A Different Dog The forest is dense and dark. And the trail full of unexpected perils. The dog can’t move. The boy can’t talk. And you won’t know why. Or where you are going. You will put this story down not wanting the journey to end. A Different Boy 'If you've got a bad deal,' his father used to say, 'get out of it and move on.' When he finds himself in a cruel orphanage Anton does just that, and hides on an ocean liner. Fear and desperation are his only companions. And this time there is no escape. Or is there? Two other passengers have secrets of their own. When nothing is what it seems, can they help each other? Or will they sink into a sea of troubles? A Different Land A tiny pub with a dirt floor and corrugated iron walls. A caravan containing the remnants of a dead pig. Snakes, bugs and torrential rain. Not what Christopher's family expected when they crossed the sea to find a new life. Add a landlord who's not what he seems, and Christopher finds himself facing challenges he could never have imagined. Will he ever be able to make a home for himself in this strange and different land?
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Paul Jennings was born in Heston near London, and at the age of 6 emigrated to Melbourne, Australia on a boat. He was on the boat for 5 weeks with his family. He attended Bentleigh West Primary School and Caulfield Grammar School.
After graduating from school, he went to Frankston Teachers College (now part of Monash University) and became a teacher. He taught students at Frankston State School, Kangaroo Flat State School, the Turana Youth Training Centre, and the Royal Children's Hospital State School in Mount Eliza. He later went on to study at the Lincoln Institute of Health Science (now part of LaTrobe University) and became a speech pathologist, then worked as a Lecturer in Special Education at Burwood State College (now part of Deakin University). In 1979 he became Senior Lecturer in Language and Literature at Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education (now part of Deakin University).
In 1985, Jennings' first book of short stories, Unreal! was published, during which he worked as a lecturer and wrote part-time; in 1989, he made the decision to devote his full time to writing. Many of his short stories, published between 1985 and 1991, were also adapted into the first and second series of the popular Australian television show Round the Twist.
Thought provoking stories that you will need to ponder. Go through them slowly and give them time to sink in. A Different Dog, a Different Boy and a Different Land; what a collection and I can not make up my mind what story I liked the best.
The story of a mother with children who leave a refugee camp to another place where a woman got a job. One boy feels jealous of his mom's boss. His emotional story unfolds.
It's good one. Short. Intensive. But I'm not sure if it should be for readers under the 16 years old.