What do you think?
Dawn Chandler #2
Dawn and the Letters
Dawn Chandler is newly settled in Lone Pine, and she can’t wait for the family wedding. When she and her friend Moriah discover an old letter written during the Vietnam War, they hatch a plan for a grand wedding surprise. Forming the “Smokey’s Sleuths” group with their siblings, they intend to track down the letter’s author.
As plans move forward with festivities, Dawn tries to ignore Rochelle, the one girl determined to make her life miserable and ruin her friendships. But Smokey’s Sleuths soon discover that Rochelle is the one person who holds the clue they desperately need.
Will Smokey’s Sleuths be able to track down the letter’s author in time to pull off a wedding surprise, or will Dawn’s struggle to love her enemy keep them from their goal?
As plans move forward with festivities, Dawn tries to ignore Rochelle, the one girl determined to make her life miserable and ruin her friendships. But Smokey’s Sleuths soon discover that Rochelle is the one person who holds the clue they desperately need.
Will Smokey’s Sleuths be able to track down the letter’s author in time to pull off a wedding surprise, or will Dawn’s struggle to love her enemy keep them from their goal?
- GenresContemporaryMiddle Grade
Unknown Binding
Published November 21, 2020
About the author
Eliza Noel
2 books98 followersEliza Noel is a home school graduate with passion for Jesus, people, and literature. Growing up, her favorite books were always Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, and Pride and Prejudice. Around age twelve she wanted to read something with positive values in a modern setting, but couldn’t find what she was looking for. So she wrote it.
You can follow her writing journey and see snippets of her everyday life on elizanoel.com or by following @elizanoelauthor on social media.
You can follow her writing journey and see snippets of her everyday life on elizanoel.com or by following @elizanoelauthor on social media.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 28, 2024
About this book:
“Dawn Chandler is newly settled in Lone Pine, and she can’t wait for the family wedding. When she and her friend Moriah discover an old letter written during the Vietnam War, they hatch a plan for a grand wedding surprise. Forming the “Smokey’s Sleuths” group with their siblings, they intend to track down the letter’s author.
As plans move forward with festivities, Dawn tries to ignore Rochelle, the one girl determined to make her life miserable and ruin her friendships. But Smokey’s Sleuths soon discover that Rochelle is the one person who holds the clue they desperately need.
Will Smokey’s Sleuths be able to track down the letter’s author in time to pull off a wedding surprise, or will Dawn’s struggle to love her enemy keep them from their goal?”
Series: Book #2 in the “Dawn Chandler” series. Review of Book #1, Here!
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, & thought over; Bible reading; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going, singing a hymn, and listening to a sermon about love and loving your enemies (which makes Dawn cringe); Dawn thinks about her bad attitude (Book #1) and adds “It’s simply a matter of choosing joy and accepting God’s plan for my life. Good friends don’t hurt, though.”; Dawn’s mother has Bible study and assignments related to researching Scriptures for both Dawn and her brother in their homeschool lessons; Dawn listens to a Christian pop group (1 Girl Nation) but cringes when one of the lyrics is to love your haters; When Dawn reads Matthew 5:44 about loving your enemies, she closes her Bible as that’s not what she wanted to hear; Dawn says a prayer that Rochelle won’t come to an event (and is disappointed when her prayer doesn’t work); Dawn also cringes during a sermon about loving your enemies; *Spoilers* ; Mentions of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, & sharing about Jesus with others; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; A couple mentions of Saint Valentine as a martyr who was beheaded; A mention of thinking that a girl might become a missionary one day.
