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Eva of the Farm

Illustrated by Kate Slater

About The Book

A girl’s struggle to save her family’s farm, told in verse, stands as a testament to the power of hope.

Twelve-year-old Eva DeHart knows her family’s farm is the best, most magical place in the whole world. The Farm has apple trees and sun daisies and a creek. The Farm has frightening things too—like cougars, bears, and a dead tree that Eva calls the Demon Snag. And everything at the Farm shoots out of Eva’s fingertips into her poems. She dreams of being a heroine of shining deeds, but who ever heard of a heroine-poet?

When a blight strikes the orchard and a letter from the bank arrives marked FORECLOSURE, Eva is given that very chance as she puts all the power of her imagination at work to save the Farm. From a booth at the farmer’s market to the snowbound hills where the coyotes hunt, Eva discovers that we face our fears and find our courage in the most unexpected places.

This novel by acclaimed author Dia Calhoun is about the transforming powers of imagination and hope, which can turn us all into heroes.

Excerpt

On top of the hill,

I lean against the deer fence

and write a poem in the sky.

My fingertip traces each word

on the sunlit blue—

the sky will hold the words for me

until I get the chance

to write them down.

After the last line,

I sign my name—

Eva of the Farm.

About The Author

Photograph by Maureen Hoffmann

Dia Calhoun is the author of Eva of the Farm and After the River the Sun as well as the fantasy novels Avielle of Rhia, The Phoenix Dance, White Midnight, Aria of the Sea, and Firegold. She makes frequent school visits, sings Italian arias, fly-fishes, gardens, and eats lots of chocolate in her spare time. She lives with her husband, two cats, and two ghost cats in Tacoma, Washington.

About The Illustrator

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (July 10, 2012)
  • Length: 272 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442417021
  • Ages: 9 - 12

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Raves and Reviews

"A beautiful, tightly woven novel in verse.... Fans of Karen Hesse will welcome this partner in poetry."

– Kirkus Reviews

"The beautifully composed language slowly relays Eva’s journey through the realities of adult problems, and intuitive readers will appreciate the lyrical and metaphorical imagery."

– School Library Journal

"Eva's spirit soars."

– Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse

Awards and Honors

  • CBC Best Children's Books of the Year

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Dia Calhoun

More books from this illustrator: Kate Slater