Each TOS Homeschool Crew reviewer received a personally autographed copy of Sarah’s Wish by Jim Baumgardner. This was a great book to read with my daughters. Sarah, the main character, is a child with a big secret. This is the story of loss, courage, history, and hope. Emily, my 10 year old, enjoyed reading about Sarah’s experiences, especially with the horse and the snake. She asked questions about slavery, which led to more understanding of that time in our nation’s history. The girls and I share a love of butterflies, and enjoyed seeing how they were woven into the story.

                From the back cover: “With the recent death of her mother, Sarah Smith now had the lives of Rachel’s “packages” in her hands. She must act today. Sarah’s Wish invites you to enter the 19^th century world of secrets and broken promises, runaways and slave catchers, colorful gypsies and noisy riverboats, and Granny. Although Granny’s hilarious dialect and lively antics are sure to keep you laughing, not all is happy. Emotions take a ride as Sarah’s big wish appears hopeless. But when life is at its darkest, the butterflies come!”

                I enjoyed the story, told from young Sarah’s perspective, and look forward to reading more in this series.

                The purchase of Sarah’s Wish also includes a coupon code for a complete audio book download. This is currently available on his website www.sarahbooks.net  for $9.99 with free shipping. Other titles in the series are also available.

The age range was not specified, but this book was enjoyed by both of my daughters, ages 10 and 12.

                Once you visit Mr. Baumgardner’s website www.sarahbooks.net, you can read more about his involvement in keeping history alive, and you can sign up for his entertaining newsletter.

                From the author: "I am a 62-year-old grandfather of nine grandchildren, all homeschooled by my two daughters and one daughter-in-law. The Sarah Books are authored by me for my grandchildren. I say that so that you will know these books do not have any sex, profanity, or anything that would be offensive to young readers. I would never subject my grandchildren to such writing.

          The books have been referred to as Christian fiction. I prefer to describe them as Young Adult fiction written by a Christian author. Sarah’s faith is important to her and she lives by it, but the books do not try to convert the reader to anything. The stories do teach Christian principals of living a good life and treating others as you would have them treat you. I do not ignore the evil in the world and Sarah must confront it at times just as we all do.

          Not all learning has to be from textbooks. Kids like to see history set in story form, and the Sarah books fulfill that quest for realism. The reader will learn pre-civil war history while enjoying a good read."

My product reviews are endorsements for products that have been provided to me for the purpose of reviewing them. I am not being paid for this. I am sharing my honest opinion of how these products work for my family.