Books - Review

A 12 year old girl living on a farm in wartime (WW2) USA is bullied by a new girl at school. However she is defended by Toby, a strange man who roams the countryside carrying three guns, a veteran of WW1. Things take a turn for the worse when another girl at school loses her eye to a stone thrown by an unknown assailant, the bully then suddenly disappears, and Toby is hunted down with the authorities believing that he is the culprit.

Good story. We bought this for the Point Chev school library but librarian Bronwyn there bounced it back to us saying we should read it first and check if it is appropriate. Hmmm, maybe not, some grim wartime scenes are suggested, if not described explicitly. Age 12+ I'd say.

Ellie and her family lose everything in the Great Depression and move to Echo Mountain, where Ellie and her father seem to thrive, learning new skills, and in tune with the natural world. But that comes to an end after a terrible accident leaves her father in a coma, and the family struggles to survive. But Ellie realises that she has healing skills, and that maybe she can learn more from the strange family who live on the other side of the mountain.

Kids book. Pretty good.