There was no electricity in their house, although some city relatives had it. But later, he's instrumental in helping catch a couple of dangerous crooks who have been stealing sheep and wood. It starts off when Bruno brings a possum into the house to show off, and his prowess backfires on him when it panics and trashes the kitchen. Each chapter focuses on an episode around work, school, sport and social times. Bruno Gunther is the youngest son a twelve-year-old who lives with his hard-working family on a farm in a fictional place called 'Nagapalee' which could be any small South Aussie bush town. So the story was published in 1961, but set in the 1930's or 40's. That held great weight with me as a twelve-year-old. He claimed it was the only novel that ever held his attention through to the finish, (and I'd be willing to bet that's still the case). Several of my ancestors shared the same background, so the story was meaningful even back then.Īlso, my older brother highly recommended it at the time, and he was no reader. With a German heritage himself, he would put on comic accents to suit the characters, especially 'Dad.' They were descendants of nineteenth century Germans who fled their homeland to escape religious persecution and have a fresh start in the new colony of South Australia. My Year 7 teacher, Mr Schwidder, read it to the class, and we used to all almost roll around on the floor laughing. novels have pleased generations of readers. I fell back on the great Colin Thiele, whose kids' and Y.A. I've only ever lived in South Australia, which is a beautiful corner of the world, but hasn't an abundance of well known stories associated with it. It was challenging indeed, as there really aren't many choices. This is my pick for the Classic From a Place you've Lived category of the 2019 Back to the Classics Challenge.

Sun on the Stubble by Colin Thiele