The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter
**acquired from the public library
This is a story that takes place in 1965. The main character is a 12 year old girl named Emaline. Her father farms wheat, but life is tough and things are beginning to take a toll. Everything takes a change for the worse when her dog Princess runs out in front of the tractor. Emaline decides to hop off the tractor to safe Princess and in an instant her dad runs her legs over. From this point on things are not the same. Dad shoots the dog and then leaves the family without saying a word.
Emaline and her mother must now figure out how to live and survive. Emaline has her injury and mom does not know how to farm. They end up hiring Angus from the mental hospital to for ma their land. This creates a whole set of problems for the town.
This is an awesome middle grade book. This book deals with real life issues of grief, sadness, overcoming obstacles, and dealing with prejudice and treatment of others. It is written in free verse which is perfect for this type of story. There is much to be said about this book. I read it in one sitting and I am now in pursuit of trying to contact this author for an interview. In the meantime read this book and fall in love with a great story.
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