Life must be filled up

I’ve read several children’s books already this month, which has become unusual. The first was Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright. I just wanted to check a reference in this book and ended up re-reading the whole thing, which didn’t take long. It won the Newbery Medal in 1939 and is utterly delightful. Garnet Linden lives on a farm in Wisconsin and the story is one of a happy summer with friends, neighbours, animals and adventures that could really happen. Elizabeth Enright wrote four very popular books about the Melendy family, starting with The Saturdays; these were all published in the UK by Puffin Books. I also like Gone-away Lake and Return to Gone-Away, about children who discover a (nearly) deserted settlement of old houses. ( more books )