Sarah 1/30 Long way home

Sarah Tong 
Michael Morpurgo
1/30
Long Way Home
Realistic fiction

George has spent all his summer holidays at new foster families but none of them seem to work out. This summer he is going to Tom's house (the Dyer's) George doesn't want to go there and Tom is angry that he is coming, not that either of them knew this. When George finally arrived at the Dyers farm he told Mrs Thomas (his social worker)that he didnt want to go and she said that he just needs to try get along with the others. He was used to the routine: getting stared at, feeling different, all the questions. This family seem to be different - a wayward cow introduces him to the children, Tom and the talkative Storme, and George enjoys his first day on the farm. By night, he's still determined to run back to the Children's Home, but in a sudden storm he's needed to help save the cow he met that morning. In the next few weeks the children work on the farm together, and George is taught to swim in a nearby river. But one day George and Storme get caught in the mist while walking on the moors. When they find them, Mrs Dyer has to carry Storme home as she has a sprained ankle and in doing so hurts her back so badly to have to go into hospital. The family cannot run the farm on their own, and despite Tom and Storme's best efforts, George has to go back to the Home. George is devastated, and determined to run again, this time back to his foster family, not away from them. Arriving after a difficult journey, he's delighted to find Mrs Dyer is home and recovering, and the Dyers want to take him into their family for good.

I would recommend this book for any reader, young or old, because the story is something we could all relate to at some point or another.  Definitely worth a read.