School's Out

Rachel Yoder — Always Trouble Somewhere #1

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

School's Out! And so is Rachel, with trouble following close on her barefooted heels! Nine-year-old Rachel Yoder is a delightfully high-spirited Amish girl who finds plenty of trouble amid the rolling hills of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When she's not getting locked in a root cellar, bringing frogs to church, or taking wild buggy rides, she's setting fireflies free and trying out new skateboards in all the wrong places. Kids will love this fun new series-full of adventure and mischief-by bestselling author, Wanda E. Brunstetter. Visit www.rachelyoderbooks.com to play online games, learn Amish words, and learn more about the Rachel Yoder Series! Other books in the Rachel Yoder series include Back to School, Out of Control, New Beginnings.

Genres: Amish, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Amish Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written close to 90 books translated in four languages. With over 10 million copies sold, Wanda's stories consistently earn spots on the nations most prestigious bestseller lists and have received numerous awards.

Wanda’s ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Her books are well-read and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

When Wanda visits her Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties. Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

To learn more about Wanda, visit her website at www.wandabrunstetter.com.

Reviews

[Sara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read anything by Wanda E Brunstetter prior to this book but I know she is a very popular author in our area (I can't speak for anywhere else but her books always have waiting lists at the library). This is her first children's book and I must say it was good. It's the first in a series.
This book follows Rachel Yoder while on summer break. Rachel is a nine year old girl who's famliy is Amish. I have read a few Amish books so I have a basic understanding of a fictional version of that society (having never met anyone who is Amish - I can't say whether or not they are accurate). This book didn't really require an understanding of the culture. Wanda E Brunstetter made everything understandable in a way that didn't feel like a lesson. The Amish have their own language - sort of a German-English hybrid. I liked how the author gave a translation without it feeling like a translation.
Rachel Yoder is a very likeable character. She wants a skateboard for her birthday, would love to be able to wear pants and drive fast in a convertible. She's a typical nine year old girl who lives a unique life. I highly recommend this book and look forward to another edition.

[CurtTheGamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good story. I originally read this when I was a kid, after my Grandma bought me a copy signed by the author when it was originally published, and I remember enjoying it a lot. I recently re-read it after this book came up in a conversation with a good friend of mine (which surprised me as I didn't expect anybody to even know that this book existed). It still holds up very well, and reads like an Amish version of Ramona Quimby, which is a book series that I love, so of course I enjoyed this book just as much. I recommend this book for those of you who want to feel like children again, and I hope to eventually find copies of the rest of the books in this series so that I can read them.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel Yoder and her Amish family live in a small community, and with summer brings time away from school - but no matter how hard she tries, it seems that something is always going wrong, and it will take the love of her family and her faith in the Lord's wisdom to keep her head up! Brunstetter brings young readers a comfy series of short tales with decently implemented moral lessons, though a bit repetitive and jarring in its Dutch terminology implementation. Will Rachel be able to enjoy her summer vacation with so much rain, brotherly teasing, and mishaps?

[Emily Strite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memory Lane Readathon: Book Two
Rating: 3 Stars ✨
Nostalgic Rating: 5 Stars ✨

While this book was good, it was not as good as I remembered. It was fun to reread because it had been so long! The interesting thing about this book is that each chapter is kind of it's own little story, so this book is more of just a bunch of little adventures. Overall, a nice read!

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brunstetter Betters #1
Rachel Yoder #1
Old biddy writes series about young Amish biddy who undertakes several activities of the mischievous side of life, a short quick read with a focus on moral lessons, with a Biblical facade.
Entertaining enough.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good short stories. It reminds me of how at time when I was young no matter how hard I tried I got into trouble. I would definitely suggest this book to younger kids and adults.

[Evelyn Veldhuizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice series for girls age grade 4 to 6

[Eleanor]

RA

[Katie Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

RA with EJ

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for young children!

