White Peak Farm

This collection of ten stories forms a whole to tell of the Tanner family whose home is a farm set in the Derbyshire Peak District. The strained relationship of the parents suffers even more as first Kathleen, then Martin and finally Jeannie leave the nest and break the ties of both family and tradition. 'We all have to look at things in our own way.' Yet the leavings seem to give the parents space to grow towards each other, aided by the father's being disabled in a tractor accident. It's no surprise that two of these tales were used on Radio 4's Morning Story. They are largely about adults, told by a child, which perhaps makes them hard to place. I'll try this with mid-secondary readers who enjoy a gentle book.