Paradise Valley

November 1, 2010
Bestseller Cramer (Levi's Will) mines American and personal history (his Amish great-grandfather moved to Mexico) for the first in his new Daughters of Caleb Bender series. After five Amish fathers are jailed in 1922 for violating the Bing Act, which required school attendance for children up to age 16, Caleb Bender is the first to depart his Ohio Amish community for Mexico. Caleb brings his large family with him, including 15-year-old Rachel, who must leave behind Jake Weaver, the young man she loves. In Mexico, where bandits and thievery are common, the Benders face dangers unknown in Ohio, but the family perseveres, with help from farmhand Domingo. Interesting history compensates in part for writing that can plod like an Amish field horse. The series, however, is sure to draw fans eager to follow the Bender family.

November 15, 2010

After Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested when it is discovered that their Amish children are not attending public school as required by Ohio state law, Caleb volunteers to move his family and establish an Amish settlement in postrevolutionary Mexico. VERDICT This historical series launch will appeal to fans of Beverly Lewis and Cindy Woodsmall for its homespun tone and uplifting story line.

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November 15, 2010
Cramer follows his acclaimed novel Levis Will (2005) with another inspiring and honest look at the Amish community in the opening volume in the Daughters of Caleb Bender trilogy. In 1920s Ohio, Amish fathers are taken to court and imprisoned when they refuse to allow their children to attend public school. Matters escalate when the Amish children are removed from their parents homes, stripped of their plain appearance, and forced to live in a childrens home while they attend public school. This incident inspires Caleb Bender to move his entire family to Mexico. Faced with rebuilding a homestead while battling bandits, Cramers characters dig deep to find the forgiveness and the strength it takes to truly love ones enemies. Cramers ability to develop characters with genuine struggles sets this Amish novel apart from the rest, especially because its based on Cramers great-grandfathers experiences as an elder statesman of the colony Paradise Valley, Mexico. Fans of historical fiction will find enough here to spur further research, and for followers of Amish fiction, this is a must-read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)