Chestnut Ridge Acres

Whispering Brook #3

by Carrie Bender, Joy Dunn Keenan (Illustrator)

Joe and Arie, a young Amish couple, try to get through their first summer on their farm with the help of Joe's younger sister Nancy and brother Steven

Genres: Fiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Writing under the pen name Carrie Bender, the author is a member of an old order group in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She also authored the Whispering Brook Series, Miriam's Journal Series, and Dora's Diary Series. Library Journal says Bender "leads readers to ponder the intimate relationship of people and nature."

Reviews

[Dale Safford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and wholesome young adult novel; just a little too tame for me.

Joe and Arie are a newly married Amish couple, and they move to their own farm, Chestnut Ridge Acres, sight unseen. They have various situations such as a younger sibling coming to stay, a small explosion, money that gets accidentally burned, chickens being taken, an angry bull, bats in the house, and preparing for a "frolic" (barn raising). And the whole time there is Old Capp, a crotchety old neighbor who has an unknown beef about property, and his dog, who they try to befriend even though he causes trouble. Days and nights are full of action with establishing their new farm.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author captors the Amish way of life in this refreshing story! The Amish work hard, live simply, and peacefully. Not everything in life goes smoothly as some might suspect. I recommend this book for everyone ages 9+.