Auntie's 2016 Bookworm Challenge 03

Book: Once Upon a Summer

Author: Janette Oke

Info:  Copyright 1981 Bethany House Publishers

Where acquired: Offered as a free download from Amazon.com's Kindle store.

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 hashtags): # # # #

What it's about:  Poor Josh!  His grandpa and uncle are trying to marry off his Auntie Louisa.  Auntie Lou, as he called her, wasn't interested in marriage; only taking care of the farm chores, the men of the house, and Josh's soon coming great-grandpa from up North.  Josh spends his summer trying to thwart their efforts so he can keep his favorite aunt around.

Favorite Quotes: 

"Even the service was okay. The singin’ was really good—jest as though the folks were like birds glad to see the sun again and wanting to sing their hearts out. Old Parson White brought a sermon that even boys could understand and didn’t mind listenin’ to."  p.54.

"Gramps had talked about his 'family.' Sure we were a family. You didn’t have to be a ma and a pa and four kids to be a family. All you needed was people livin’ together and lovin’ and helpin’ one another. That’s what made a family—blood-ties and love-bonds."  p. 88.

What I Liked:

• It was a quick, fun read.
• Oke did a great job of writing from a young boy's perspective.  It wasn't sappy or cheesy.
• Though the book did have serious content, there were many comical moments that kept the story moving.
• The Kindle edition had real page numbers.

What I didn’t like: 

• Sometimes there was a slip in the "accent" of the characters.  Though noticeable, it didn't detract from the story.

To sum up:  I'd read this book years ago, but had totally forgotten the story.  It was great to read Josh's tale again.