The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain

This was a very very good book with lots of history and suspense. You can't wait to get to the end of the book. It's for every age group and not too long.

Sarah Norkus has created a fine work of science fiction / fantasy about a young girl who has lost her faith in God. But God doesn't ignore her - God sends Emily Grace back in time to right a wrong committed in 1865. I challenge anyone to come up with a more original plot. As a writing coach myself, I look for the right patterns in story lines. Sarah Norkus has honed her talent over the last few years with her two memoirs and has finally nailed the fiction narrative. I heartily recommend this story for mid-agers (10-12) and young adults. Even at the age of 49 I found the story engaging and had to hold back a tear when the story ended. As Emily might have said, Cool!

This book is meant for teens, but is great for any age. A great story and informational as well. Brought tears at the end.

Wow, what a fun read. Reminds me of the mysteries I loved to read as a teen. Being a lover of history and mysteries this book was an awesome selection. I have encouraged my 13 year old granddaughter to read it

What a fun read! I was enthralled as I was transported back into the challenging times of the Civil War. I'm not ready to give up today's conveniences, but it was fun to learn much of what daily life was like in earlier times. And I couldn't wait to find out how the suspense would end. The characters are very likable and I was not ready to give them up at the end of this story. I hope there is a sequel in the works!

The moment she saw the small brown book, a loud roar filled Em’s ears, accompanied by a sharp pain to her head, followed by dizziness. She emitted a soft groan. Book: The Secret Diary Of Sarah Chamberlain by Sarah Norkus, Living Ink Books, 2012 Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure Target Audience: Girls 13-18 Subjects: Civil War, Time Travel, Trials, Trust in God Summary: Cancer for her, loss of home for her aunt, loss of husband for Sarah. If God really exists He must not care much for His people. That’s Emily Grace’s conclusion. After some of the struggles she has faced she starts to doubt God and His love, but when she finds an old diary and reads about the murder of an innocent man right at the end of the civil war she makes her decision. God just simply doesn’t exist. As soon as she makes her decision, her life completely changes, but not in the way she thought. She finds herself unconscious, wakes up and she is back 150 years ago and a loss of memory. The family she falls in with is very godly, openly professing a faith she had denied 150 years in the future. As the days go by, she faces choices that will affect not only her and her time, but the past as well. Notes: This is the first in the time travel series about a girl in her mid-teens who finds a diary hidden in an old house and travels through time to learn more about the character of God and grow in her faith. In this book the girl has to learn trust God even when bad things happen. The book does a good job covering the spiritual elements. The spiritual focus of the book is the theme running through the entire book. And (spoiler’s warning) the ending is not as tragic as I expected it to be! Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5 Reviewer: J:-)mi James 1:2-4 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The book started off a little slow,I know it had to set up what was to come.Em was just like any teenage girl but when she went back in time ,look like she grew up to be more mature. I would have gave it a 5 but it was a little slow at the beginning.

A grand combination of history, fantasy, and religion. Emily Grace comes across many challenges of being a teenager facing school, friends,and family. Sometimes it is hard to understand why God does the things he does, Emily begins to question her faith God decides to use Emily in is grand plan and sends her back in time to unlocks clues to learn a valuable lesson of history, peace, and fulfillment. The first in a series tells of times that were not always simpler as many think. The author dives time into her historical roots to bring history to the pages to a new generation and shows that religion is not the same as faith.