“The Amish Teacher’s Gift might have been the first book I’ve read by Rachel J. Good, but it won’t be my last.” — Shelley Shepard Gray, New York Times bestselling author A Teacher’s Love Widower Josiah Yoder wants to be a good father. But it’s not easy with a deaf young son who doesn’t understand why his mamm isn’t coming home. At a loss, Josiah enrolls Nathan in a special-needs school and is … enrolls Nathan in a special-needs school and is relieved to see his son immediately comforted by his new teacher, a woman whose sweet charm and gentle smile just might be the balm they both need.
With seven siblings to care for, Ada Rupp wasn’t sure she wanted to take on teaching, too. But the moment she holds Nathan in her arms, she realizes she’ll do all she can to help this lost little boy. Plus, it gives her a chance to spend more time with Josiah. Falling for a man in mourning may be against the rules, but his quiet strength is the support Ada never knew she needed. And, together, they could have the loving family she’d always hoped for.
amily she’d always hoped for.amily she’d always hoped for.amily she’d always hoped for.more
This was the first book I’ve read by Rachel and I definitely plan to read more. I appreciated the different subject matter – an Amish woman who has a classroom of ‘special needs’ children. The story was sweet, and one that I’d recommend to lovers of Amish fiction.
The Amish Teacher’s Gift by Rachel J. Good is the first A Love & Promises Novel. Ada Rupp lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she is responsible for her seven younger siblings. Bishop Troyer has recruited Ada to teach at the new Amish special needs school where her deaf brother, David will be attending. Each of her students have unique problems that Ada will need to handle. Josiah Yoder, a widower, has just moved to the area with his mother and son, Nathan. Nathan is deaf and has had terrible tantrums since his mother passed away. Josiah has not found a way to comfort his son and adequately explain that his mother will not be returning. On the first day of school, Nathan is immediately taken with Ada as is Josiah. Nathan and David become friends which throws Ada and Josiah together. Ada is attracted to Josiah and his caring nature is such a comfort as she adapts to working and be the sole support of her siblings. However, Ada knows she cannot get too close to Josiah because of her father. Ada notices that Nathan is afraid of his father and she must find a way to help these two lost souls. Come along to Lancaster in The Amish Teacher’s Gift to see how the tale progresses.
The Amish Teacher’s Gift is well-written and engaging. The author provided realistic descriptions of the special need children and how they struggle with their condition (at such a young age). The children in Ada’s class are deaf, autistic, hearing impaired, one has Down’s syndrome, and one has Tourette’s. The author has done her research on special need children and their requirements. It was interesting to find out the techniques that can be employed by teacher’s and the equipment available to help the children. It is wonderful to see a teacher go out of her way to help her students. Ada was so patient and caring (I have never had that type of patience). The romance between Josiah and Ada progresses at a slow pace which suits this story (I am glad it was not rushed) and the romance is not the central part of the book. The story focuses on family, children, friends and faith. There were a few scenes between Josiah and his boss regarding his religion and work site requirements. I like how Josiah never got upset with his boss, but he would explain, and he showed by example (not being able to work on Sunday, how they do not allow photographs of themselves, why he cannot wear a hard hat, and doing for others). The Christmas play presented by Ada’s class is an emotional, heartfelt scene (have a tissue handy). The ending will have you smiling. The Amish Teacher’s Gift is an Amish novel you do not want to miss. I am eager for the next book in A Love & Promises series which is The Amish Midwife’s Secret (we get a preview).
Enjoyed reading. Definitely recommend. Entertaining.
This book has so many good things going for it, that I could go on and on about it! Loved the story line, a special needs teacher who is Amish falls for one of her students father. The struggles in this story keep you reading and cheering on all involved. Ada Rupp helps Nathan and his father connect after the death of Nathans mom almost a year ago but young Nathan is deaf and has no idea what happened and acts as if his father is the bad guy. Ada is dealing with her younger siblings after the death of her mother and an absent father that she thinks is all her fault. Another great book by Rachel J. Good.
Author Rachel Good can always be depended on to write a warm, redemptive story. Her characters face what real people face in real life; doubts, fears, etc. She’s not afraid to go there.
Tackling an Amish story about a little boy with special needs doesn’t happen often enough because we know these challenges exist. I’m glad Good wrote about this, and the different methods of teaching young Nathan as well as other students.
