The Amish Teacher’s Gift is unusual in that there are few, if any, books about the Amish that focus on special needs children. An extraordinary amount of research obviously went into the subject based on the details represented from the children’s behavior to the types of equipment and methods family members and caregivers implemented to enhance their children’s lives.

Due to their mother’s death and other sad circumstances in her family, Ada Rupp, at 19, has full responsibility for her seven younger siblings, to include her brother who is deaf. In addition, she teaches a classroom of the special needs children in the community.

Josiah Yoder is still reeling from his wife’s death and can’t seem to get through to his son, who is also deaf and exhibits behavioral problems, too.

I admired Ada and her ability to manage seemingly overwhelming odds. I genuinely do not believe I could run a household with seven younger siblings, especially one without modern conveniences, and teach school all day, too. Not to mention the strict adherence to not working on Sundays and the amount of time spent in church, even if it is only every other Sunday.

My heart broke for Josiah. Not only did he lose his wife, but Nathan, his son, is inexplicably afraid of him, and everything Josiah does just seems to make the situation worse.

I noticed on Rachael J. Good’s website she had the tagline, “Heartfelt tales of faith, hope, and forgiveness.” She definitely covered those and more in The Amish Teacher’s Gift!

I received this book free through the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and NetGalley. However, I was under no obligation to post a review.

The Amish Teacher’s Gift

Such a special story. Ada is teaching a class with children that has special needs. It does take a special person to do that. She is also taking care of her family. She also has some special helpers in her class. Josiah is a widower with a son in her class. Nathan is five and is deaf and doesn’t understand what happened to his mother. All he knows that she is gone. I really admired Josiah and how he stood by his believes on his job. He was a good father but just needed a little help with figuring out Nathan needs. All the children in the book made it really fun, enjoyable, inspiring. A little suspense surrounding Ada dad and what happened to him. Love having some suspense in books. I definitely recommend this book. I received an advanced copy of the book from Celebrate Lit.

Having read a novella or two by Rachel J. Good, I hadn't yet poured into a full novel. Until now. Having gotten to know the author through social media and mutual friends I felt like I knew her heart and couldn't wait to read this book. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, I mean have you seen the heavy topics I've chosen to tackle these last few weeks?!? It was a perfect time to settle in with something a little lighter, a little cozier, and definitely lower on the intensity scale. This book fit that bill perfectly, though I can't say that some of my reactions weren't a little intense, but not in a bad way.

Let's talk Gibbs' Smack prize winners. Ada and Josiah take the cake. While not quite insta-love their attraction and chemistry is pretty instant. But then comes the self-doubt, the oh he's married, oh I'm in mourning, oh he doesn't feel the way I do, oh she's too good for me, junk. All junk. Let's face it, it's real. As real as human nature and emotions can be conveyed on the page. I just get a little bogged down in it, as it runs from Chapter 1 on. I think the bigger frustration though was the complete miscommunications as only partial things were understood yet they closed themselves (OK she was the worst to be honest) down to full communication. Something we are all guilty of at one time or another, and honestly just as frustrating in real life as it is in book life. I'd like to throw a special glare at the bishop's wife. She was just rude. Sorry, I felt like she was hateful and finger-pointing.

The other small thing was the heavy-handed hints about Ada's dad. They were necessary and lead to greater information (that helped to explain the bishop's wife - Betty - but doesn't excuse her hatefulness!) but I was so tempted to skip ahead and find out what all this shrouded information was related too. Don't do that! I promise it's worth it. All that aside I truly fell into this book and it read entirely too quickly. Such developed characters (though I still don't have a handle on most of Ada's siblings as they were in the background) and a heartfelt story line. I enjoy Rachel's writing style and she builds a world I can sink into and relate too. And please, someone put that Betty in her place in a future book. I can't wait to read Leah's story (Ada's bestie) and also see how Ada and Josiah fare in the future with an insta-family of 8!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by CelebrateLit, NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

The Amish Teacher's Gift by Rachel J. Good is the first in her Love and Promises series. This captivating book brings to life the story of a young Amish woman who has taken on the care of her seven younger siblings and now has been asked to be the teacher of special needs children. How can she ever begin to dream of a husband and a home of her own? What man would want a ready-made family of 7 kids? And the secret she holds close--what man would love her when he learned what she had done? The author gives good (and accurate) insight into the lives of families who have special needs children and it was interesting to read of the variety of equipment and modalities to teach and calm children on the autism spectrum and those with hearing deficits. The romance between Ada and Josiah is fraught with tension which keeps the reader wondering if they will ever be able to get beyond all the obstacles in their path to love. This is a charming and heartwarming story that brings to light the essence of community in the Amish lifestyle and I can't wait to read the next book from this talented author.

