Recently, we received a book called Good Harbor Bay by Michigan author Barry Marsh. The book is about eleven-year-old Josh Ogden who leads a comfortable life in a Detroit suburb. Most of what he knows about Good Harbor Bay, far to the north, is from looking at photographs in an old family photo album with his mother. It is where his father grew up, and where his parents first met.
When Josh’s mother is suddenly killed by a drunk driver, his father decides to quit his job and they move in with Grandpa Ogden who lives in a run-down secluded cabin in Good Harbor Bay.
Josh is very unhappy at first and he struggles to cope with his new home and new life as the old life of luxury fades. Friends grow distant; the world of e-mail, computer games, and text messaging dims. At first life seems to be little more than doing chores in the barn, and home schooling.
Gradually Josh begins to accept his new life and bonds with his grandfather who teaches him how to handle the massive draft horses he uses for logging, drive old pickup trucks, and experience nature along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Packed with adventure, Good Harbor Bay is recommended for ages 9-12 and makes excellent reading for anyone who enjoys a good story in a northern Michigan setting.
