The Key to Extraordinary

“But whenever I walk through Blackbird Hollow Cemetery and I call out the names on the stones, I always feel…something. I know they aren’t here, those folks. But I believe they’re somewhere. And maybe what I feel is their happiness when they pull back the curtain and take a look at what’s happening back here on earth.”

Emma describes her belief in ghosts. Although she acknowledges that they may not be tangible, she can feel their presence. The curtain that Emma refers to suggests a thin barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead, adding a magical element to the narrative.

“It wouldn’t have surprised me one bit if Blue’d popped a wheelie and driven that motorcycle straight into heaven. Kind of like Elijah, in the Bible, with his chariot of fire. Except we’d be on a Harley-Davidson.”

Emma remembers riding with Granny Blue on the woman’s motorcycle on her 10th birthday. She alludes to the Bible and the prophet Elijah, who, despite facing much adversity, never wavered in his belief in God and was rewarded by being transported to heaven in a chariot of fire. By comparing Blue to Elijah, Emma indicates how much she reveres and trusts her grandmother, who also remains tough and steadfast through life’s challenges.

“Sickness hovered over my mama like a shadow, traced dark circles under her eyes, and pulled her skin tight against her bones.”

Emma remembers how ill her mother was on her 10th birthday. She compares her mother’s sickness to a shadow that will not leave her alone; additionally, she personifies sickness as a person who has control over her mother’s appearance, creating “dark circles under her eyes” and drawing her “skin tight.” Both literary devices show how advanced and extreme the illness is.

“I didn’t see any sort of run-down dump when I thought of the cafe. I saw shade trees tossing shadows across our little back porch. I saw long walks in the woods and mornings among the graves. I saw wildflowers blooming even in the ditch by the road.

And I thought about how just the promise of this place feels to me. Like when school was the pits and I finally got to climb on the bus. I felt the bump on Station Camp Road and knew I was nearly home, to the Boneyard Cafe.”

Emma learns that Granny Blue might sell the Boneyard Cafe because it is run down and they need money. Instead of seeing its faults, she expounds on the beauty and feel of the place, making it clear that it provides her with comfort and love and is home. The contrasting viewpoints, as well as Emma’s atypical description of the graves as comforting, demonstrate that perspective matters and shapes a person’s choices and actions.

“I closed my eyes, took a steadying breath, and whispered my mama’s words: ‘Fear is just a flashlight that helps you find your courage.’ I wondered what she might say if she was there with me. She would see it all as a mighty adventure.”

When Emma first sings to the Conductor and ventures alone into the graveyard at night, she is terrified. However, she recalls what her mother said about fear, using a metaphor to compare it to a flashlight used to find courage. This metaphor suggests that a person cannot have courage without fear. This vestige of her mom gives Emma the strength to continue her quest to summon the ghost.

“The rain clouds hadn’t burst yet, but they stretched like a silver warning overhead. It was a spooky, lovely day.”

The day after having her Destiny Dream, Emma observes the ominous sky. The simile comparing clouds to a warning suggests that a storm, literal and figurative, is brewing, as both rain and the whirlwind of Emma’s destiny are imminent. Furthermore, the contradictory adjectives—spooky and lovely—mirror Emma’s emotions about her dream. Although excited to have her destiny revealed, she is terrified because she does not understand it yet.

“The storm clouds had drifted away to reveal the setting sun. I stared down at our shadows on the ground and realized grief feels exactly that way sometimes, like a flat shadow. Because I can’t kick it off. Because I always see it beside me, behind me, in front of me. I hate the way it sticks right with me.”

After Emma reveals her fears to Earl to comfort him, the clouds part. The clear sky represents Emma’s vulnerability and honesty since, in this passage, she admits just how constant her grief is. By comparing that grief to a shadow, she acknowledges that her sadness about her mom never has and never will leave her because shadows are always present.

“Granny Blue smiled fondly. ‘What’d my Emma do?’ I felt my heart thrill at those words. I loved when she called me her Emma.”

As Club Pancake discusses Warren Steele’s proposal and Emma stealthily listens in, Peri talks kindly of her. Blue’s reaction shows just how much she loves her granddaughter, not just in her smile but in her claim to the girl. Furthermore, Emma’s adoration of Blue is evident in the “thrill” she feels. Their close bond shows that despite any disagreements, Emma and Blue love each other deeply.