Rachel J. Good takes education into the Amish community and builds a story of love and faith around it. Working in Special Education, I have seen students with many unique cases of needs. The author did her research and it was evident in this novel, Ada is a beautiful teacher with the perfect attitude to be working with Nathan. It isn’t easy to teach sign language as there is a vast variety of styles, but the author made these moments realistic and allowed a reader to feel as though they were learning as well.

I love a good book with a sweet romance and seeing Ada and Josiah come together for Nathan was heart warming. Josiah was an excellent parent to a special needs child and willing to work for his son.

Ada makes this story and it was awesome to read such a wonderful, thoughtful story about a passionate teacher and her faith in being a good educator.

I must admit I have never read a more moving, and well researched story about teaching special needs children. It is as if the author had firsthand experience.

The heart break between Widower Josiah Yoder and his deaf son Nathan brought tears to my eyes as they were unable to communicate. Ada, the school teacher and her deaf brother, David through love and perseverance discovered the heart of the problem. With a lot of hard work and diligence father and son slowly learn to communicate and discover they both have been grieving.

This wonderful story is also about Ada and her own family dealing with loss as she continuously tries to keep all of her younger siblings happy. As we all know the holidays are the worst after loved ones have died but the way the Rupp family put others in need first and counted there blessings was so inspirational.

As Ada and Josiah work together to help Nathan a slow moving relationship of love forms. The way Rachel wrote this part of the story showing each of their feelings was so heartfelt as each had their own anxieties which were not helped by the miss understanding of the community. This is all I am going to say about this as I am not going to spoil the story for those that like to have a surprise.

This is an Amish story written by a fantastic author in this genre that I highly recommend reading. I for one am waiting in anticipation for the next book in the Love and Promises series “The Amish Midwife’s Secret”

I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of the author’s Celebrate Lit book tour via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ada Rupp had her hands full caring for her seven siblings, making quilts to support her family, but yet she took on the challenge to teach at the community’s new special needs school. Josiah Yoder was new to the area and enrolled his seven year old deaf son, Nathan, at the school. The first morning was chaotic with all the noise, actions and outbursts from the different students with their various diagnoses. Josiah was attracted to Ada despite being in mourning losing his wife and Ada was grieving the loss of her mother. Ada had an opportunity to attend a special meeting at a center that focused on the needs for those with developmental issues and losses. Nathan formed a friendship with Ada’s younger brother David, who used sign language. Ada wanted to reach out to Nathan so he could communicate with his dad through sign language and offered to teach Josiah sign language. There is plenty of challenges, adventures, victories, faith and Josiah even risked his job to provide for the special needs school through an opportunity that his company, Anderson Construction and Sons offered to one who submitted a construction proposal to serve others. There’s so much to this story that will draw readers of Amish genre in that they will not want to miss this latest release by Rachel J. Good. The story was a page turner as Good knew the specifics for the different special needs and what would work, along with all the action, heartbreak at times and moments of laughter and joy. The characters are true to life facing multiple issues and trying to find ways to overcome. I look forward to reading the next book in Love and Promises series.

I received at ARC kindle edition of this book from the author and publisher. I was not required to write a positive review but have expressed my own opinion.

The Amish Teacher’s Gift by Rachel J. Good

My rating is 4.5 Stars


The subject of the special-needs school in The Amish Teacher’s Gift is one I’ve never read about in an Amish book, but it is one that interests me greatly. While in high school, I was blessed to be a helper in a program for developmentally delayed preschoolers for a few hours a day. I have such fond memories of those wonderful children that when I saw the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it.

So many thoughts are floating through my head about this book.

The fact that the story dealt with a special-needs Amish school fascinated me. I loved the way that 19-year-old Ada took the time to learn all she could to help her students. The Mennonite school was pretty amazing. The tools they had to help the kids, the multi-sensory environment, everything they had just made my heart happy.

Martha, the bishop’s daughter, had Down Syndrome, yet she was a tremendous asset in the classroom. How amazing the school board would have allowed that, or even thought of having her be the one to assist. What a brilliant idea! Having known several children and adults with that condition, I can see how it would be a great fit.

Several things in the book were just sad. One of them is this. With the Amish community known to be just that, a community, it was terrible that Ada, as young as she was, was solely responsible for her six younger siblings with apparently no support from anyone. Yes, I know. The children are raised so they all help out, but that is beside the point. Someone should have been looking out for them, coming alongside to help, even if just to give her short breaks. I like to think that if I knew of someone in that kind of situation I would be helping on a regular basis.

The mixing of worlds was a great touch. Instead of everything happening just inside the Amish community, Josiah worked for an Englicsh construction company. Buggies and cars alike used the roads they traveled on. It was a nice touch giving a different picture than the completely isolated community often portrayed in Amish stories.

