Here’s the backstory: For the past two years, we’ve had a Fresh Air Fund child stay with us for one week and then for two weeks over the summer. Last year, we listened to KayRay (love her!) read The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright. Our FAF girl LOVED it! (Our FAF girl is 9 yo this year.)
So, I’m trying to come up with a book for us to either read aloud or listen to for this summer. I’d like it to be a GOOD book, you know, one that your typical NYC inner-city child wouldn’t know.
Our girl will be with us for one month this year, so I’m thinking that we’ll probably be able read aloud/listen about 19 of the 28 days that she’ll be here.
The Green Ember was on my short list, but when I looked seriously at it, I see that it’s WAY too long.
Enright also wrote Gone Away Lake and its sequel. My kids enjoyed them one summer. We have not yet read Penderwicks. But it is on our list. They liked Ginger Pye also.
I was thinking about Understood Betsy – – I read it to my girls about 3 years ago, so I think we could read it again and enjoy it.
We’ve heard The Secret Garden (a LibriVox edition, the Focus on the Family radio theater version, and two movies), so I think for my girls’ sake I should steer clear of it. 😉
Marguerite Henry is a good idea, too.
Is Gone Away Lake part of the Saturdays series?
Wings2fly, you mentioned Ginger Pye, which made me think of the Moffats, too……I need to start a list and then whittle it down!
Gone Away Lake and its sequel are not part of The Saturdays series. I believe it takes place at their grandparents’ home on their summer vacation, a brother and a sister. You could read the summary and reviews at Amazon to be sure. It was several years ago that we listened to the audio book in the van one summer, and the sequel the next summer.