Negative Content- Some eye rolling & Sarcasm (most are teasing and not done meanly); Dawn thinks back about her bad attitude (Book #1) and how she likes the small town they live in now; Rochelle is rude and spiteful to Dawn & Dawn wonders why she hates her (at one point, Dawn asks a friend to not tell another friend about Rochelle hating her and says “Please don’t tell Caroline about me not getting along with Rochelle. I feel like if she knew she wouldn’t take my side, and she’d talk about—” “About how Rochelle’s had a hard life and she would tell you that you should be a perfect angel to Rochelle even when she’s tearing you down?” Moriah smiled and Dawn nodded. “Yeah, she probably would say that. I love Caroline, but sometimes she’s too perfect.”); Dawn and Moriah tells Caroline that Rochelle is mean to Dawn, but Caroline says that they aren’t being fair because Rochelle has had a rough few years; Rochelle makes Dawn cry & be upset; *Spoilers* ; Mentions of mean girls & their comments; Mentions of opening someone’s mail without their permission & later apologizing for it; A few mentions of the Vietnam War, fighting overseas, & a death of a loved one; A couple mentions of a motorcycle accident & death; A couple mentions of a missing person case; A couple mentions of a possible stalker; A couple mentions of not wanting to lie; A couple mentions of a divorce; A mention of war movies; A mention of a place being a “hick town”;
*Note: In the Prologue, Rochelle thinks that she’s “almost a teenager” and doesn’t want to play dress-up like her grandmother suggested; Rochelle wears ripped jeans & a choker necklace; Dawn’s brother has his best friend saved in his phone as “Walty Baby” (as a joke); Mentions of TV shows & a movie (Gilmore Girls, MacGyver, Petticoat Junction, The 1960s Batman, Sound of Music); A few mentions of a singer & songs (Frank Sinatra, ‘If I Were the Only Girl in the World’, and ‘By Light of the Silvery Moon’); A few mentions of McDonald’s; A couple mentions of Nancy Drew; A mention of a Jane Austen movie; A mention of Star Wars (with a quote from one movie); A mention of a magazine (Seventeen which was a grandmother’s copy from the 1970s); A mention of Google.
Sexual Content- A handful of girlfriends (mainly that an older brother does not have one nor want one as he plans to be single for his whole life);
*Note: Caroline loves singing love songs & says she can’t wait for her wedding (which makes her sister tease her about who she’ll marry since that part isn’t known because Caroline may have not even met him yet; This is brought up a couple other times in good-natured teasing); Dawn says she’s excited to be allowed to wear make-up for a wedding and encourages a friend that she’s be beautiful with it & a friend teases her about being naturally beautiful; A brother teases about doing chores and getting buff from them (he tries to flex his muscles and strikes a pose; done humorously).
-Dawn Chandler, age 12
P.O.V. of Dawn (Prologue in Rochelle’s)
141 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Four Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
This book picks up right after the first book ends, which I always like because then I feel like I haven’t missed out on anything!
We met Rochelle in the first book as she was the girl that had some mean comments towards Dawn being from the big city. Dawn is told that she’s “upset with the world” but that’s all we learn. In this book, we find out her story and that her home life has been rough. I feel like Dawn has some very realistic reactions and comments about Rochelle and everything involved with the two of them not liking the other. The truth and resolution come by the end of this short book and while I would have liked it to be a bit longer, it felt very accurate and realistic.
The sibling and friendship parts/conversations are so fun to read! It’s also really refreshing to see that and the positive homeschooler content in this series. You can tell this was written by someone closer to the age of the main character than a lot of other middle-grade books. Particularly because there’s many little things that feel natural and explained or written like this age group would say, for example the makeup comment listed above. This has been a sweet series and I hope that there may be more books in it some day!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
“Dawn Chandler is newly settled in Lone Pine, and she can’t wait for the family wedding. When she and her friend Moriah discover an old letter written during the Vietnam War, they hatch a plan for a grand wedding surprise. Forming the “Smokey’s Sleuths” group with their siblings, they intend to track down the letter’s author.
As plans move forward with festivities, Dawn tries to ignore Rochelle, the one girl determined to make her life miserable and ruin her friendships. But Smokey’s Sleuths soon discover that Rochelle is the one person who holds the clue they desperately need.
Will Smokey’s Sleuths be able to track down the letter’s author in time to pull off a wedding surprise, or will Dawn’s struggle to love her enemy keep them from their goal?”
Series: Book #2 in the “Dawn Chandler” series. Review of Book #1, Here!
