Wednesday, July 3, 2013

A SIMPLE SONG (MELODY CARLSON)

 
 
Story Description:
Baker Publishing Group|June 1, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-8007-2225-8
Katrina Yoder loves to sing, but her Amish parents view singing as vainglory and a sin.  Katrina’s best friend, Bekka is convinced Katrina should try out for American Star, a televised singing competition that Bekka has been secretly watching.  Katrina resists the temptation until her father’s health worsens.  He desperately needs a surgery the family cannot afford.  Katrina decides she must go against her parents’ wishes to win the money needed to help her father.  But how will she handle herself as an Amish teenager out in the world? 
Teen girls will be swept into the excitement as Katrina ventures out of her quiet Amish world to become a reality television star.  Will she be successful?  And will she be accepted back into her community when it’s over? 
My Review:
Kristina Yoder has the voice of an angel and she loves to sing but her strict Amish community forbids singing as vainglory so she must keep a cap on her voice which is difficult for her.  They do have Saturday night singings where teens on their rumspringa can tests the waters of the English world without trouble from their parents or community, so Katrina was able to sing to her hearts content.  
Her best friend Bekka had been secretly watching a television show called American Star on her computer where people between the ages of 18 and 30 competed to win big sums of money for their singing voices.  She knew Katrina could win hands down.
Bekka approaches Kristina about the popular television show but Katrina isn’t sure she wants to push her family that far, but then realizes how sick her Dad is and that the money would pay for the surgery he most desperately needs.  She prayed about it, thought about it, and talked to her Aunt Alma about it and finally decided that she would do it.  Bekka helped her sign up on the computer and before she knew it she was on her way to Cleveland for the first portion of the show.
However, once there she didn’t realize that she’d be expected to dress differently, have her hair styled differently, wear make-up and such and had to do some deep soul searching to decide whether she could give up what she truly believed in for a television show.
A Simple Song was a beautifully written story that showed the courage, strength and maturity of one young girl who had a gift to share with the world and found a way to share it without compromising everything else she believed in.  Just beautiful!!
I would like to say a big thank-you to Graf-Martin for sending me this copy!
 
 


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