Raspberries on the Yangtze [Paperback]

Every now and again a book comes along and takes you by surprise, forcing you to assess every emotion as you read through the pages, desperate to find out what happens yet unwilling to believe that very soon the story will be over.

Raspberries of the Yangtze is such a book. On the surface this is a simple story of childhood in the backwoods of Quebec in Canada, with a cast of characters that at first may seem somewhat stereotyped but who, as the story progresses, show their true colours one by one.

Set in a time when children could wander free, where hopes and dreams are built, shattered and reborn as a group of friends meander through their own little world oblivious to the changes that will soon be forced upon them, this stunning book is deceptively simple. At first this lazy-day story allows the reader to sit back and wallow in the atmosphere, but soon begins to move on a pace as the author harnesses her talent for the narrative and complements each twist of the unfolding tale with authentic dialogue that cuts to the quick.

Raspberries of the Yangtze is superb; the characters, particularly Nancy who tells the tale, are strong and believable; the story, which begins slowly and gradually builds as the heat of the truth of the children's lives begins to bubble over, is well-crafted, and Wallace shows a particular talent for creating a true sense of time and place.

This book is deliciously atmospheric, with its nod toward better days and the golden summers of childhood, and deserves to be savoured by its readers, no matter how young or old they may be. (Ages 11 and over) --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Can a book be funny,,perceptive moving and utterly absorbing at one and the same time? This one can. Brilliant. A 'Swallows and Amazons' for the 21st century." (Michael Morpurgo, October 1999) preceptive

It is funny and moving; everything about it is gorgeous. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The mystery of sexuality surrounds Nancy in cleverly woven strands of plot neatly balanced against the richness of childhood play. A book to hang around with. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Yangtze in our story is not China's longest river. But rather it is a magical place in the Canadian countryside on the outskirts of a small town. There, in the 1950s, a group of children look forward to what promises to be a glorious summer. There are six of them; all different in age and, more especially, in character. Nancy-who tells the story- is a down-to-earth girl, practical and inquisitive. Her only challenge in life is Andrew, her elder brother. Nancy calls him the big thinker; he's more of a dreamer really. Then, there are Clare, Amy, Sandra and her teenage sister Tracy. The children have known each other and their families for most of their lives, but this is the year when everything they ever thought they knew, will change. It begins, in Nancy's words, "...the day my brother and I decided to poison our mother."

Shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Karen Wallace is a very successful children's author. She was born in the backwoods of Quebec and spent her childhood messing about on the river. She now lives in Herefordshire, with her husband, two sons and a large cat called Cougar.