Alice’s Farm

This captivating, wry novel opens with the revelation that the longstanding antagonism between farmers and rabbits is rooted in vegetables, which “farmers love to grow, and rabbits love to eat.” After Alice, a curious rabbit kit, watches the Harvey family move into a deserted farmhouse, she and her brother sneak onto the property and overhear disconcerting news: a greedy developer is intent on buying the property from the Harveys, city folk determined to become farmers. As the young rabbits plant and tend to a thriving vegetable garden in hopes of helping the family make a go of it, the Harveys’ intuitive dog, Foxy, becomes their ally, at one point musing that properly running a farm is “a subject much too vital to leave to her humans.” Into this heartwarming portrait of animal camaraderie (which is shared by a fox, a bald eagle, and other wildlife), Wood (the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series) weaves the story of 10-year-old Carl Harvey’s rocky adjustment to his new life, burgeoning self-confidence and maturity, and paramount contribution to his family’s triumph. A resonant cross-species saga of perseverance, loyalty, and magnanimous friendship. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. [em]Author’s agent: Brooks Sherman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Sept.) [/em]