If you’re looking a charming read, romance, and children you’ll love, then you’ll want to read The Amish Teacher’s Gift.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
Precious story of a young teacher who cares deeply for her scholars. Extraordinary circumstances and very special families are brought together with the love of this teacher and her devotion. Each scholar has their own diagnosis and each family handles that diagnosis uniquely. This is a heart warming story. I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my personal opinion.
Widower Josiah Yoder wants to be a good father to his deaf young son, Nathan. Nathan doesn’t understand why his mamm isn’t coming home. Josiah enrolls Nathan in a special-needs school and is relieved to see his son immediately comforted by his new teacher. Ada is a woman whose sweet charm and gentle smile just might be the balm they both need. Ada Rupp wasn’t sure she could be a good teacher with seven siblings to care for, but then she holds Nathan in her arms and realizes she’ll do all she can to help this lost little boy. Then she finds herself falling in love with a man in mourning. Although it may be against the rules, his quiet strength is the support Ada never knew she needed. They could have the loving family she’d always hoped for. This is a beautiful story of faith, love, and second chances.
I must admit I have never read a more moving, and well researched story about teaching special needs children. It is as if the author had firsthand experience.
The heart break between Widower Josiah Yoder and his deaf son Nathan brought tears to my eyes as they were unable to communicate. Ada, the school teacher and her deaf brother, David through love and perseverance discovered the heart of the problem. With a lot of hard work and diligence father and son slowly learn to communicate and discover they both have been grieving.
This wonderful story is also about Ada and her own family dealing with loss as she continuously tries to keep all of her younger siblings happy. As we all know the holidays are the worst after loved ones have died but the way the Rupp family put others in need first and counted there blessings was so inspirational.
As Ada and Josiah work together to help Nathan a slow moving relationship of love forms. The way Rachel wrote this part of the story showing each of their feelings was so heartfelt as each had their own anxieties which were not helped by the miss understanding of the community. This is all I am going to say about this as I am not going to spoil the story for those that like to have a surprise.
This is an Amish story written by a fantastic author in this genre that I highly recommend reading. I for one am waiting in anticipation for the next book in the Love and Promises series “The Amish Midwife’s Secret”
I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of the author’s Celebrate Lit book tour via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Awesome heartfelt story of a widowed man trying to raise a deaf son with no communication skills . Amish community started a special needs school with a new special needs teacher . What started out as a joint venture between father and teacher to teach communication skills turned into a beautiful friendship . Which later blossomed in to a a relationship . It has laughter , tears , even a little jealousy i believe . Please take time to read it . Rachel you blew it out of the water again .
What an interesting read with lots of information on how the Amish deal with disabled children. I found it enlightening as well as entertaining with the romantic tension between the teacher and Josiah. This book also has a secret of what happened to Ada’s father until almost the end, so that in itself keeps you turning pages to find out. Well written and researched without bogging down with to much information. The characters are relatable and my heart bleeds for Josiah. It is a story of family dynamics, navigating life’s hardships, misunderstandings, and God’s restoration. It will make you smile and have you in tears. This is book one in the new Love & Promises series. I’m anxious to read the second installment as an excerpt is in the back of this book and already has me hooked.
I won a copy of this book from a blog and I’m so glad I did. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
Ada Rupp is much more than just a gifted teacher…she also has a special gift caring for her seven brothers and sisters, one of whom has special needs. She runs a tight household that is organized in just such a way that the siblings work together in harmony. Ada grew up quickly during her mother’s illness and single-handedly raised her siblings when her father could no longer live in their home. She is such a dutiful young woman, whose priority was seeing to the needs of others.
Josiah has the capacity to love his son but is at a loss as he looks on as Nathan bonds with Ada. His heart wrenching pain pours out of the pages. I can’t imagine the loss he suffered losing a wife he loved coupled with the love and patience he had for his son. It was through this love and the knowledge of Ada’s gift as a teacher that led him to discover how to reach Nathan. His tireless strength fueled by his deep faith allowed him to give back to the school. In the long run the lessons he learned were immeasurable.
As I read the story I was struck by the very real the difficulties Ada and Josiah faced. The characters Rachel J. Good created in this book are very well developed and the research was amazing. I recommend this book for anyone who loves Amish fiction but all the more so for someone looking to go just a little deeper into situations that test our faith and unconditional love.
I received a complimentary copy of The Amish Teacher’s Gift in exchange for an honest review.
The Amish Teacher’s Gift is an inspirational story, a feel-good story and a love story all wrapped up in the bindings of one amazing book. I feel like a broken record lately when I say that this book was not without flaws. But, for me, this book was all about the feels. Those flaws don’t even matter to me.
I’ll take a moment to throw those flaws out there for the sake of disclosure. I mean, the flaws are there but the happiness of my heart is overshadowing the instant attraction, the back and forth, off and on, hot and cold romance. I barely even noticed the drag that I hit near the end when the story stalled over a scandal.
Let’s talk about what I love. I love these characters. They’re characters to “aww” over. Characters that I want to hug and love and cherish. Really, they were so well-developed and their heart touched mine. I’m not even joking. If I could adopt a fictional son—I’d do it in a heartbeat. Nathan is the sweetest child that I’ve ever read about in any fictional book.
I loved that this book included Amish children with special needs. That’s an area that’s often not discussed and I’ve wondered how the community cares for children with special considerations.
The author did an amazing job researching sensory issues and methods that teachers and therapists employee to help improve a child’s school and learning experience.
If you’re willing to overlook a few tropes in a book for characters that make you fall in love with them, this book is definitely one to pick up. I’ve nothing but fantastic things to say about how this book seriously gave me ALL the feels. ALL OF THEM. If you have a soft spot for children, read this one, you will not be disappointed.
This book was provided to me by Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.
I was quickly immersed in this story, and when it ended, I wanted to continue on. I loved being with these characters, and what a heart the young teacher, her first year, has for her handicapped children.
The author has given us a story of how hard it can be sometimes to be Amish, like losing your job, or trying to help your disabled child.
Thoughts of child abuse, elderly abuse, unchaperoned adults, the list could go on, and we are experiencing it first hand, through these characters.
I enjoyed this read, and it is different in that a lot of the children have a disability, which I have seen personally at a local Amish Christmas program, and love how they are treated. You don’t want to miss this one!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Forever, and was not required to give a positive review
The Amish Teacher’s Gift by Rachel J Good is book one in Rachel’s new series Love and Promises. This story is packed with love, faith, devotion, heartache, pain and much, much more. Be sure to have some tissues for this story. This story is one that tugged at my heart strings. I am so looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Having read a novella or two by Rachel J. Good, I hadn’t yet poured into a full novel. Until now. Having gotten to know the author through social media and mutual friends I felt like I knew her heart and couldn’t wait to read this book. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, I mean have you seen the heavy topics I’ve chosen to tackle these last few weeks?!? It was a perfect time to settle in with something a little lighter, a little cozier, and definitely lower on the intensity scale. This book fit that bill perfectly, though I can’t say that some of my reactions weren’t a little intense, but not in a bad way.
Let’s talk Gibbs’ Smack prize winners. Ada and Josiah take the cake. While not quite insta-love their attraction and chemistry is pretty instant. But then comes the self-doubt, the oh he’s married, oh I’m in mourning, oh he doesn’t feel the way I do, oh she’s too good for me, junk. All junk. Let’s face it, it’s real. As real as human nature and emotions can be conveyed on the page. I just get a little bogged down in it, as it runs from Chapter 1 on. I think the bigger frustration though was the complete miscommunications as only partial things were understood yet they closed themselves (OK she was the worst to be honest) down to full communication. Something we are all guilty of at one time or another, and honestly just as frustrating in real life as it is in book life. I’d like to throw a special glare at the bishop’s wife. She was just rude. Sorry, I felt like she was hateful and finger-pointing.
The other small thing was the heavy-handed hints about Ada’s dad. They were necessary and lead to greater information (that helped to explain the bishop’s wife – Betty – but doesn’t excuse her hatefulness!) but I was so tempted to skip ahead and find out what all this shrouded information was related too. Don’t do that! I promise it’s worth it. All that aside I truly fell into this book and it read entirely too quickly. Such developed characters (though I still don’t have a handle on most of Ada’s siblings as they were in the background) and a heartfelt story line. I enjoy Rachel’s writing style and she builds a world I can sink into and relate too. And please, someone put that Betty in her place in a future book. I can’t wait to read Leah’s story (Ada’s bestie) and also see how Ada and Josiah fare in the future with an insta-family of 8!
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by CelebrateLit, NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
The Amish Teacher’s Gift by Rachel J. Good
My rating is 4.5 Stars
The subject of the special-needs school in The Amish Teacher’s Gift is one I’ve never read about in an Amish book, but it is one that interests me greatly. While in high school, I was blessed to be a helper in a program for developmentally delayed preschoolers for a few hours a day. I have such fond memories of those wonderful children that when I saw the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it.
