This is the story of a boy growing up in rural Scotland. It arcs through Ranald Bannerman's entire boyhood right up to the precise moment he knew it had ended. While the focus is certainly on the life of Ranald himself, and involves many different characters and adventures, I take it primarily as a story of the relationship between the boy and his father. For this, I enjoy it especially.If you read nothing else in this book, chapters five through eight are choice! ( )

What an innocent book. This book tells the tale of Ranald Bannerman from his earliest memories to the moment his boyhood ended. It was so captivating, I read it through in three sittings.

There were a number of highlights for me:

* Realizing how intelligent children’s literature was in the late 1800s
* Hearing Ranald’s father’s views on theology
* The thought process of Ranald as he processed sin and guilt and came to forgiveness on issues we would consider non-consequential

This is a refreshing book. I’ve included an Amazon link to a currently in print paperback edition, but I prefer reading Johannesen’s versions of MacDonald’s stories. The binding is superb. If you want, you can read the full text online also. ( )