Kate of Still Waters.

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 30-Oct-90. First edition. Hardcover. Like New. Light shelf wear & very small crease on dustjacket. Clean & crisp pages. From Publishers Weekly\nThirteen-year-old Kate Chidden recounts the joys and hardships of farm life. When she assists in the birthing of new lambs or studies constellations which shine above their fields, Kate loves living on the farm. But when the cows are stricken with the bloat and Kate must stab them to save their lives, and when wild dogs ravage their sheep, the girl wonders if she has the courage and endurance to run a farm on her own. After a drought overtakes Kentucky and all the farmers are faced with difficult times, Kate's family struggles to hold onto their farm and their love for each other. Although Stiles's depiction of farm life is stirring, the first half of her book is marred by sudden shifts in time sequence, choppy narration and awkward phrasing. The second half, however, reads smoothly and consistently. Authentic details and rich descriptions will engage the reader. Ages 8-12. \nCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. \n\nFrom School Library Journal\nGrade 7-10-- The atmosphere and pattern of farm life in the bluegrass region of Kentucky are strongly conveyed through this first-person narrative. Kate Chidden, 13, eagerly learns from her parents all she can about managing the family's sheep and cattle farm, because someday it will belong to her and her younger sister. A progressively severe drought threatens ruin to the farmers, and thus to the rest of the community. Marauding wild dogs, a tornado, and other misfortunes each add to fears of foreclosure by the bank. The family of Kate's best friend is forced to put up for auction their beautiful horse farm and ancestral home, but by belt-tightening and extra jobs, Kate's family manages to pull through the critical year. In the process Kate learns about determination and hardhearted decision making and, more importantly, about people. This book may have trouble finding an audience, as Kate is younger than the book's reading level indicates. Also, at times she expresses herself too cleverly for believability, and sometimes too awkwardly for smooth reading, but she does succeed in voicing her profound love of family and farm. Her descriptions of animal husbandry, from birth through bloat to death, are unflinching. Here is a sense of contemporary farm life, its difficulties and rewards, that is uncommon for current children's literature. --Katharine Bruner, Brown Middle School, Harrison, TN\nCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.