She has moved once again with her dad and step-mum, although once having a ranch of their own, due to failed harvests through drought, they now have to travel around for seasonal work and barely earn enough to live on. And Janey is a timeless role model for girls.4.5 stars.The story starts in September, with Janey Larkin sitting on the step of a shack. It provides some perspective on wealth and hard work and the importance of having a home. She's brave, generous, imaginative, clever, and strong.īlue Willow may not be a well-known book, but I'd recommend it for readers of all ages. When I was young, Janey inspired me in so many ways. At the county fair, Janey spends all her time at a library stall rather than on the merry-go-round, something I definitely would have done at her age (and at my current age). Even though her circumstances could not have been more different than mine, I still saw myself in her.She throws herself into this fantasy world of the willow plate the same way I threw myself into the fantasy worlds of the many books I read as a kid. While there are so many memorable scenes in this book, scenes that I will never forget (such as the May Day celebration and the county fair and the discovery of the horned toad), the main thing that made me fall in love with this book was Janey herself. In the end, Janey learns that life is so much more than owning things she finds a friend in her neighbor Lupe, and she and the willow plate find a home they can stay in for as long as they want.

Though Janey's life is tough, she can escape into the world of the blue willow plate, imagining the cool shade of the willow trees when her real life is hot and dusty, reveling in a story of runaway lovers when her real story is much less romantic. Janey's one prized possession is a blue willow plate with a pattern of a bridge, little houses, and two birds.

She's a spunky, intelligent, independent girl whose circumstances have prevented her from making friends and from finding a place she can truly call home. This is the tale of Janey Larkin, a young girl living in poverty and moving from place to place as her father chases work. Obviously it made a very strong impression on me since to this day I think about it fairly often. QueenduskI first read this book probably at the age of 7 or 8, and have read it a couple of times since then.

Blue Willow by Doris Gates