The only book I had in my TBR that was anywhere close to fitting this promot was The Wildmeadow Hare by Holly Webb. This is a middle grade book so it was a great opportunity to read some more children’s fiction.

What it’s about?

From Goodreads:

When she was younger, Ellie used to love watching the hares leap and play on the common with her mum. But with every year that goes by since she lost her mum, it’s getting harder for Ellie to remember her and those happy memories.

Until one day on the way home from school, Ellie finds an injured hare on the path. The poor animal looks so scared, she has to do something to help. Nursing the hare back to health will be a big responsibility, but it might just be Ellie’s chance to feel close to her mum again…

A touching story about family from best-selling author Holly Webb.

What I think:

I have read a few middle grade books this and they definitely should not. Be dismissed as merely kids’ books.

Because they are shorter, they are pacey, tightly plotted and character journeys are clear. They are so well edited there’s no over-writing or unnecessary repetition which I found in a few best-selling ‘adult’ reads this year.

Ellie is 10 and has already been through a lot. Her mum has died and her father has remarried. She gets snappy and angry at her friends and family and doesn’t always realise why. She’s growing up and wanting more independence but is also still grieving and coming to terms with the changes in her life.

Finding the hare is just what she needs. It gives her purpose and something to care for other than herself. She has the chance to prove to the adults in her life that she can cope with responsibility and become more mature.

Harry’s arrival also becomes a gateway for her to have some much needed conversations with Leila, her step-mother, and helps pave the way for a more positive relationship in the future.

Ellie learns valuable lessons, not least that loving something sometimes means letting it go.

This is a short but very sweet read with a heartfelt emotional punch.

Thank you to Little Tiger for my gifted copy – it’s definitely going in my classroom library.