Reading has been one of my favorite ways to relax and unwind for about as long as I can remember. As a young child, I always wanted my Grandma & Grandpa (who raised me) to read stories to me. When I was 10 years old, my family moved to a new neighborhood. This, of course, meant I would be going to a new school where I didn’t know anyone. Being a shy child, I was feeling overwhelmed and a little afraid. My first day of fourth grade started in dread and ended in happiness. Ms. Clemens, my new teacher, liked to follow a strict routine so we could accomplish everything that needed to get done and still have a little time at the end of the day to relax before going home. She liked to read chapter books aloud to the class. That first day, she introduced me to “The Boxcar Children” and I just knew I found a friend and would fit in just fine. During the next summer is when I started reading novels (aka, chapter books for kids) on my own. I started with the “Little House on the Prairie” series, and haven’t really stopped since 🙂

“Finding Eliza” by Stephanie Pitcher Fishman, is the latest book I’ve just finished. She is an experienced author, but this is her debut fictional novel. I give it 5 stars and 2 thumbs up ~ I loved it !

My Thoughts:

In this story the main character, Lizzie Clydell, learns a lot about her family’s personal history and starts to learn about the power of forgiveness. The story begins as Lizzie Clydell finally gives in to her grandmother’s relentless requests to join her genealogy group. Her grandmother had raised her since she was orphaned at 12 years old after a horrific car accident claimed the lives of both parents.

Since she could not think up one more excuse to not go to the meeting, she finally met with her grandma & “the gals”. She took her Great Grandfathers diary home, to go through entry by entry ~ to study and learn about her family history. As she read more & more, she learned how the events in the diary impacted her hometown in the Old South and more specifically her great aunt (and namesake) Eliza during the 1930’s … and she realized her life would never be the same.

Check out my other reviews & purchase your copy of Finding Eliza on Amazon.

You can connect with Stephanie at her website.