The Last Leaf
“You will have to place a small handful of the maggots under your tongue, and must hold them there for a full two minutes,” Jack instructed Isabella . . . .And boy did they wriggle! She struggled not to wretch!
Two worlds collide when a chance meeting brings together Jack and Isabella. Jack, the son of the Head Gardener of the Oakfield Estate, finds himself a friend in the lovely Isabella, the ‘little lady of Oakfield Hall’.
Set in Victorian times in the Southern Counties of England – with an intermittent welsh presence in the form of the Jones’ travelling gypsy family – much laughter, dance, music and cultural challenges lie before the two friends this summer!
How will the delicate Isabella fair among the unfamiliar countryside with its host of creatures and seasonal demands?
Will the rugged, uneducated Jack rise to the challenge of learning to read and write poetry about his beloved countryside – poaching, skinning rabbits and river fishing?
Every day is an adventure and it seems they are meant to be together, always. Or are they?
Read about their exciting adventures and discover the true meaning of friendship with them as they each discover new worlds and new challenges!
A Wonderfully Moving Story
As soon as I heard about this book, I knew that it was one that I wanted to make sure I got a chance to read – and I am incredibly glad that I did. This book is very unique. It’s a lovely tale that I fell into easily and I cannot express how much I loved the friendship between Isabella and Jack. It was such a heart-warming friendship that blossomed throughout the novel. This book is also one that hit me quite emotionally as well, which is always a good thing – in my opinion!
The writing style is quite different but I liked it. It reads as though someone is telling the story to you – sort of like a bedtime story and so I feel that it would work really well when read aloud. Despite that, you were really able to get a good grasp on the characters and their relationship with each other and those around you. If I had one negative to say it would simply be that I wished the book was a little longer and we got a little bit more background information about the two characters – but that’s only because I really enjoyed reading about them!
Overall, this was a quick read but I definitely think it is one that will be loved by a lot of children. I think it’s a wonderful book for not just highlighting how strong and powerful friendships can be, but also how we’re also different but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends with those who are other from us. I honestly really enjoyed this novel and hope that many others will enjoy it as well!
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