Hi Ladies
I am going to be doing my author study on Libby Hathorn and I have now finished reading my third Libby Hathorn book called 'Thunderwith'. It is an award-winning Australian classic and been on screen.
The story is about a girl called Lara, whose mother has died and she goes to live with her estranged father's family on a farm.
I found that it is quite an emotional book and I could feel the pain of Lara as she struggled to fit in with her new family. She was not welcomed or wanted from the beginning from her step mother and oldest step sister. She also was being bullied at school. Despite this, in the way that she handles certain events on the farm and at school, she becomes a courageous and strong girl. Hathorn describes Lara's thoughts and reasons for movement clearly and wholly so the reader can empahize easily with her.
Lara meets a dog who is like a companion and a light of hope in the pain of her living arrangement and while her father is away for long periods for work. She calls the dog 'Thunderwith' and she tries to escape the household whenever she can to go and be with the dog and to pour out her feelings. The readers interest is kept with the suspense of a couple of main events-but I do not want to give too much away!
Hathorn is uses descriptive language to illustrate landscape and emotions. For example, the reader can surmise the use of 'dark bird' to mean depression or despair.
I think that many school students-middle to upper primary could relate to and would like reading this novel. There are many who would come from mixed families, those who encounter bullying or have a close family member die and the story itself holds enough suspense to keep the reader engaged. The use of language could be explored in a teaching setting.
Alex
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