Originally published in 1981. When I began this book I was a bit annoyed with the so so Americanisms and the dialect. The stories are set in Canada at about the turn of the century and this first book is written from the viewpoint of a twelve year old boy. After the first few chapters I found I was hooked by the easy reading and charm of the characters and then could not put it down. Though it is not deeply theological it really touches on some deep faith matters. Each book in the series deals with some key issues and challenges to our faith this focuses on our past bad being loved.. A good book to curl up by the fire and read in one go. Go on put your feet up.