Publisher Description
“In the spring of 1961, ten-year-old Nate “Weenie” Dooley has a revelation-his father is not a good one.
Inspired by National Geographic, his favorite thing next to the Bible storybook his mother gave him before she died, Nate plans to leave his father and their home in the Smokies to set out on adventure.
When he discovers that his father has left him first, it will take the help of a stray dog, some kind neighbors, a one-man-band, letters from a long-lost-aunt, and a new understanding of God to figure out he isn’t really alone.
Will he find that Copper Creek is where he’s always belonged? Or will his wanderlust keep him from ever coming back?
In her second novel, Heather Norman Smith demonstrates that love makes a family, and that while fathers may leave, our Heavenly Father is faithful, and He has a plan for all of us.”
My Review:
Be warned: I am going to gush over this book. Set in 1961, this is not a “romance”, but a beautiful story about brave ten-year-old Nate, a boy of great faith who suddenly finds himself alone and thinks that he does not have anyone to help him. He depends on guidance for life from his beloved Bible story book, one of the last things his mother gave him before she died. His sterling character traits come from all he learned about his “heroes’ in those Bible accounts. This story is told from Nate’s point of view, and the author has done a great job of helping us see life through a ten-year-old boy’s thoughts.
From the very first paragraph, Nate had my heart. My first thought was that I wanted to be his teacher at school and encourage him in every way possible, so I was delighted to discover further on in this story that he did have a teacher who did just that. I loved all the characters who show up in this story to be a support system for him, and the wonderful message reminder it is to all of us to look around and become aware of those quiet ones among us who might need our help.
This type of book is why I became a book reviewer, because I’m delighted to recommend it to you. I’ll be following this author and hoping that she gives us more fabulous stories like this one.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.