From the inside front flap: "This is the story of Jane, a first-generation New Zealander, who lived on her grandfather's sheep-run in Otago in the 1860s. Until she was nine years old Jane had no companion of her own age, for no other farmhouse was near and the other members of the household were long since grown up. But then a wonderful thing happened: a new family came to live in Cob Cottage on Grandfather's land, and now Jane had two lively companions in Tilda and her brother Rusty. Trafal-trio was their secret password, and only they three knew its meaning and were bound by it. Every day held some new adventure, some new discovery. They found and explored an island in the river, and made the acquaintance of Old Matthew, the half-hermit, who lived in the 'Promised Land' beyond. And there was one perilous adventure that might have ended badly when the river yielded up a secret of long ago. The setting is New Zealand, the story is for children everywhere. A book to treasure and keep."
What attracted me to this book instantly was the cross-stitch sampler artwork on the front. I am a needleworker myself and very interested in historic samplers. The introduction to "Young Jane" tells of an antique needlework sampler worked by a 9-year-old girl called Jane. This book is about Jane and what she got up to as she finished working on the sampler in the last month.
I love this story. I thought it was well-written, beautifully told, and had wonderful themes. Jane is lonely and shy, but quickly makes friends with the children from the new settler family. They have great adventures together and uncover secrets about the land and her family as they explore. Jane's grandmother is a wonderful character. I particularly loved her in chapter seven, "Patchwork Piece". Her Grandmother also teaches her not to judge people by class or money, but to be generous with their friendship and with what you own.
Each chapter starts with a poem and there are a few black-and-white illustrations throughout. There is a wonderful description of a bush Christmas and also of Jane's nursery bookshelf.
I highly recommend this book. Jane is only 9, but all children up to 12 would easily enjoy this story. There are no areas of concern.
A little about the author - Eileen Soper. We should not get her confused with the English Eileen Soper who illustrated the Enid Blyton books! Eileen Soper was a journalist and writer and was known as "Dot" and did children's book reviews for the Otago Witness and later the Otago Daily Times. She wrote two children's books, "Young Jane" and "The Month of the Brittle Star" which I will review soon. Her full biography is here.