Tuck Everlasting – is it better to live well, or live forever?

Quotes from Natalie Babbitt's thoughtful children's classic

Welcome to another Sunday Literary Ladies lite edition. Tuck Everlasting, a 1975 novel by Natalie Babbitt (1932 – 2016) is the tale of a young girl who stumbles upon a family with an incredible secret. Written for middle grade readers, this thought-provoking story resonates with “children of all ages,” exploring the idea of eternal life, and its flip side, mortality. 

When 10-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles upon the Tuck family, she learns that they became immortal after drinking from a spring on her family's property. The Tucks tell Winnie of how they've watched life go by for decades, while they themselves never grow older. Winnie must decide if she'll keep the Tucks’ secret, as well as whether she wants to join them in everlasting life.

Tuck Everlasting is considered a contemporary classic, and has remained the best known of Babbitt's many works. What if you had the chance to live forever? Would you want to?

You may also enjoy Literary Ladies contributor Marcie McCauley’s thought-provoking musing, Drinking from the Spring: On Re-reading Tuck Everlasting

My favorite quote:

“Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.”