Soon to be Released

Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station
Deborah Heal

Genre: Fiction, I think it's YA or Middle reader, Christian
Pages: 252
Rating: ***

I was sent a free copy of this book from the author.  The review is an honest opinion and my personal opinion.

Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station, is a story within a story.  At first you have a college student, Abby, going to a rural area in Illinois to tutor an 11 year old girl, Merrideth.  Merrideth is going through a difficult time.  She has recently moved from Chicago and her parents have gotten a divorce.  There's more going on there, but I won;t give it away.  Abby is young, naive, and a bit idealistic.  She tries to get her young charge interested in her studies.   The pair discover a computer program that has the story of there little village and the original owners of their house.  That's 160 years ago! Is it real or is it virtual reality?  Read the book to find out. 

I enjoyed reading Time and Again.  The plot was interesting and the story flowed well.  I liked the characters and how history was brought to life.  I enjoyed the Christian themes that flowed beneath the surface.  You won't be slapped in the face with religion.  I think girls between the ages of 11 and 16 would probably enjoy this book.

 I just didn't like it as much as I wanted too.  I think my problem was I thought the book was a 'grownup' book, it was only labeled as fiction.  The writer may have told me it was something else, but I don't remember.  Anyway, there were a few places where the writing was not as tight as it could have been.  I'm not a professional so, take that with a grain of salt.

Basically, it's a good book.  An interesting concept with a moral and historical lesson to teach.  More appropriate for middle readers and above.  Give it a go, it's a good read.

-Caren