A story about real life.

Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson, is a really thought-provoking book for children. It is aimed at the 9-14 age group, and is perhaps more suited to girls, but is certainly not an 'untouchable' for boys. The book does a wonderful job of dealing with issues relevant to its target age group, and has been a winner of the Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, as well as receiving several other awards.

Katherine Paterson has had an enormous success with many of her books for children, including Bridge to Terebithia (also a Newbery Medal winner), The Great Gilly Hopkins, and The Master Puppeteer. Paterson is a family woman, and a Christian - and both of these things are evident in her work. She has an intimate understanding of children and the way in which their minds work. She also takes care to give good strong moral messages in her books, without coming over as too heavy-handed in a religious way. I would particularly recommend her most well-known novel, Bridge to Terebithia.

Jacob Have I Loved is the story of Sara-Louise Bradshaw, a young girl coming of age on the small island of Rass in the early 1940s. Sara Louise (or 'Wheeze') has a best friend named Call, and likes to go out catching crabs with him, which they later sell. Wheeze's family aren't very well off, so she contributes to the family's income with the money she earns crabbing. But Wheeze has several sadnesses in her life, which soon come to light. First and foremost, Wheeze is one half of a pair of twins. Moments after her birth, her twin sister Caroline was born, in a life-threatening condition. Everyone was fearful for Caroline, and swarmed over her like bees to honey. The fact that Caroline survived, and grew up to be a very talented (musically) and well-liked girl, meant that this trend has continued throughout her life. Young Wheeze is left feeling very inferior and second-best, and has spent her own life desperately searching for her own niche. She feels as though Caroline has outshone her in everything from the day they were born, and that she will never win her parents' love to the degree that Caroline already has. Jacob Have I Loved is the story of Wheeze's journey to self-discovery, and her overcoming of the feeling that she is worth less than anyone else. Her voyage is set in motion by the arrival on the island of a mysterious old man, who moves into a house that has been deserted twenty years. Nobody knows who he is...

This novel is an intriguing look at the intricacies of sibling rivalry, and twinship. Unlike many other examples of children's literature, the siblings in this story are not close to one another, and don't even spend much time in one another's company. I was impressed by how realistic the characters were, and the way in which they interacted. The 9-14 age range is hard to write for, as they are on the cusp of being young men/women, rather than 'just kids'. Paterson strikes the balance just right, without being patronising in any way. She really understands the emotions behind what she writes about. Her writing style is very catchy, and she quickly draws the reader into her story.

I'd definitely recommend this book to girls between the ages of nine and fourteen, and perhaps to boys who are experiencing sibling rivalry. It is at about a medium reading level, and is socially educational as well as being a gripping read.