This book was about Katrina Yoder, a young Amish girl living out in the country with the rest of her community. Katrina has the voice of an angel but with the Amish singing is viewed as a sin. Katrina's father has had very bad health problems and they just seem to get worse and worse and Katrina's family doesn't have enough money for him to have the surgery he needs. Katrina's best friend Bekka has been watching a TV show (called American Star, a singing competition only for the best), on her family computer used for ONLY business reasons but she uses it anyway to watch American Star. She finds out about her recently dead Grandmother's past and is encouraged to enter. Her and her great-aunt go there and Katrina goes through to Hollywood and is the best singer there but then her father goes into hospital and then she receives a huge payment from the TV show which she gets her great-aunt to take to her father so he can have his surgery. She has to stay in the competition because of some terms on the contract. She eventually gets let go because of the help from her friends who explain to the audience that she is homesick and the only way to help her is to send her back home so the audience doesn't vote for her so that she can go home. Her father's surgery goes very well and he is all better. But she still has the challenge of being accepted back into her community.Wide Reading Questions:1. I decided to read this book because Melody Carlson is one of my favourite authors and I like the Amish books.2. My favourite character was Katrina Yoder because she wanted to help her father when he wasn't very well at all. And she knew that the only way was to do the singing competition even though she didn't know whether her community would accept her after she did it. 3. My favourite quote is: "Mammi got lost for a while in the English world, she explained, but she found her way back home, and I think that she understood God's grace in a very personal way." This is my favourite because it is true. You will always be able to find your way home even though you don't think you can, he will lead you back to the place where your heart is.4. I learnt that you should step out of your comfort zone and do what you never dreamed you could do, and also that you should do everything in your power that you can possibly do to help the ones you love, then trust in Him. What a wonderful book! I love the connection to music as I also find great joy and stress-relief from singing! Amish do not encourage singing English songs or singing with instruments or even with "great joy and feeling". I can not imagine singing any other way and so I can see how it was so difficult for Katrina. This book was a fun, light read and gave me a good deal to smile about! I received a free copy of this book from Revell Publishing in a giveaway. Thank you so much!
What do You think about A Simple Song (2013)?
I don't generally read fiction about the Amish, but this was a sweet, quick read.
—Nisi