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, & thought over; Bible reading; Prayers & Thanking God; Church going, singing a hymn, and listening to a sermon about love and loving your enemies (which makes Dawn cringe); Dawn thinks about her bad attitude (Book #1) and adds “It’s simply a matter of choosing joy and accepting God’s plan for my life. Good friends don’t hurt, though.”; Dawn’s mother has Bible study and assignments related to researching Scriptures for both Dawn and her brother in their homeschool lessons; Dawn listens to a Christian pop group (1 Girl Nation) but cringes when one of the lyrics is to love your haters; When Dawn reads Matthew 5:44 about loving your enemies, she closes her Bible as that’s not what she wanted to hear; Dawn says a prayer that Rochelle won’t come to an event (and is disappointed when her prayer doesn’t work); Dawn also cringes during a sermon about loving your enemies; *Spoilers* ; Mentions of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, & sharing about Jesus with others; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; A couple mentions of Saint Valentine as a martyr who was beheaded; A mention of thinking that a girl might become a missionary one day.
Negative Content- Some eye rolling & Sarcasm (most are teasing and not done meanly); Dawn thinks back about her bad attitude (Book #1) and how she likes the small town they live in now; Rochelle is rude and spiteful to Dawn & Dawn wonders why she hates her (at one point, Dawn asks a friend to not tell another friend about Rochelle hating her and says “Please don’t tell Caroline about me not getting along with Rochelle. I feel like if she knew she wouldn’t take my side, and she’d talk about—” “About how Rochelle’s had a hard life and she would tell you that you should be a perfect angel to Rochelle even when she’s tearing you down?” Moriah smiled and Dawn nodded. “Yeah, she probably would say that. I love Caroline, but sometimes she’s too perfect.”); Dawn and Moriah tells Caroline that Rochelle is mean to Dawn, but Caroline says that they aren’t being fair because Rochelle has had a rough few years; Rochelle makes Dawn cry & be upset; *Spoilers* ; Mentions of mean girls & their comments; Mentions of opening someone’s mail without their permission & later apologizing for it; A few mentions of the Vietnam War, fighting overseas, & a death of a loved one; A couple mentions of a motorcycle accident & death; A couple mentions of a missing person case; A couple mentions of a possible stalker; A couple mentions of not wanting to lie; A couple mentions of a divorce; A mention of war movies; A mention of a place being a “hick town”;
*Note: In the Prologue, Rochelle thinks that she’s “almost a teenager” and doesn’t want to play dress-up like her grandmother suggested; Rochelle wears ripped jeans & a choker necklace; Dawn’s brother has his best friend saved in his phone as “Walty Baby” (as a joke); Mentions of TV shows & a movie (Gilmore Girls, MacGyver, Petticoat Junction, The 1960s Batman, Sound of Music); A few mentions of a singer & songs (Frank Sinatra, ‘If I Were the Only Girl in the World’, and ‘By Light of the Silvery Moon’); A few mentions of McDonald’s; A couple mentions of Nancy Drew; A mention of a Jane Austen movie; A mention of Star Wars (with a quote from one movie); A mention of a magazine (Seventeen which was a grandmother’s copy from the 1970s); A mention of Google.
Sexual Content- A handful of girlfriends (mainly that an older brother does not have one nor want one as he plans to be single for his whole life);
*Note: Caroline loves singing love songs & says she can’t wait for her wedding (which makes her sister tease her about who she’ll marry since that part isn’t known because Caroline may have not even met him yet; This is brought up a couple other times in good-natured teasing); Dawn says she’s excited to be allowed to wear make-up for a wedding and encourages a friend that she’s be beautiful with it & a friend teases her about being naturally beautiful; A brother teases about doing chores and getting buff from them (he tries to flex his muscles and strikes a pose; done humorously).
-Dawn Chandler, age 12
P.O.V. of Dawn (Prologue in Rochelle’s)
141 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Four Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
This book picks up right after the first book ends, which I always like because then I feel like I haven’t missed out on anything!
