Miss Emily's tutelage, Icy learns about life's struggles and rewards, survives her first comical and heartbreaking misadventure with romance, discovers the healing power of her voice when she sings, and ultimately--takes her first steps back into the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGwyn Hyman Rubio's Icy Sparks is a fresh, original, and completely redeeming novel about learning to overcome others' ignorance and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGwyn Hyman Rubio has been nominated for a Pushcart Press Editors' Book Award and anthologized in \u003cb\u003eAbove Ground: Stories About Life and Death by New Southern Writers\u003c\/b\u003e. She is also a winner of the Cecil Hackney Award as well as a recipient of grants from the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.91 x 7.82 x 5.08 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 08, 2001\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAccelerated Reader:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQuiz Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Icy Sparks\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upper Grades, 9-12\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4.7\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/strong\u003e 15\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47253276885241,"sku":"9780142000205","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/c1gyRk5CejcwYVhNNjJYRDgrWjlzQT09.webp?v=1768699928","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/icy-sparks-paperback","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}