The Barn [Paperback]

This moving story historical novel from master storyteller Avi will reach the wide audience it deserves with its beautiful and compelling new cover treatment.


Ben is away at school when his father mysteriously falls ill in the spring of 1855. With no adults to help, he and his brother and sister must take over the family farm in Oregon Territory's rugged Willamette Valley. Despite his siblings' doubts, Ben is determined to build the barn Father had planned, in the hope of waking him from his silent, frozen state. But will it be enough?

Praise for The Barn

ALA Notable
New York Public Library Best Books of the Year
IRA Teacher's Choice

This small, beautiful historical novel has a timeless simplicity . . . . Like MacLachlan's SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL, the story reaches from home to the universe. –Booklist

A spare, classic story of family and community. --THE HORN BOOK

[The] narrative is lovingly honed, the interaction of the characters drawn with sensitivity and skill. --KIRKUS

Thought-provoking and engaging. --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Avi's work spans nearly every genre and has received nearly every major prize, including the Newbery Medal for CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD and Newbery Honors for NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH and THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE. Avi lives in Denver, Colorado. You can learn more about him online at www.avi-writer.com.