I didn't read the other books in the series before picking up this one, but that wasn't a problem. this can be read as a stand alone, although there are references to occurrences in the other books.
It's lambing time, and Jasmine loves to help her parents keep an eye as the newborns arrive. When her brother and her discover two baby birds in the hay in the stall, they decide to take them in and raise them...although that isn't an easy thing to do. But when a new lamb's mother die, she has another baby to care for. Add the fact that someone has been stealing entire sheep herds, and she's got a lot on her plate to worry about.
This is one of those books, which is simply a good, well-done, wholesome read. And still, it grabs and even hits exciting tension toward the end. Jasmine is a kind girl with a huge love for animals. Her family has the usual tug and push, which comes with every day life, and both her mother and father are very busy. That leaves Jasmine with several responsibilities, and this also makes her interesting. She knows how to handle the newborn lambs and knows when to ask for help. And she's not perfect, either. She makes mistakes, argues with her siblings, and sometimes does things she know her parents wouldn't necessarily approve of. In other words, she's a normal girl.
The tale rotates around Jasmine's life on her family's farm, and I was afraid this meant a slow paced read. But it's not. The family in and outs, animals she needs to care for, unexpected twists, and high tension at the end made this a read which holds attention from beginning to end.
It's not hard to see why this series does so well, and I can really recommend it to those readers from grades 2 to 4.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed this even more than I thought I would.