Description
A captivating story of adversity, adventure and love from award-winning author Rosanne Hawke.
‘Nanna, can you tell me a story just as if I were with you?’
Kelsey is in Pakistan and wants to go home. Mum and Dad are busy helping flood victims and she misses her friends. But most of all, Kelsey misses Nanna Rose.
Luckily, Kelsey can talk to Nanna on Skype. To help Kelsey feel better, they create a story about a porcelain doll called Amy Jo who wants to find someone to love her. As Kelsey and Nanna imagine Amy Jo’s quest, Kelsey starts to realise Pakistan isn’t that bad after all.
But how will the porcelain doll’s story end? Will Amy Jo find the person she’s destined for or be on a quest forever?
Review
This is a delightful story about Kelsey, an Australian girl who reluctantly finds herself in Pakistan with her family to help the community rebuild after a devastating flood.
She misses her friends, and especially her Nanna Rose, but at least she has Skype and can keep in touch with her Nanna.
Nanna Rose and Kelsey love making up stories and so they create the story of Amy Jo, a porcelain doll. Nanna’s story of Amy Jo’s adventures and travels around the world to find just the right person to love and hold her help Kelsey adjust to her life in Pakistan. Amy Jo’s story is revealed to the reader in alternating chapters with Kelsey’s story.
Kelsey’s new friend Shakila also helps her to adjust. Her friendship with Shakila makes Kelsey real-ise how different their lives really are. Kelsey soon finds herself questioning if having lots of ‘things’ makes you rich, as Shakila thinks, or whether having only few ‘things’ that you appreciate and lots of family around is the real definition of being rich.
With Kelsey and Amy Jo’s stories tying together beautifully at the end, younger to middle primary girl readers will thoroughly enjoy this story and they may find themselves thinking, like I did, that Amy Jo really does have feelings!
Reviewed by Sam
