Abby had at first considered volunteering at St. Louis Children’s Hospital for her required Ambassador College service project so that she could “contribute to the community while also enlarging her horizons.” But her roommate, Kate, reminded her of her tendency to faint at the sight of blood. Several of her classmates chose to build homes for disadvantaged families with Habitat for Humanity. But since she had never actually used a hammer before, much less a power saw, being a “companion and tutor to an economically disadvantaged adolescent” had seemed like a much better choice. After all, it would be good practice for when she became a teacher after she graduated.

Then, in the last bit of daylight, she crossed the railroad tracks she had been told to watch for and pulled up to the house where she would be spending the summer.

Kate had teased her about being a “governess” and warned her to watch out for dark, brooding men skulking about. Now, getting slowly out of her little blue car, she thought maybe Kate was more right about the Jane Eyre bit than she knew.

The two-story house standing in the gloomy shade of several huge oak trees had once been white but had obviously not seen a paintbrush in about a million years. One faded blue shutter hung at a drunken angle, squeaking as it shifted in the wind. There were no shrubs to soften the foundation, just some scrubby grass struggling to survive in the shade. . . 

Time and Again

Visiting another century…not the summer vacation she had planned. 

Abby thinks tutoring an “an economically disadvantaged adolescent” as her college service project for the summer will be a snap.

Merrideth, her sullen 11-year-old student, thinks “No thanks, I don’t need a babysitter.”

John thinks Abby’s kidding when she tells him she can fast-forward and rewind life. Not her own, of course, but that of the girl who lived in Merrideth’s house 160 years ago.

It’s difficult for Abby to break through Merrideth’s emotional wall. The girl has been closed down ever since her parents’ divorce, especially since she was forced to move to the dilapidated old house that her mom inherited. But when her dad sends her a top-of-the-line computer to make up for it, Abby and Merrideth discover a crazy program that invites them to “Take a Virtual Tour” of houses around the world— including Merrideth’s. It’s a tour all right… a tour of the past when the house was new and a girl named Charlotte Miles lived there 150 years before.

It’s like being there, only better. They know Charlotte’s thoughts and feelings. They experience her joys and frustrations as she courageously takes on a huge challenge, risking her life for others while her father is off fighting in the Civil War.

Watching from a distance, Abby and Merrideth gain a new perspective on their own lives, their faith strengthened as time and again they see God’s loving hand in Charlotte’s life.

“What really made the story unique was how she brought the past to life via a computer program. While this book is geared toward teens, I think that anyone who enjoys contemporary and historical fiction woven together will certainly enjoy this book. On a scale of one to five I would easily give this book a six! Highly recommended.”         

--Brenda Casto, Amazon reviewer