We met Rochelle in the first book as she was the girl that had some mean comments towards Dawn being from the big city. Dawn is told that she’s “upset with the world” but that’s all we learn. In this book, we find out her story and that her home life has been rough. I feel like Dawn has some very realistic reactions and comments about Rochelle and everything involved with the two of them not liking the other. The truth and resolution come by the end of this short book and while I would have liked it to be a bit longer, it felt very accurate and realistic.
The sibling and friendship parts/conversations are so fun to read! It’s also really refreshing to see that and the positive homeschooler content in this series. You can tell this was written by someone closer to the age of the main character than a lot of other middle-grade books. Particularly because there’s many little things that feel natural and explained or written like this age group would say, for example the makeup comment listed above. This has been a sweet series and I hope that there may be more books in it some day!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
May 28, 2022
Ah, stories like these make me smile! Homeschoolers, big families, sibling banter, small town vibes, and a hint of mystery. Love it!
I think I enjoyed this story even more than the first one as it made me super nostalgic. My childhood as a homeschooler gave me similar memories, and it was fun to relive being 12 years old again (vicariously, of course) when life was still easy. :)
I burst out laughing several times, which doesn’t happen often for me and probably isn’t the best thing for 2am insomnia. But hey, laughing is good medicine!
This is a perfect book for younger readers, but totally acceptable for older ones, too. ;)
Thank you, and well done, Eliza!
I think I enjoyed this story even more than the first one as it made me super nostalgic. My childhood as a homeschooler gave me similar memories, and it was fun to relive being 12 years old again (vicariously, of course) when life was still easy. :)
I burst out laughing several times, which doesn’t happen often for me and probably isn’t the best thing for 2am insomnia. But hey, laughing is good medicine!
This is a perfect book for younger readers, but totally acceptable for older ones, too. ;)
Thank you, and well done, Eliza!
November 16, 2020
This is a sweet, fun, story perfect for any middle-grade reader. Dawn is a charming heroine, and I really enjoyed the large Jennings family (I adore sibling stories and this book certainly has enough siblings to go around)!
While the story itself is fun and the adventure is satisfying, Noel has also woven in valuable Biblical lessons and principles. Readers of all ages will be able to relate to Dawn's struggle to forgive and love her enemies.
While the story itself is fun and the adventure is satisfying, Noel has also woven in valuable Biblical lessons and principles. Readers of all ages will be able to relate to Dawn's struggle to forgive and love her enemies.
November 2, 2020
Dawn and the Letters is an endearing book full of heart, laughs, and Biblical themes.
The story is witty and cozy all at once, with a good dose of humor and feel-good vibes. The themes are handled so well. Forgiveness and love can be hard to tackle! But this book shows sometimes how simple it can be.
I really loved the realistic, vivid characters and the quaint setting! And the cover is so cozy, y'all! Honestly, I just cannot wait to have this complete series on my shelf for my nieces when they grow older! These books make me so nostalgic!
I'd recommend this series to middle grade readers and anyone who wants a sweet read!
The story is witty and cozy all at once, with a good dose of humor and feel-good vibes. The themes are handled so well. Forgiveness and love can be hard to tackle! But this book shows sometimes how simple it can be.
I really loved the realistic, vivid characters and the quaint setting! And the cover is so cozy, y'all! Honestly, I just cannot wait to have this complete series on my shelf for my nieces when they grow older! These books make me so nostalgic!
I'd recommend this series to middle grade readers and anyone who wants a sweet read!
December 7, 2020
This was such a sweet middle grade story! Dawn and the Letters is the second book in Eliza Noel's Dawn Chandler series, and it was so fun to read more about Dawn's life! While it was helpful to have had read book 1, Dawn Chandler, it was definitely not necessary, and the story was fun either way.
The previous book in the series: Dawn Chandler
Like the previous book, this book was directed at kids between 8-12 years old, and the writing style and story line reflected such. The story was really sweet and I feel like I would have really enjoyed it when I was younger.
