copyright 1978
Katherine Paterson.
HarperCollins Children's Books. 128 pgs. Intermediate fiction, approx. ages 9-12.
A boy and a girl like the same things and hate the same things and create a magic kingdom where only he and she and the puppy can go. You have to swing on a rope across a canyon to get there. How could you not want to read about that?
Not the most cheerful of kids' books, this one deals with some mighty big issues, things that aren't a part of most children's literature. Terrible things happen. Warning: by the time these terrible things happen, if you've been paying attention at all, you will not want anything bad to happen, EVER, to the characters. But it does. And it will hurt you.
I read this when I was eleven, and cried and cried. Somewhere in the next dozen years I would forget the specifics, then reread it at twenty-three and cry and cry.
Don't misunderstand - it's not a bummer. It ends with a feeling of gentle celebration, and there's no need to cry once you've shut the book. It's a well-told "remember to appreciate what you have" catharsis, completely accessible to children.
Based on a true story. This book won the Newbery in 1978, and we're glad it did.