Finding Hope - A Whistledown Farm Adventure - Nicola Barker

Ava's parents are heading to Chicago for work for two weeks, which means that Ava is spending her holidays with her aunt, uncle and cousin on their farm.  Being a city girl, she's not really looking forward to it but things don't seem as bad as she thought ... to begin with.  However, the more she tries to help, the worse things seem to get, and it's clear her cousin, Tom, really doesn't want her around.  Can Ava turn things around before her parents return and how can a small lamb help?

It was freezing this weekend and the snow showed no sign of disappearing, which gave me the perfect excuse to spend all of my time curled up under a blanket with a good book.  Thankfully, Finding Hope is set during the spring so there was some immediate relief from the cold!  

Like Ava, I'm very much a city girl so I think I would feel exactly the same at the prospect of spending two weeks on a farm.  Not only does she have to contend with missing her parents, she also has to get used to lots of different routines as she is thrown into helping out on the farm.  She's interested and keen to understand but Tom is obviously unhappy at her being there and his superior attitude causes problems.  When Ava makes mistakes, things only get worse and I really felt for Ava - she's simply trying to do her best to fit in.  

It is clear from the description and the details within the book that Nicola knows her way around a farm and I very much enjoyed getting to know about things such as how to look after an abandoned lamb as well as how to incubate eggs.  Readers will delight in the details that paint such a vivid picture.  I'm sure they will also delight in the idea of wandering the Durham Dales with Ava and Tom (living not too far from there, this was one of the things I loved).

With messages about friendship, family and learning how to fit in woven perfectly into the plot, and wonderful illustrations by Rachael Dean, Finding Hope is a heart-warmingly charming read that will appeal to many, in particular animal lovers.  

Publishing on the 29th February, Finding Hope is the first in a new series and I can't wait to head back to Whistledown Farm and catch-up with Ava and her family again.