The Secret of Old Zeb

By Carmen Agra Deedy

Book Overview

Some dreams are too big to be kept in bottles.
Walter Higgins is a scrappy child with a great imagination, but he feels lost and not quite sure of himself when he is shipped off to Boston to visit his unknown Great Aunt Hortensia ("the Warden").Walter is sure he is in for the worst summer ever. But then he befriends a mysterious neighbor, Old Zeb - a lonely, grizzled sailor who builds ships in bottles, and Old Zeb lets Walter in on the Great Secret Project. All summer Walter works faithfully on the Great Secret Project with Zeb and little by little, Old Zeb and Great Aunt Hortensia push him to realize his own dreams and discover the magic that can be released when one reaches for the stars.
New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy delivers a magical and fun-filled story about the power of reaching for impossible dreams and everything that is accomplished along the way.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561451150
• ISBN13: 9781561451159
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.4" x 12.3"
• Age Range: 6 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 3

Customer Reviews

A theme of chasing one's dreams to the sea and stars

The Secret Of Old Zeb is a charming softcover children's picturebook written for children ages 6 to 10 and is about ten-year old Walter, a boy whose summer visit to his great aunt promises to be boring - until he befriends a mysterious old sailor neighbor with a Great Secret Project hidden in the depths of his cellar! Inviting, caricature-style color artwork by Michael P. White and a theme of chasing one's dreams to the sea and stars mark this enjoyable, highly recommended picturebook story.

Secret of Old Zeb

Carmen Deedy has created another great book with imagination, cleverness and a wonderful message. I have read this to 4th grade classes who enjoyed it tremendously. However, reading it aloud does not allow the students to see the play on words she uses in the text, nor to appreciate the wonderful illustrations. My 8 year old granddaughter, Ginny, found these especially delightful when she read Zeb!