Thunderwith

Lara's mother dies and Lara is sent to live with a father she doesn't know and his new family. Her father's wife and her new sisters are not all eager to have her join the family, who are struggling to survive in a remote part of Australia. There's a terrible bully at her new school who adds to Lara's unhappiness. Then she finds a dog she names Thunderwith and at last she has something of her own.

This is one of those 1001 Children's Books that could by read and enjoyed by teens or adults. The characters are compelling and real, and there are no stereotypical good guys or bad guys in this story. We're rooting for Lara, of course, but we also grow to see and understand the world from the eyes of the stepmother and even the bully.

DNF'ed at 16%. Just wasn't getting me invested. None of the characters were likeable enough for me. And the story didn't really inegage me.