Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms

Gr 3–7—Twelve-year-old Will roams freely in the countryside of Zimbabwe, often with her best friend, stable boy Simon. Motherless since five, she's deeply loved by her farm manager father and Captain Brown, the old bachelor who owns Two Tree Hill Farm. Smart, fearless, but largely unschooled, she likes books, tends her pet monkey, and rides her horse as she thrives despite the disapproval of some of her neighbors. That all changes when her father dies and Captain Brown marries a cold, manipulative woman. Will is shipped to an English boarding school where she's awkward, overwhelmed, and ridiculed by classmates. She runs away, courageously surviving on London's streets until a kind family helps her and she is encouraged by an understanding headmistress. Bianca Amato's exceptional narration transports listeners to faraway places and deeply felt emotions. Offering a window on life on an African farm, Rundell's exquisitely distilled story also communicates the universal themes of loss through death and relocation.