“Cody Belle wrapped her arms around her mom’s waist. And her mom tugged her close and kissed her on top of the head. I felt shot through the heart at the sight of it; I tried to imagine my mama’s arms wrapping around me again. But the memory of a hug isn’t the same as the real thing.”

Grief hits Emma at unexpected moments, like when she is in Cody Belle’s trailer. Seeing her best friend hug her mom leaves Emma feeling “shot through the heart,” or wracked with grief at what she no longer has. The memory of her mom is not enough to make the missing go away because she cannot physically hug her own mom anymore.

“And those trees are always swaying, just slightly. Even when there’s no wind that you can feel, you can still see the branches shaking and shivering. The trees in the Wailing Woods are never silent; they always sound like they’re whispering secrets to one another.”

As Emma and Cody Belle travel through the Wailing Woods, Emma makes this observation. In addition to showing how much she pays attention and notices everything, the simile comparing the trees to people whispering adds an element of magic to the woods, almost as if the trees are alive and could reveal secrets to her. This also foreshadows the messages that the Telling Vines carry.

“‘Survey if you must,’ I told him. ‘We’ll wait here peacefully. And when you go back to your snake of a boss, Warren Steele, please tell him that we are here to protect this place. No matter what it takes.’”

Emma confronts Warren’s surveyors in front of the cemetery gates. Her interaction shows her confidence and maturity, as she is firm but calm. Additionally, her words indicate that she is applying Daphne Prescott’s lesson that words have power if one uses them, which demonstrates the theme The Impact of Family Legacy.

“Thousands of flowers circle the house and barn, blooming up into the hills. From an angel’s point of view, I believe, Starbloom Farm looks like a big quilt, patched together by blooming, firework colors. As we watched, the wind whispered across those blooms, carrying the smell of lavender and a warm summer day.”

In her description of Peri and Greta’s flower farm, Lloyd uses multiple literary devices. First, she uses a simile to compare the expanse and color of the flowers to a quilt. A quilt is a difficult blanket to make, crafted with meticulous care and effort; furthermore, it often symbolizes comfort for the coziness it provides. This simile emphasizes not just the significance of the flowers but also the relationship that Emma has with her aunt and uncle. They take great care of her and make her feel loved. Additionally, the wind is personified as whispering through the flowers, which is foreshadowing for the messages that the Telling Vines reveal in the breeze.

“‘Sometimes they’d follow their beloveds into war,’ I said to Cody Belle. ‘Other times, they’d dress like men so they could fight. And some people fought without ever pulling a trigger.’ I pulled the Book of Days from my bag and pointed out an entry to Cody Belle.”

When Peri talks about Tennessee’s involvement in the Civil War, Emma adds that women also volunteered in different ways. She points out the journal entry of Rachel Miller, a Wildflower who refused to give up her family to Confederate soldiers. Emma’s observation that people can fight without using a gun speaks to the legacy of strength imbued in her family. Although the pressure to become a Wildflower is great, Emma is inspired by their creative and powerful contributions.

“Everything wonderful is possible. My mom used to say that. The memory of her voice blew across my heart like a soft breeze. And it was gone just as quickly.”

When the kids find the Abernathy chimney, Emma recalls her mom’s words. The memory gives her comfort, suggested by the comparison to a soft breeze that feels soothing on the skin. This moment highlights how much Emma’s mom impacts her even though she is no longer there, which fuels not only the theme of The Power of Community but also The Impact of Family Legacy. Emma draws strength from her mother’s words, which serve as a reminder of what the Wildflowers in her family are capable of.

“Cody Belle leaned into me, barely whispering, ‘Do not cover your mouth.’”

When Beretta Simpson finds the group in the woods and mocks them, Cody Belle whispers this to Emma. Implied in her words is that Emma should not be ashamed of her scars. She should stand tall and proud. These words not only empower Emma but also indicate just how kind, loyal, and fierce Cody Belle is as a friend.

“‘This jar contains the rarest and most wonderful of all ingredients you will ever cook with, Emma Pearl: pure, undiluted hope.’

Blue pinched a small amount from the jar and snapped the dust in the batch of Boneyard Brew. When hope hit the surface, the whole cauldron bubbled and sparkled.”

