This is one of those books that just feels good to read.  The good guys are rewarded.  The bad guys are punished.  Even though some sad things happen, everything works out in the end.  I usually enjoy Schmidt’s books, and this one was no exception.  Cooper is a 14 year old boy, who is left running his family’s dairy farm by himself after his grandparents both die.  Then some strange things start happening, and Cooper must learn who he can trust, and who his true family is.  If you enjoy E.L. Konigsberg’s books, you will also enjoy this book, as it is written with a similar feel.

Abraham’s Well deals with an event in our country’s history that I know little about–The Trail of Tears. Apparently, in addition to the thousands of Native Americans who were forced off of their land, many African Americans, both slave and free, were also forced west. Armentia is part Cherokee and part African. She and her family are slaves, and are forced on the Trail of Tears, along with their Cherokee masters. Armentia endures much pain and loss, but never gives up her dream of being free and owning her own land.

I had a hard time putting this book down. I can’t imagine the pain that a mother must experience when her teenage child runs away from home. Claire’s daughter, Mia, was abused by her dad when she was very young. As a teenager, these memories were too much for Mia to deal with, so she started self-mutilating, taking drugs, sleeping around, and finally ran away. Claire wasn’t willing to give up on her daughter, so she tracked her down, and forcibly enrolled her in a treatment program.

One of the most frightening aspects of the book was the real lack of control that Claire had over Mia. According to California law, Claire could not enroll Mia in a drug treatment program against her will, or even have Mia tested for STDS, even though Mia was only 15!

This is the kind of book that makes you hold your baby close, cherish the days when he’s home safe with you, and then offer him back to God, who can care for him so much better than I will ever be able to.

Very similar in feel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven.  Through a supernatural visit, Charley is given a chance to make right all of the mistakes that he made earlier in life.

This re-telling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin was quite interesting.  Young Salz lives in the medieval town of Hameln, and suffers from cystic fibrosis–although of course his disease is unnamed and unknown at the time.  When a strange illness begins to show up among the people, and then a plague of rats begins, Salz is as puzzled as the rest of the townsfolk.  The church can’t help, the magic coven can’t help, only the piper promises a cure.

Part fantasy, part horror, quite graphic. . . This definitely isn’t a children’s fairy tale.  It’s not my favorite fairy tale retelling (that would definitely be Ever After by Gail Carson Levine) but still quite engaging, and certainly not predictable, even though I already knew the ending!

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