The message of this book was also really good: the primary theme was forgiveness, and it appeared frequently throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book, which gave it a fun twist. It reminded me of books like the Three Cousins Detective Club or the Cul-de-Sac Kids that I read when I was younger.
The characters were really fun to read: the sibling banter was very amusing and I enjoyed it a lot! I also love books set in a small town, so that was perfect in that regard too.
Overall, it was a very cute and fun read that I would definitely recommend to young readers!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.
This review first appeared on: https://losingthebusyness.wordpress.c...
The previous book in the series: Dawn Chandler
Like the previous book, this book was directed at kids between 8-12 years old, and the writing style and story line reflected such. The story was really sweet and I feel like I would have really enjoyed it when I was younger.
The message of this book was also really good: the primary theme was forgiveness, and it appeared frequently throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book, which gave it a fun twist. It reminded me of books like the Three Cousins Detective Club or the Cul-de-Sac Kids that I read when I was younger.
The characters were really fun to read: the sibling banter was very amusing and I enjoyed it a lot! I also love books set in a small town, so that was perfect in that regard too.
Overall, it was a very cute and fun read that I would definitely recommend to young readers!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.
This review first appeared on: https://losingthebusyness.wordpress.c...
November 10, 2020
I loved this book just as much as I did the last one! And before I dive right in, let me just say that while I think that you should read the first one before reading this one, you wouldn't necessarily have to. So don't wait to read this great middle-grade read.
While it is a middle-grade novel, I think anyone and everyone should read Dawn and the Letters! It's a nice light read with some Biblical lessons to be learned and sarcasm. Can we talk about Kenneth's sarcasm! Just like every other boy on the planet, he's always thinking about food and making jokes at every turn. In fact, the whole book is realistically sarcastic! If you don't think so too, I think you skipped childhood sitting in a castle and being very proper. You might start reminiscing your own childhood/tween years while reading Dawn and the Letters!
While it is a middle-grade novel, I think anyone and everyone should read Dawn and the Letters! It's a nice light read with some Biblical lessons to be learned and sarcasm. Can we talk about Kenneth's sarcasm! Just like every other boy on the planet, he's always thinking about food and making jokes at every turn. In fact, the whole book is realistically sarcastic! If you don't think so too, I think you skipped childhood sitting in a castle and being very proper. You might start reminiscing your own childhood/tween years while reading Dawn and the Letters!
November 11, 2020
Perfect for elementary-school girls, Dawn and the Letters teaches in an engaging way that loving your enemies is the best way to go. The book is short and uncomplicated for young readers, with a simple and sweet plot.
Character-wise, Dawn is a good portrayal of an average Christian girl who's definitely not perfect and has typical, twelve-year-old struggles. I enjoyed her interactions with her siblings and friends, and all the different personalities Eliza created. Coming from a big, country family, I can definitely relate to the Jennings!
I give the design an A+. The cover is so cute, and the inside has some awesome extras, my favorite being a clean-cut, artistic map of Lone Pine. Book extras amp up any book for me, and I loved what these added to the story!
Eliza Noel has penned a fresh, appealing story that will take young readers to the beautiful mountains of Lone Pine. I can't wait to see what she'll do next!
Character-wise, Dawn is a good portrayal of an average Christian girl who's definitely not perfect and has typical, twelve-year-old struggles. I enjoyed her interactions with her siblings and friends, and all the different personalities Eliza created. Coming from a big, country family, I can definitely relate to the Jennings!
I give the design an A+. The cover is so cute, and the inside has some awesome extras, my favorite being a clean-cut, artistic map of Lone Pine. Book extras amp up any book for me, and I loved what these added to the story!
Eliza Noel has penned a fresh, appealing story that will take young readers to the beautiful mountains of Lone Pine. I can't wait to see what she'll do next!
January 4, 2021
Personally, I found this to be too drama infused. It is perfect for the age range it is written for but I didn't prefer it so much as something for me. Otherwise, the story is cute, the character well developed, and the ending sweet.
I really enjoyed the letter themes.
I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
I really enjoyed the letter themes.
I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews