46 pages • 1 hour read
Natalie LloydThe Key to Extraordinary
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Destiny’s Role in Self-Discovery
The novel highlights that knowing one’s destiny can be daunting, especially if that fate seems extraordinary. Although this is the case for Emma, working to fulfill her destiny leads her to understand more about herself and her capabilities.
Even before she has her Destiny Dream, Emma understands that she will pursue something extraordinary, and this knowledge alone impacts her actions and feelings about herself. Looking through the Book of Days, Emma is inspired by Lola Daniels’s entry, specifically her advice, “[Y]ou don’t have to go looking for stories across the world. You only have to look out your window” (44). The words of wisdom from a Wildflower, coupled with Emma’s knowledge that she, too, will be part of her family’s legacy, empowers her to sing to the Conductor, beginning a quest to save her home. After venturing into the cemetery alone that night, when she returns to her room, Emma thinks, “I loved my room. I liked all my stuff. But I wanted to get back out there. Not just out there in the graveyard near the treasure. But I wanted to run through the unknown again” (57). Emma’s adventure, although terrifying, fuels her with adrenaline to explore the unknown again. Prompted by past Wildflowers even before she knows the specifics of her own destiny, Emma realizes that being comfortable is not always what she wants; to accomplish great things, she needs to be courageous.
After figuring out her Destiny Dream, Emma is resolute in her pursuit of it and gains confidence as a result. Since she’s been bullied for her cleft lip, she often shies away from the spotlight and lacks confidence in herself, which manifests in her inclination to hide her mouth. However, this timidity recedes when Emma determines that her destiny is to find the Conductor’s treasure. She notes, “I would save my town’s heartbeat—the Boneyard Cafe” (85). Instead of suggesting that she “might” succeed, Emma declares with certainty that she “would” save the family business, a vibrant part of Blackbird Hollow. Destiny fuels her self-confidence and pushes her outside her comfort zone to grow as a person and tackle difficult challenges. In fact, when Emma does save the cafe in an unexpected way, she declares, “I felt like a Wildflower” (219). Because the Wildflowers represent strength and resiliency in the face of adversity and injustice, by calling herself one, Emma understands that she also possesses these admirable traits and abilities. Through her quest to fulfill her destiny, Emma embraces who she is and knows that she is worthy of the Wildflower legacy.
The Impact of Family Legacy
High expectations can be powerful, as the novel conveys. On the one hand, they can exert pressure on an individual and sow seeds of doubt. However, they can also connect, inspire, and teach. In The Key to Extraordinary, Emma experiences all this in her efforts to continue the Wildflower legacy.
The pressure to be extraordinary is immense, as Emma feels the burden of needing to do something spectacular and give herself a title for the feat. When she contemplates why Lily Kate Abernathy’s entry had been ripped out of the Book of Days, she notes that perhaps her ancestor “didn’t fulfill her extraordinary destiny. Maybe she was like [Emma]—a klutztastical mess” (106). In her speculation of Lily Kate’s shortcomings, Emma reveals her own fear of failure. The burden of success would be less if she were not the only one who fell short of her destiny. Furthermore, calling herself a “klutztastical mess” is Emma’s way of expressing doubt. Because she is clumsy and a mess, she may not find the treasure. Furthermore, each Wildflower possesses a title in the Book of Days. These labels hold prominence: spy, teacher, inventor, conductor, journalist, etc. Even after Emma saves the cafe, she still struggles to include herself in this legacy, as she cannot find a title that links her to the Wildflowers, and she worries that “it d[oes]n’t seem right, taking any kind of credit for a heroic deed that wasn’t all [hers]” (223). Because Emma had help from friends, she feels unworthy of a notable title. Thus, although she has fulfilled her destiny and stifled doubts about her capabilities, Emma still questions her inclusion in the Book of Days. Through her occasional doubt and inability to categorize herself, Emma reveals that the family legacy sits heavily on her shoulders.
Despite this burden, Emma is positively influenced by her connection to the Wildflowers and their inspirational lessons. When Emma’s mother first reveals the family legacy, she reassures her daughter: “I want you to know we’re connected that way. We have the cafe, and all of our special places. We have our song, And we have our destiny. You and me—we’re Wildflowers” (33). In addition to their shared memories, Emma and her mom are linked through their Destiny Dreams and the family legacy. Even after her mother dies, Emma is forever tied to her. This bond with her mother—and other Wildflowers—is also manifest in messages in the magical Telling Vines, as Emma receives clues through the flowers, as well as a song that her mother once sang about their bond. Additionally, the family legacy influences Emma in that she learns valuable lessons from her predecessors, as the Book of Days contains advice for future generations. Emma learns to use her voice in protest after reading Daphne Prescott’s advice, “[B]elieve your words have power. And use them” (115). Emma internalizes this message and applies it in her protest against Warren Steele and in her friendship with Earl. In fact, Emma reflects on the ephemeral nature of life and how the words that a person uses are limited and matter significantly: “I’d hate for the last words that come out of my mouth to be mean ones. I don’t want my words wasted” (95). Emma is inspired not just to fulfill her destiny but to be a thoughtful, compassionate person. Although, at times, it feels like a burden, Emma’s family legacy also provides her with a blueprint to discover herself, stay connected to loved ones, and be a compassionate human being.
The Power of Community
Throughout the text, family and friendship provide a network that can nourish and strengthen a person daily. Emma, Club Pancake, and others in Blackbird Hollow all experience the power of community to uplift and inspire.
First, the text suggests that a supportive community can often provide the balm needed to endure grief. After her mother’s death, Emma’s pain is so intense that she names it the “Big Empty.” In addition to creating an immense ache inside of her, the Big Empty can often paralyze her. However, at a jamboree, Topher lifts Emma up when her grief is heaviest. As they listen to a recording of their mother’s voice and sing along, Emma thinks, “Maybe my life would never be whole without her in it. But for the first time I could remember, I found joy in thinking about her again, and not just sadness” (177). With the help of Topher, Emma realizes that memories of her mother do not have to be painful but can also bring her joy. Although this does not remove the Big Empty, it helps her endure the ache. Similarly, Club Pancake is a decades-old group of friends that has buoyed each other in times of grief. When Emma watches them from afar, she “th[inks] about how many friends they’d lost” and decides that “the human heart is a big thumping miracle,” as “what else in the world could keep beating after being so broken?” (82). Club Pancake has lost friends to death, and Emma marvels at the power of the group to overcome heartache. Even though they have dwindled in numbers, their strength, support, and friendship remain steady. Ultimately, Emma identifies one pillar of community—the fortitude it provides in the wake of loss. Emma herself gains the benefits of this when Club Pancake looks after her and when Topher helps her wade through the Big Empty.
Additionally, community can assist with everyday problems, as well as life’s greater challenges. When explaining the origins of Club Pancake’s name, “Blue says true friends turn a bad day into something wonderful faster than a pancake flip” (39). A loyal support system can shift a person’s troubles quickly, as it takes a mere second to flip a pancake, yet good friends are even more efficient at shifting an emotional tide. Blue’s sentiments reflect the power that a group has to uplift someone. Furthermore, a strong support system offers input when tackling a specific problem, like how Club Pancake debates selling the cafe to Warren Steele. Pushing Blue to think beyond finances, they remind her of the emotional cost of losing the property. Emma, too, realizes the benefits of good friends. When she finally understands her Destiny Dream, she returns to the Thicket, but “this time, [she] [i]sn’t going alone” (85). By enlisting the help of Cody Belle, Emma knows that she will have more courage to go after her destiny. Also, as she pursues her quest for treasure, Emma repeatedly comes up empty-handed. After another disappointment in the Wailing Woods, Cody Belle and Earl console their friend. Emma notes, “They both looked at me the way you do when you really care about someone, when you wish you could split the person’s sorrows like a stale candy bar and share them” (153). After Cody Belle whispers words of encouragement and Earl leans in close, Emma feels the magnitude of their love and support in just a look. Both friends are ready to bear some of the pain and disappointment themselves. Even with just a look, a posse of friends can ease a burden.
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By Natalie Lloyd