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened as a family summer 2022. Everyone enjoyed this first one so much, we listened to the next three in quick succession!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library

[redder reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t remember much because I read this when I was in primary school but it was one of the books I couldn’t stop reading.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK # 1 OF 4 BOXED SET OWN ON KINDLE

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little to get into the story, but after a couple of pages I fell in love with little Rachel. She is like an Amish Pippi Longstocking. Wanda Brunstetter does an excellent job of drawing you into the characters, and you can feel Rachel’s frustration as she learns about growing up, getting along, and getting through life’s trouble. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the heavy usage of Pennsylvania Dutch. While it did give the story an authentic feel, it also slowed the story down, especially in the beginning. But you get over it quickly.

I loved the fact that Rachel goes through all the emotions my daughter goes through when she gets in trouble. Life is sometimes hard for kids to understand, and this book does a great job of relating to the kids, while at the same time showing that obedience to your parents, getting along with your brother and sisters, and all the other rules are there for a reason, and the blessing that come from following them.

This was a great book and is highly recommended by this Mom!

[Tonja Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is from: School's Out (Rachel Yoder - Always Trouble Somewhere Series)
Award winning best selling author Wanda Brunstetter and her husband live in Washington state but take every opportunity to visit friends in Amish settlements throughout the states.

Rachel Yoder is a ten year old girl who is very adventurous. She has just gotten out of school
for the summer. She has many misadventures from falling in a pond on a picnic to bringing
some frogs to church and having them escape. Rachel catches some fireflies in a jar for fun.
She has a special gift that she wants for her birthday and is very excited about this. The
family barn gos thru a stage of reconstruction.
I loved this book. It brings back some fun times I spent in my youth. I read this book
to my daughter and she loved it a lot.
#books #review
I blog at https://wordpress.Bookworm701

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my 2nd grader, 5th grader, and 8th grader, as per the 8th grader's recommendations, describing it "as funny as Ramona Quimby, only she's Amish." It's a pretty good, humorous family read. Originally, the 2nd grader didn't like the book, saying that it wasn't fun reading about someone who was always in trouble, and didn't like the Amish words because they were unfamiliar. The 2nd grader wanted me to say, "Rachel thinks that her brother didn't love her, but he did in the end," and I think grew to like the story as it went along. The 5th grader says, "You should follow the rules. She wants to break their rules and ride in a car."

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little House on the Amish Farm. Cute - would appeal to younger girls that also liked Little House on the prairie. Rachel, the youngest of the Yoder family always seems to be in trouble. Storyline imparts morals about what really is important in life. The only drawback I found was in having to flip back and forth to the glossary at the front to decipher the Pennsylvania Dutch that is interspersed throughout the book.

[Kristen Gurri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect book to take camping. Both Kate and Colin could get into it. The adults enjoyed it too. Three very difficult criteria to fill. Written about the Amish by an "English" writer, the book teaches children about the Pennsylvania Dutch daily life but they can still easily relate to the characters. The book is written with love and respect for the Amish and their ways.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty okay for a children book, though I think there are too many Amish words included in the story. Flipping from the glossary to the story at every chapter distracts me from the story flow. But it's a good book with good Christian values.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Great intro for Rachel into Kelly's "other" life... Amishland!!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story: a young Amish girl who is always getting into trouble finds out that her life isn't so terribly unfair.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book that gave my kids a glimpse into what life is like in the Amish community.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful children series.

[Trish Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 yr old daughter and I really enjoyed reading these together. She could not wait for our evening reading together each night. Such a sweet and refreshing story for young girls.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book of an Amish girl named Rachel who is always getting into trouble. This is the first book of a series.

[Dee Schwinn]

I didn't really read this book but the program would never give me A Sister's Hope which I liked. Don't like that the program did not accept it.

[SarieBerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as cute now as it was years ago when my big kids were little kids!

[Hayley Peacock]

Rachel Yoder the Amish girl who just wants to be normal. She is always getting into trouble but just wants to be a normal 9 year old.