Here is a wonderful "a slice of life" historical fiction novel. Living in 1934 Aliceville, North Carolnia 10 year old Jim Glass lives on a farm with his widowed mother and three uncles . The pleasures in Jim’s life are simple: getting a new baseball and playing baseball against the mountain boys;driving with one of his uncles to buy a horse and to see the Atlantic Ocean; making friends with a rival at school; climbing a greased pole at the fair; and being teased by his uncles. The central focus of the novel is the love that binds together members of this atypical family and the quietly affectionate way in which they interact. This is a deceptively gentle, nostalgic look at childhood during an era when life was by turns harsh and hopeful. Jim is a real boy who can be selfish and stubborn and then determined and giving.

posted May 12, 2009 at 1:44PM

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