Between Shadows - Silver Birch

Image from: http://coteaubooks.com/index.php?id=913

By Kathleen Cook Waldron

It is Forest of Reading season so I am doing some Silver Birch and Red Maple reading over the holidays. The first Silver Birch book I did was Between Shadows, since my son was reading it also. This book is about a boy named Ari who inherits a cottage from his grandfather. He is beyond excited and hopes his family will move there. Unfortunately his aunt and father have other ideas and want to sell the cottage. Ari has to see if he can convince them to keep the cottage his grandfather loved and convince his father that maybe it's time for a new start.

This book is a quick read at only 100 pages and has some exciting elements. Ari quickly makes friends in the area and is able to get neighbours to help him keep the cottage. I wish this book was a bit longer as I think the first part could use more detail. I also think the aunt's character is a bit harsh and that a bit more time on character development would have helped the story.

If you are hoping to read 5 books to vote for Silver Birch this year I would recommend giving this one a try. If you are a quick reader you can finish it in a day or two and there are some fun moments throughout this story.