Marly and Joe (ages 10 and 12) are two siblings who have always lived in the city. They and their mother had endured the apparent loss of their father during wartime (unclear which war – perhaps Korean) only to discover that he had been a prisoner of war. The family is finally reunited, but their father has changed; he is bitter, touchy, angry, always tired.

Their mother had always spoken of Maple Hill and her grandmother's house that she and her brother had visited each summer as children. Her grandmother had been dead for 20 years, but Marly and Joe loved to hear stories of simple life in the country.

Their mother has a plan. Her grandmother's house has been unoccupied for years, but if they went there for a long visit, perhaps that would help her husband's troubles. And so, they pack their bags and head to rural Pennsylvania just in time for the sugar season...

This is a delightful story that embodies the human need for spending time with God's creation and the virtues of simple living. The writing is interesting and engaging, but not too hurried, with many details about how things are done on a farm (especially the sugar season), plant and animal life, etc.

Drover's Road is a sheep "station" set way back in the hill country of New Zealand in the 1920s. Gay (Gabrielle) Allan, who lives at Drover's Road with her cousins and her uncle, writes of their happy childhood, of their adventures on the farm, on horseback, and exploring the hills and caves surrounding Drover's Road, in an "upside-down world" (to those of us from the Northern Hemisphere) where at Christmastime the house can be decorated with fresh flowers from the garden and the weather is very warm. It is a world filled with family, humor, hard work and horses.

This Bethlehem Budget Book includes three titles in one volume. The first, Drover's Road introduces us to the Allan family and their adventures, pranks and mishaps as children. When the scheming Cousin Celia starts to turn her attentions toward their bachelor uncle, the children come up with a plan to "discourage" her after hearing one of the family ghost stories. After Gay and her cousin Merry adopt a good-for-nothing dog, he shows a surprising side in a pinch. And as for cousin Hugh's attempts at raising pigs, well... I don't want to spoil it for you. Let's just say this is a great family story you don't want to miss. In the second book Cape Lost, Gay meets her Great-uncle Garnet and does him a great favor for which he is indebted for life. Uncle Dunsany finally gets married and Gay begins to make plans for her future, but perhaps a little prematurely. Finally, in The Golden Country, Gay inherits some land which calls for lots of patience and some interesting adventures. Although she has a bit of trouble getting men willing to work for her on her farm, she finds herself choosing between an array of suitors.

According to the afterword, "Joyce West spent her childhood in the remote country districts where her parents taught in Maori schools. About her stories she said, 'When I began to write, it was with the wish that I might save a little of the charm and flavour of those times and places for the children of today.'"

Drover's Road is a nice place to escape to for awhile with your family, particularly when the weather is too cold or too hot outside. You can spend many delightful hours with the Allans and still ask for more.

Rebecca, Peter and Phyllis are three British children (around the turn of the century) who live in a large, beautiful house in London with their lovely and creative mother and their very attentive father. One night their lives change dramatically when their father is mysteriously called away. The children and their mother have to "play at being poor" for awhile, pack up only what seems necessary and move to a house out in the country near a railway station. The story tells of their adventures in and around the railway station and the gradually unfolding mystery regarding their father. It's a lovely family story and Mrs. Nesbit is quite a gifted and interesting author. In the midst of their adventures, we discover a lot about character and the devotion children should have for their parents. This story is a great read-aloud for the whole family, and can be read independely by mid-grade-schoolers on up.