Jamie - Jack Bennett

Jamie, first published in 1963, is a moving novel set in South Africa and centered on 12-year-old Jamie Carson. The region is experiencing a severe drought, forcing wild animals to approach farmsteads in their search for water. Sadly, Jamie's father is killed by a wild buffalo, and Jamie is determined to seek revenge. The boy receives sympathy from the adults, but they offer no help in his securing a rifle and ammunition, as he is determined to find and kill the rogue animal. He is eventually able to buy a poorly made gun and several bullets from a native African, and goes into the bush accompanied by a native boy to seek his prey. An excellent book for both teenagers and adults, Jamie evokes a strong sense of place, and the reader will feel a part of the hot dry landscape as Jamie wanders the scrubland in search of the buffalo.