*Book cover pic from Goodreads.com
Here is another book I took a while to get started and then flew through. This one would work as a read aloud for younger kids also, but independently, it is a chapter book for at least 2nd graders. It reminds me of a cross between Anne from Green Gables and Pollyanna, both of which I loved as a kid. Inge Maria has a rough start when she arrives to stay with her grandmother after a long boat ride next to a goat who snacks on one of her braids. You can see from the first chapter that she is a fun-loving, precocious child, very different from her grandmother. Older readers will piece things together more quickly about her grandmother and the young boy she befriends, but younger readers will enjoy how it all comes together in the end. It all comes down to Inge Maria looking for love and a new place to call home. I loved the characters, young and old, and I got a kick out of her adventures and interactions with the farm animals and other kids. Truly enjoyable and a feel-good book!