When Eben McAllister reads about the Seven Wonders of the World, he longs to escape the small farming community of Sassafras Springs and do some exploring f his own. No one else ever seems to want to leave Sassafras however — not even his best pal, Jeb — and so, for now, Eben figures he's stuck on the farm with Pa and Aunt Pretty until he grows up.

All that changes when his pa, tired of Eben's moping, challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras Springs that can stang up to the real Seven Wonders of the World. And if he does? Then Eben will get the adventure he's been craving for — a trip out West. Eben doesn't reckon he'll have any luck — he can't think of even one thing that would be called "interesting," let along wonderous, in Sassafras, but he figures he'll give it a try; there's nothing else to do in Sassafras anyway.

While his mission puzzles and annoys some of his friends and neighbors, Eben perseveres, little knowing that he is in for a big surprise. For what with a singing saw, a floating table, and a truth-telling loom (just to name a few), the Wonders Eben will discover among his neighbors, friends, and family will give him the adventure of a lifetime...without his ever leaving home.

Told in a down-home narrative with glimmers of magical realism woven throughout, and illustrated with sumptuous drawings by Matt Phelan, Betty G. Birney's tale about a boy's journey of discovery reminds us all that extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary of places...even in Sassafras Springs.

"How do you keep them down on the farm after they've read about the Seven Wonders of the World? That's one of the heart-tugging questions gently raised in Birney's (The World According to Humphrey) tender and captivating gem of a novel. Farm life in dusty Sassafras Springs, Mo., in the early 1920s seems pretty boring to young Eben McAllister, who longs to see the world's big cities, the pyramids and the other grand things that he's pored over in books. He may get his wish, too, when he accepts his father's challenge to find seven true wonders right in his hometown. The prize is a train journey to visit relatives in Colorado. Eben's search turns up the sparkle to be found in everyday life when one takes the time to look — and even listen — for it. Through a series of neighbors' and his own family's colorful accounts, Eben finds a bit of surprising magic right under his nose, and begins to view the people around him differently, too. Birney's engaging, memorable cast and homespun phrasing convey a comfortable, porch-sitting tone that emphasizes the power of story. Phelan makes his children's book debut with the accompanying sweet, rustic pencil drawings that bring Eben's journey into clearer view; he often places silhouettes of characters gazing at one another across a spread, to pique readers' interest. One full-page drawing per Wonder helps dramatize why each qualifies for the definitive septet. Ages 8-12. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Eben McAllister's pa challenges him to find seven wonders in boring and predictable Sassafras Springs that rival the real Seven Wonders of the World. Little does Eben know that what he'll discover will give him the adventure of a lifetime. Illustrations.