By the River — Steven Herrick

This memorable novel in verse, a USBBY Outstanding International Book, reveals the tough and tender sides of a young boy growing up in a small, sleepy river town in Australia. Harry swims in the swamp, eats watermelon with his brother and dad, survives schoolyard battles, and races through butterflies in Cowpers Paddock. Life isn't easy--his mother died when he was seven, and he lost his friend Linda in a flood. Harry yearns to get away, but there's a mystery that he needs to solve first.