Josh (novel) facts for kids
Front cover of first edition
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| Author | Ivan Southall |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult realist novel |
| Publisher | Angus & Robertson |
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Publication date
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August 1971 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 179 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0207954313 |
| OCLC | 389149 |
| LC Class | PZ7.S726 Jo |
Josh is a young-adult novel by Ivan Southall, first published in 1971 by Angus & Robertson of Sydney, Australia. Southall was the first Australian to win the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject. Both U.K. and U.S. editions were published within the calendar year.
The story is set in rural Victoria. According to a retrospective citation by the British librarians, city boy "Josh's stay at Ryan Creek belongs to any time and place where people from different worlds confront one another."
Plot summary
14-year-old Josh Plowman arrives in a country town for a week's visit with his great-aunt, the Plowman family matriarch. The city boy from Melbourne is immediately at odds with the Ryan Creek youngsters. His writing poetry and his dislike for hunting make him a target for the local boys. Initial misunderstandings eventually explode into violence. A traditional hero might have faced and fought the bullies but Josh shows a different sort of courage and integrity by choosing to walk away with dignity.
