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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Weary of his life with his alcoholic, abusive father, sixteen-year-old Billy packs a few belongings and hits the road, hoping for something better than what he left behind. He finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with rich, restless Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family.'
Source: Publisher's blurb (Simon & Schuster ed.)
Notes
-
A novel in verse form.
-
Questions & Answers with Steven Herrick
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Dyslexic edition.
- Large print.
Works about this Work
-
The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Buzz Words , February 2014;
— Review of The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
Review : The Simple Gift
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , March 2014; (p. 72)
— Review of The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
Home away from Home : Secret Gardens in Steven Herrick's 'The Simple Gift'
2004
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Antípodas , no. 15 2004; (p. 173-188) -
Home Away from Home : The Place of Home in Stephen Herrick's Verse Novel, A Simple Gift
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , April vol. 13 no. 1 2003; (p. 33-42) -
Fictional Fathers : Gender Representation in Children's Fiction
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , December vol. 12 no. 3 2002; (p. 35-45)Wendy Michaels and Donna Gibbs analyse several Australian children's texts regarding the 'pattern and trends in relation to the representation of father and father-figures' (37). They believe it is crucial for young adult readers to develop a critical awareness of 'the subtle processes at work in the fiction they are reading' because of the significance textual representation plays in the construction of child-adolescent identity (42-43). The discussion refers to previous studies concerning the construction of masculinity and femininity and the role of children's fiction as a socialising agent regarding appropriate gender roles providing a framework for the interrogation of textual constructions and representations of the father/child relationship. A close reading of Dogs and The Simple Gift precedes a shorter discussion of the novels Touch Me, Thursday's Child, Wolf on the Fold and Fighting Ruben Wolf, and leads Michaels and Gibbs to contend that none of the fathers in the stories are portayed as having a strong relationship with their children and they draw an interesting parallel to the roles ascribed to wicked step-mothers, arguing that currently, young adult readers are presented with models of masculine behaviour that reinforce cultural stereotypes of fathers as essentially ineffectual or morally bankrupt - or both (42). Effective parenting is often directed at surrogate children rather than biological children while it is the serious flaws and shortcomings of the father-child relationship that are of central concern in the novels discussed (40).
-
[Review] The Simple Gift
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , November vol. 44 no. 4 2000; (p. 14)
— Review of The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
[Review] The Simple Gift
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , July vol. 15 no. 3 2000; (p. 30)
— Review of The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
[Review] The Simple Gift
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 14 no. 2 2000; (p. 31)
— Review of The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
Paperbacks
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 29 July 2000; (p. 10)
— Review of The Office as a Boat : A Chronicle 2000 single work novel ; The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
CoverNotes
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 9 July 2000; (p. 11)
— Review of The Simple Gift 2000 single work novel -
The Children's Book Council of Australia Annual Awards 2001
2001
single work
column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 45 no. 3 2001; (p. 2-12) -
Fictional Fathers : Gender Representation in Children's Fiction
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , December vol. 12 no. 3 2002; (p. 35-45)Wendy Michaels and Donna Gibbs analyse several Australian children's texts regarding the 'pattern and trends in relation to the representation of father and father-figures' (37). They believe it is crucial for young adult readers to develop a critical awareness of 'the subtle processes at work in the fiction they are reading' because of the significance textual representation plays in the construction of child-adolescent identity (42-43). The discussion refers to previous studies concerning the construction of masculinity and femininity and the role of children's fiction as a socialising agent regarding appropriate gender roles providing a framework for the interrogation of textual constructions and representations of the father/child relationship. A close reading of Dogs and The Simple Gift precedes a shorter discussion of the novels Touch Me, Thursday's Child, Wolf on the Fold and Fighting Ruben Wolf, and leads Michaels and Gibbs to contend that none of the fathers in the stories are portayed as having a strong relationship with their children and they draw an interesting parallel to the roles ascribed to wicked step-mothers, arguing that currently, young adult readers are presented with models of masculine behaviour that reinforce cultural stereotypes of fathers as essentially ineffectual or morally bankrupt - or both (42). Effective parenting is often directed at surrogate children rather than biological children while it is the serious flaws and shortcomings of the father-child relationship that are of central concern in the novels discussed (40).
-
Home Away from Home : The Place of Home in Stephen Herrick's Verse Novel, A Simple Gift
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , April vol. 13 no. 1 2003; (p. 33-42) -
Home away from Home : Secret Gardens in Steven Herrick's 'The Simple Gift'
2004
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Antípodas , no. 15 2004; (p. 173-188) -
A Simple Poetic Gift : An Interview with Steven Herrick
2001
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Autumn vol. 9 no. 1 2001; (p. 24)
Awards
- 2017 nominated German Youth Literature Award — Youth jury prize (Wir beide wussten, es war was passiert)
- 2017 nominated Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis — Youth jury prize
- 2017 nominated Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis — Preis der Jugendjury For German translation.
- 2001 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Book of the Year: Older Readers
- 2001 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature
- Country towns,