Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station by Deborah Heal ~~~ BOOK GIVEAWAY!

WINNER SELECTED~~~Janie Hickok Siess!

About the Book

When Abby chose tutoring an “economically disadvantaged adolescent” as her college service project, she didn’t realize how difficult her summer would be. Merrideth, her 11-year-old student, has been sullen and depressed ever since her parents’ divorce, especially since she was forced to move to the dilapidated old house her mother inherited. When Merrideth’s dad sends her a top-of-the-line computer to make up for his absence in her life, she and Abby discover a weird program on it that invites them to “Take a Virtual Tour” of various houses around the world, including, amazingly, Merrideth’s own house.

Watching from a distance as Charlotte faces the challenges in her life, including the hardships of the Civil War, gives Abby and Merrideth new perspective on their own problems. Time and Again is a story told in the past and in the present. A story of self-discovery and faith.

You can read chapter one here.

About the Author

Deborah Heal is a former high school English teacher who loves reading, gardening, and learning about southern Illinois history. She is married and has three grown children, three grandchildren, and two canine buddies named Digger and Scout. Today she lives in the St. Louis Metro area, but for many years she lived not far from the setting of her first novel, Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station. She is currently working on another story in the Time and Again series. In Honor at Stake Abby, John, and Merrideth must clear the name of a man wrongly accused of murder–in a 150-year-old case!

When I was a homeschool mom, I always looked for interesting ways  to make subjects come alive for my three children. And the more integrated the subjects, the more I liked it. Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station has connections with: History/Social studies, Politics, English/Grammar, Health, and Math (believe it or not).

But don’t let the educational connections fool you! Time and Again is an exciting young adult novel. It is suitable for 6th-12th grade classroom study or independent reading.

Now, to make it just a bit easier for you hard-working teachers, I just completed the Time and Again Discussion Guide. In addition to suggested discussion/essay topics, you’ll find chapter-by-chapter notes (with page numbers) for these literary elements: themes, symbols, imagery, characterization, allusions, foreshadowing, and vocabulary.

Email me to ask for your free copy at debbie@deborahheal.com.

My Review

Sometimes you just want to read a good story, and that’s exactly what you get with Time and Again. The book did not need to be action packed and over the top. It just gently took me floating along on a river downstream, enjoying the ride.

There were a lot of subtleties and depth in this story that I really credit to the author’s story-telling and lesson teaching abilities. We are shown the joys and struggles with being a mentor, the dangers of trying to bribe and appease children, what it truly means to be a neighbor, the importance of learning from the past, and trusting in things and people, even though we don’t understand everything, along with so much more. Along with a wonderful story, there are subtle life-lessons and finding one’s way to  faith that are noted and appreciated.

I really liked how the author ended this story. Just enough that you felt fulfilled but waiting with anticipation for the next book. I am so excited that book two in this series comes out August 2012, so we can all follow along and see what happens to Abby and Merrideth next.

The Giveaway

For anyone that’s interested, the author is providing an extra copy of Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station to give away to one lucky reader. To be entered leave a comment below and tell Debbie what your favorite subject was in school. (one entry)

For extra entries, feel free to do any or all of the following:

• Like Debbie Heal on Facebook
• Subscribe to Deborah’s blog here
• Please stick around and sign up on the sidebar to follow DianeEstrella or subscribe to my RSS Feed.

Leave me a comment for each extra item you do so I can tally up all the entries!

A winner will be chosen from those entries and announced July 9, 2012. Good luck!

The author sent me the above book for review purposes. She will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Deborah Heal.