So many thoughts are floating through my head about this book.
The fact that the story dealt with a special-needs Amish school fascinated me. I loved the way that 19-year-old Ada took the time to learn all she could to help her students. The Mennonite school was pretty amazing. The tools they had to help the kids, the multi-sensory environment, everything they had just made my heart happy.
Martha, the bishop’s daughter, had Down Syndrome, yet she was a tremendous asset in the classroom. How amazing the school board would have allowed that, or even thought of having her be the one to assist. What a brilliant idea! Having known several children and adults with that condition, I can see how it would be a great fit.
Several things in the book were just sad. One of them is this. With the Amish community known to be just that, a community, it was terrible that Ada, as young as she was, was solely responsible for her six younger siblings with apparently no support from anyone. Yes, I know. The children are raised so they all help out, but that is beside the point. Someone should have been looking out for them, coming alongside to help, even if just to give her short breaks. I like to think that if I knew of someone in that kind of situation I would be helping on a regular basis.
The mixing of worlds was a great touch. Instead of everything happening just inside the Amish community, Josiah worked for an Englicsh construction company. Buggies and cars alike used the roads they traveled on. It was a nice touch giving a different picture than the completely isolated community often portrayed in Amish stories.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Rachel J. Good. This was a great start to the series.
This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net
You can read Rachel’s guest post at AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit, Netgalley for giving me this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
I love books that take on topics that are sometimes sensitive but important to write about. This book is one that not only shines the light about special needs children, but shows readers how each day can be filled with joy and accomplishments. The author has really done an excellent job of explaining how special each child is. I loved Ada because she has compassion, patience and unconditional love for the children. She doesn’t see their handicap, but instead recognizes their need to be accepted and loved. Ada has her hands full with her students and I’m not sure I could be as patient as she is. It doesn’t help that she is also raising her siblings since her mamm passed away. My heart went out to her and I wanted to tell her how much God loves her. Each child is special to Him and I know Ada feels the same way.
Widower Josiah is raising his six year old son Nathan and trying to deal with his hearing loss and tantrums. Nathan can be a handful at times, but Josiah is determined to show his son how much he loves him. I wonder what Josiah thought as he met Nathan’s teacher for the first time? Ada is only nineteen and it looks like she has her hands full with the other students. I’m glad Josiah trusted Ada enough to leave his son that first day of school.
The author is very knowledgeable about Amish and the details make you feel as if you know them. It was very interesting to learn that the Amish men don’t wear any other hat except what their community allows. I mention this because as a roofer, Josiah is required to wear
a hard hat. What happens when he tells the owner that he can’t wear the hat because it is against his beliefs?
As I read the story, I began to understand had difficult it can be to have special needs children. There is no time to rest and you always have to be ready for anything. The children in the story each have different disabilities but all need that extra time to show how much they are loved.I admired the characters who cared for these children and especially liked how the author gave us a glimpse into the lives of these special children. During my time as a children’s pastor I have had two special needs children in the classroom. One was deaf and the other one was autistic. Reading this story reminded me of how much my heart went out to the parents of these children. I didn’t feel sorry for them, but rather admired them. Their interaction with their child was pure . Ada has that gift as a teacher and I began to like her more as the story continued.
The story is a beautiful reminder of patience, love and how one person can make a difference in someone’s life. There is a bit of romance in the story that I liked because it wasn’t rushed. Ada and Josiah each have misgivings about being together and the author explores that in a touching way. There is so much to discover in this wonderful story and I was sad to see it end. I was curious throughout the story why Nathan seemed to be afraid of his dad. The answer is quite interesting and made me cry. The author has opened the door to a group of children that are often forgotten about by writing a story that captures their innocence. This is one story that you don’t want to miss. Get ready for tears as Ada and her students capture your heart.
I received a copy of this story from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
I was very impressed with this new-to-me author. I really enjoyed The Amish Teacher’s Gift and will definitely read more books written by Rachel J. Good.
The characters in this story really pulled at my heart. Whether it was Josiah and his inability to communicate with his deaf son, Nathan, or Ada trying to do her best to help her special needs students, I was totally connected to these characters. The communication issues between Nathan and Josiah, along with the tantrums, created many tense situations that had to be overcome.
I also loved the chemisty between Josiah and Ada, but a relationship developing between them wasn’t a simple situation. They had plenty of miscommunications themselves, as well as much judgement to overcome from the community.
I enjoyed this novel so much and look forward to the next in the series.
(4.5 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.