Dear Mr Henshaw

In my primary school years, I discovered author Beverly Cleary. I loved her Ramona Quimby books and was excited to know they made a movie based on those books. Ramona and Beezus. I took Liam to see it years ago at the cinema, trying to get him to love the characters I had loved.

So recently I went looking for other books by Beverly that I hadn't read, and I found Dear Mr Henshaw. This book is about a boy who writes to his favourite author. Through his writing he deals with the struggles of his parents' divorce, a lunchbox thief and writing for school. An enjoyable quick read for children stage 2/grade 3 and up.

Old Yeller Fred Gipson

An absolutely endearing story of an "Old Yeller" stray who ends up on a Texan farm. At first Travis doesn't want the dog around, but with his father away on a cattle drive, he realises that the dog would be beneficial on the farm. Eventually the whole family falls in love with the rascally stray. This story takes me back to the post civil war era and is reminiscent of watching Little house on the Prairie. A great read!

Jackie French's novels

Jackie French has written many books for children. I love her picture books, Too Many Pears, and the Diary of a wombat series. Last year I discovered Pennies for Hitler. It was nominated for an Australian Children's Book Council award. I was hooked immediately by the story, set in 1939 Georg is living with his parents in Germany but when a protest at the university graduation ceremony occurs, he fleas for London and then later arrives in Australia.  A real page turner!

It was after I finished reading this that I discovered Hitler's Daughter. I thought it was a  prequel or tied into the story I had just read, but it is just a companion book, set in the same time period. I do encourage you to read it,  I wondered as I read the story, did Hitler's daughter really exist? I won't divulge the storyline but it is another page turner, one that I am sure you will love.

A Single Shard

In my endeavours to find Asian literature I stumbled upon A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. It is set in 12th century Korea, and tells the story of an orphan boy named Tree Ear. He admires the work of a potter and accidentally breaks a piece, he has to pay off his debt by working for the potter. Tree Ear is determined to learn the craft of his master. This story is a tale of determination and courage and narrates a story about the formation of the beautiful celadon vase depicted on the front cover. A remarkable story that is an easy read. Highly recommended!

Man's Best Friend

I have accidentally started reading stories about mans best friend. Kate DiCamillo is one of my favourite authors, and Because of Winn Dixie is one the recent stories I have read. A little girl named Opal rescues a mischievous dog in a supermarket one summer. Together they befriend some interesting characters. A wonderful story about friendship. Highly recommended, it's also been made into a movie, so it could lead to a movie/book study.

Where the red fern grows by Wilson Rawls took me back to my childhood, watching Little House Prairie. This is an adventurous story about a boy desperate to have some coon hounds. I love the determination and drive of Billy. It is a lovely story about the bond between a boy and his two dogs. One I really wanted to share with my son.

After reading Wilson Rawls book, I wanted to read more from this time period and recently bought Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. I haven't finished this book yet. It also made me want to rediscover Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.