As Long As There Are Mountains - Softcover

Natalie Kinsey-Warnock is the author of sixteen distinguished books for children. These range from her first novel, The Canada Geese Quilt, an ALA Notable Book, to her popular picture book The Bear That Heard Crying. All of the stories have one thing in common: They are based either on the author's own life or on true stories passed down through the seven generations of her family that have lived in northern Vermont.

When she isn't writing, Natalie Kinsey-Warnock keeps herself busy as an athlete, naturalist, artist, book lover, bagpiper, and rescuer of three horses, seven cats, and eight dogs. She and her husband live in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Grade 4-7. Iris Anderson, 13, loves her family farm in the Green Mountains of Vermont and hopes that she will never have to leave it. She only wishes that her father would realize that she and not her older brother, Lucien, should carry on the legacy of farming this land. Lucien has already made it clear to their father that he wants to be a writer, not a farmer, creating continual tension between the two. When the barn burns down and their father is seriously injured in a logging accident, it looks as though the farm will have to be sold. The Andersons grow closer together as they struggle with their individual pain and that of their close relatives. Fortunately, an alternative to drastic action is eventually found, and both Iris and her brother are able to look forward to pursuing their dreams. This is a powerful and beautifully written story of love and determination set during the 1950s. The characters are complex and believable, especially the appealing young heroine. The author masterfully captures the gamut of Iris's feelings from passion for the land and compassion for a classmate whose family is homeless to hatred for her cousin who caused the fire. As Iris works through these emotions, she is able to forgive her cousin, reach out to her classmate, and appreciate that being with her family is more important than holding on to the land. This brief, finely crafted novel will stay with readers long after the story ends.?Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
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