The secret ingredient in Boneyard Brew is dust from the North Star, which provides hope. Because hope is not a tangible ingredient, the dust is another magical element. When the powder is dropped into the hot chocolate, the entire brew “bubble[s] and sparkle[s].” Much like when a person has optimism and hope, they become energized and motivated to work through challenging situations.

“But I was thinking so much about Mama that summer. It’d been a while since she’d gone. But it’s like it was all crashing against me then. And my heart was a mess.”

Topher explains how he fell in love with Waverly and how he messed things up with her because he was (and still is) grieving the loss of their mom. His reflection that his “heart was a mess” and that the grief was “crashing against” him signifies the messy, unpredictable nature of grief. Even though time has passed since their mom’s death, Topher still endures moments of intense pain and sorrow. His experience demonstrates that grief never fully disappears.

“Love above everything; that’s the choice she would have made.”

When Emma learns that no one can find Earl, she leaves the treasure chest with Warren. Emma is the only person who knows where Earl is because he revealed his sanctuary—underneath his house—to her earlier. She chooses her friend over riches because she understands that loved ones are more valuable than any amount of gold. Emma believes that she is walking away from her destiny, but she is actually walking toward her treasure: the people she loves, including, in this case, Earl.

“For a flicker of a second, I wondered if I could make it back to the cafe in time to save the treasure. To claim it as mine. I knew I’d made the right choice when I left it behind to help my friend. But walking away forever was hard. The treasure belonged to somebody else now. That realization didn’t just make me sad; it made me ache.”

After rescuing Earl, Emma wonders if she could still get the treasure. Although she knows that she made the right choice in coming to the aid of her friend, it is difficult to give up something that could have helped her family. Her sadness and aching highlight a lesson from one of the Wildflowers, that sometimes doing the right thing is hard and can leave a person with scars. Although Emma is not physically harmed, her wound is emotional.

“Lily Kate had already written her dream in the Book of Days. Instead of completing her entry, she ripped out the page, so we could keep our work secret. And so we became conductors, leading the enslaved out of the woods and into the sanctuary of the caves beneath the church. When it was safe, we led them to the river, to press on to their promised land of freedom.”

This is a passage in Amelia Abernathy’s letter explaining Lily Kate’s role as a Wildflower. Everyone assumes that the Conductor was a fallen Civil War soldier, but it was a young girl who helped enslaved people liberate themselves via the Underground Railroad. Understanding the significance of this, Lily Kate removed her entry from the Book of Days because it was more important to protect people’s lives than to share her destiny. Putting others first is a pattern among the Wildflowers, as it is a trait that makes the family legacy so impactful.

“Tiny blue flowers—the same flowers I’d seen blooming on Lily Kate’s grave—were blooming everywhere. And in the early morning light, each petal sparkled as though it’d been dunked in glitter. Even as we watched, flowers bloomed out of the ground and around the bases of trees. Flowers even bloomed through the moss on some of the graves. More still bloomed like blue dewdrops off the vines in the maple trees.”

After the storm and after Emma discovers the treasure, flowers bloom throughout the graveyard. This magical moment—as the flowers push up through the mud, grow, and bloom in a matter of seconds—symbolizes the strength and love of all the Wildflowers, Emma included, and is tied to the theme of The Impact of Family Legacy. The beauty of the flowers is a manifestation of the beauty that Emma and her ancestors have given the world.

“Just when you think you don’t have it in you to bloom anymore, you do.”

Emma reflects upon seeing the flowers blossom in the graveyard and upon hearing “Darlin’ Daisy” in the wind. The magic is a reminder of what people are capable of and how sometimes the worst situations are not as bad as they seem. Although distraught that she has lost the treasure, Emma discovers that her loved ones are the true riches. Furthermore, like Blue, who also said something similar, Emma has fulfilled her destiny even if it is not how she originally envisioned.

“‘Because the Big Empty is still here,’ I whispered, tapping my fingertip over my heart. ‘I thought it would go away once I fulfilled my destiny. But it’s still here.’”

A month after finding the treasure chest, Emma tells Penny Lane that she still has an ache from missing her mom even though she believed that it would be gone after achieving her destiny. Like Topher, Emma realizes that grief for her mother will always be there.