I think I've told you before about my love of history. I enjoyed history in school, but that's not where I got it. I got it from my family. My family always took the greatest vacations (at least I thought they were) and, somehow, most of these vacations involved historical sites. Some of my fondest memories are of exploring Gettysburg and driving through it's battlefield; walking around Colonial Williamsburg; seeing Plymouth Rock and traveling the streets of Boston; or touring a WWII battleship and submarine docked in a Massachusetts harbor. I remember the history I learned and the pride I felt in 1976 when our country celebrated it's Bicentennial. Even when we visited Disney World I was drawn to the historic sections and shows. 

This love of history carried over to my reading. I loved historical novels and biographies. And I love reading and talking over historical books with my children. That's why I was excited to learn that Jim Baumgardner, the author of the Sarahbooks series, was sending the TOS Homeschool Crew his first novel, Sarah's Wish, for free to read and review.

Sarah's Wish is about a young girl who lives in the mid 1800's and has just become orphaned. But, you'll soon find out that Sarah is not an ordinary little girl - Sarah has a secret. A secret that she promised her mother that she would not tell. If she does, lives could be in danger. And, Sarah has a wish. A wish to have a new family. But, how long will she have to wait? Where will she live? Where will she go in the meantime? And, what will become of her secret?

As well as telling Sarah's story, Jim Baumgardner's book is full of adventures and interesting characters. Character's such as Granny Evan's, a feisty, eccentric, elderly woman who is part of the underground railroad; Dr. Baumgardner (based after the author's great, great grandfather), a kindly physician who thinks he knows what Sarah's secret is; Running Fox, a quiet indian who has a secret of his own; and Mr. and Mrs. Stately, the wealthy couple who could become Sarah's new parents - or could they?

Sarah's Wish is an excellent historical novel that my kid's looked forward to listening to every day and begged for more when it was time to stop. They can't wait for me to order the next book in the series, Sarah's Promise. And, what's more, is it comes with a free (FREE) coupon code to download the audio version of the book. The girl that reads the audio version is outstanding and makes each character come to life. 

Even though this book is written about a young girl, don't let that deceive you. Boy's will enjoy the adventure just as much as girls do. As I said, my boys loved it. The author wrote it for his grandchildren - boys and girls. This book would be an excellent compliment to a study of the mid 1800's or of the underground railroad. Or, you could use it as a basis for a unit study or it's own. As well as excitement, Sarah's Wish is an excellent example of life in that period. 

Sarah's Wish usually sells for $10.99, but you can purchase is from the author's website for $9.99. If you would rather skip the printed version and go straight to the audio book, you can also buy it for $16.99 a savings of $8.00 off of the regular price. You can also purchase Sarah's Promise and the newly released third installment of this series, Sarah's Escape! And he offers free shipping! Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. To find out what some of the other TOS Crew members have to say about Sarah's Wish, you can click here!

Happy Reading!

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