Rachel

Ellie's People #3

by Mary Christner Borntrager

Rachel Miller's parents are Mennonite missionaries who left the Amish church before Rachel was born. Now Rachel wants to become Amish. She likes their quiet, unhurried way of life, and when she spends summers and goes to church with her Amish grandparents, Ellie and David Eash, she feels like she belongs. When she starts to attend Amish youth singings and begins to court a young Amish man, she realizes that she will have to choose. Should Rachel listen to her siblings and friends, who make fun of her and think she should drop her dream of becoming Amish once and for all? Or should she follow her desire to become Amish, which is starting to feel a lot like God's will?
Book 3, Ellie's People Series

Genres: Amish, Fiction, Young Adult, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Christian, Romance

190 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

Mary Christner Borntrager was born to Amish parents near Plain City, Ohio. Her Ellie’s People series is based on her childhood and youth among the Amish. The books bring authentic Amish stories to life for readers interested in Amish fiction and also real depictions of Amish life. Her Ellie’s People novels have sold more than half a million copies and are treasured classics among the Amish and Mennonites.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young Rachel grows up the daughter of Mennonite missionaries but loves visiting her Amish grandparents, especially her grandmother Ellie.

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebecca is an amish lady who married a menonite and left the church. Now her daughter has a longing to go back to the Amish church.

Very sweet, love how one book goes through the who girls life.

[Jackie Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first chapter book I ever read as a child, and I read it countless times throughout my growing-up years. I recently re-read it for the first time as an adult and can say that it still warms my heart even after two decades. The is a sweet story of a young girl growing up with her Amish grandparents and teaches many valuable lessons for the age range it is targeted to, as well as those readers who are older. Out of the entire, Ellie's People series, "Rachel" is my favorite.

[Sophia]

Favorite character (and why): Mammi she taught rachel lots of important lessons
What surprised me: Rachel became amish
Would I change the ending? No. It was a happy ending.
I recommend this book.

[Kaye Wingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very uplifting story

[ANNETTE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sweet story.

[Dusty Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morman family

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the third in the "Ellie's People" series.
Rachel was born in a South American country (they don't say which one) to her Mennonite Missionary parents. She is now seven and missionaries' lives are threatened, so they have decided to return to Ohio. Rachel is nervous about her move to the US. She is used to the simplicity of her life and the friends she knows. When she does move back home, she sees there is a lot of worldliness she never even imagined existed that she is more drawn to the ways of her Amish grandparents than the ways of her own parents' Mennonite community. She practically ends up living and growing up with her Amish family because of how drawn to it she is. This book is about her time with them. It resembles the first book quite a bit more than the second book (which I liked the mot so far). Keep in mind this is a middle grade aged book and I am 30. It was a cute story and I wish I had read it as a child. I read this in a day.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had this book since it came out in 1990. I think it was a gift from my grandma B. It is a easy read. Book spans 10 years in a short book. Rachel is 7 at beginging of book and 17 at end of book. Talks alot of the AMISH faith.

[Partridge Public]

Borntrager, Mary C.

[Cws]

JF-YABor

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F BOR ep bk. 3

[Tonia Jeffery · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, but the whole time I was thinking it was much of the same theme over and over without any real suspense or conflict.

[Sue Klasing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie's favorite Granddaughter decides whether or not to return to her Amish roots.

[Kathryn]

Someone gave me this book when I was a girl and I enjoyed the glimpse into Amish life (the author was raised Amish). I just read it again, for the first time in over twenty years, because I’m working on a project of (re)reading all the juvenile fiction on my shelves. It reminds me of the Grandma’s Attic series because Rachel’s grandparents are very influential people in her life, and they often teach through stories about things that happened when they were young. Unlike Grandma’s Attic, which is really a series of vignettes, this book has an overarching plot and follows Rachel from age seven to seventeen.