By Wanda Brunstetter
Barbour Publishing, Inc.
www.barbourbooks.com
1810 Barbour Drive
Uhrichsville, OH 44683
800-852-8010
Rachel Yoder is back in Back to School, the second book of this series! Rachel still seems to find trouble somehow, but she finds many good surprises along the way as well.
Back to School opens with Rachel finding trouble at school. She usually likes school in the one-room schoolhouse, but this year someone is making her life difficult and she just doesn't know what to do about it. Should she retaliate, ignore the problem, or be nice to the one that's making her life miserable? Rachel ponders these questions as the school year goes on, and she gets the chance to put each one of those options into action. Her problem doesn't seem to be getting any better though. What can Rachel do to have peace?
Children ages 4-8 will enjoy finding out about all that Rachel goes through. They'll rejoice over the marriage of Rachel's sister and feel the sadness of losing a favorite teacher. They'll be able to identify with Rachel when her mother announces she's going to have another baby and will be relieved when Rachel finally finds peace at school. All of the situations Rachel finds herself in are easy to understand and easy for younger children to relate to.
As an adult reading this book, I appreciated the godly influences in Rachel's life that led her to choose God's way. The repeated German phrases that most Amish children hear growing up became part of my vocabulary as well! While the book will be a delight to younger readers, it's a bit hard for an adult to stay interested in the story line. At times the plot seems to drag, and it is a bit repetitive in its descriptions of Rachel's behavior. This book isn't written for an adult, but it would be wonderful as an independent reader for the children.
Product review by Lyria Moore, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2010
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