I am looking forward to reading more books by Rachel J. Good. This was a great start to the series.


This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net

You can read Rachel's guest post at AmongTheReads.net


I would like to thank Celebrate Lit, Netgalley for giving me this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

I love books that take on topics that are sometimes sensitive but important to write about. This book is one that not only shines the light about special needs children, but shows readers how each day can be filled with joy and accomplishments. The author has really done an excellent job of explaining how special each child is. I loved Ada because she has compassion, patience and unconditional love for the children. She doesn't see their handicap, but instead recognizes their need to be accepted and loved. Ada has her hands full with her students and I'm not sure I could be as patient as she is. It doesn't help that she is also raising her siblings since her mamm passed away. My heart went out to her and I wanted to tell her how much God loves her. Each child is special to Him and I know Ada feels the same way.

Widower Josiah is raising his six year old son Nathan and trying to deal with his hearing loss and tantrums. Nathan can be a handful at times, but Josiah is determined to show his son how much he loves him. I wonder what Josiah thought as he met Nathan's teacher for the first time? Ada is only nineteen and it looks like she has her hands full with the other students. I'm glad Josiah trusted Ada enough to leave his son that first day of school.

The author is very knowledgeable about Amish and the details make you feel as if you know them. It was very interesting to learn that the Amish men don't wear any other hat except what their community allows. I mention this because as a roofer, Josiah is required to wear
a hard hat. What happens when he tells the owner that he can't wear the hat because it is against his beliefs?

As I read the story, I began to understand had difficult it can be to have special needs children. There is no time to rest and you always have to be ready for anything. The children in the story each have different disabilities but all need that extra time to show how much they are loved.I admired the characters who cared for these children and especially liked how the author gave us a glimpse into the lives of these special children. During my time as a children's pastor I have had two special needs children in the classroom. One was deaf and the other one was autistic. Reading this story reminded me of how much my heart went out to the parents of these children. I didn't feel sorry for them, but rather admired them. Their interaction with their child was pure . Ada has that gift as a teacher and I began to like her more as the story continued.

The story is a beautiful reminder of patience, love and how one person can make a difference in someone's life. There is a bit of romance in the story that I liked because it wasn't rushed. Ada and Josiah each have misgivings about being together and the author explores that in a touching way. There is so much to discover in this wonderful story and I was sad to see it end. I was curious throughout the story why Nathan seemed to be afraid of his dad. The answer is quite interesting and made me cry. The author has opened the door to a group of children that are often forgotten about by writing a story that captures their innocence. This is one story that you don't want to miss. Get ready for tears as Ada and her students capture your heart.

I received a copy of this story from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

I read a couple of Ms. Good's novellas published by Celebrate Lit and was intrigued enough by her style to give a full-length she penned a try. I received an ebook copy off Netgalley, and was a bit overwhelmed when I looked up the information online to discover it is almost a 400 page book. Wow! I know Ms. Good is a prolific author but I wasn't expecting a book this long.



Ms. Good is not afraid of tough topics, so it didn't surprise me as much as it could have to discover the book is about a teacher of special needs children and the special needs children they included. I was a bit surprised by Josiah's son's opinion of him but it did have a mostly logical reason. And I was surprised by Ada's lustful thoughts toward a man she believed to be married for most of the book.



What surprised me the most, and I know Ms. Good thoroughly researched for her books, is that the church district didn't seem to know each other. All the Amish communities I've seen, or been in, (which admittedly is Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan) the districts were deliberately kept small enough so that everyone knew everyone, and so Ada would know going in that Josiah was a widower, or that Ada had secrets regarding her daed, and what they were. Now maybe the area Ms. Good researched has much larger church districts so maybe everyone didn't know everyone that well, but that surprised me most.



The book did read fast though. I'd just finished a book by a big name author that took me the better part of a week to read because it dragged. This book was twice as long but I read it in an afternoon.



As stated earlier, I got a free copy off Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is the first I've read by this author but I'd love to read more by her. I've never read an Amish book quite like this one. The author has an understanding and empathetic heart about her in her description of the Special children in this book. I believe she has done her research as the situations presented seem realistic. Amish special needs teacher Ada Rupp is a new teacher. Will she be able to handle the class especially if there is more than one child at a time needing her attention? The father of one of her pupils, Widower Josiah Yoder wants to be a good father with a good relationship with his son, Nathan. Nathan is deaf and has been since age two. Upon observance Ada sees Nathan appears to be afraid of his father and has tantrums when he is close to him. Working with Nathan she gets to the bottom of it and discovers why. Josiah is in mourning for his wife who passed away at such a young age. He and his son miss her terribly and while Nathan needs a Mamm and latches onto Ada as a mother figure Josiah needs a companion and would like it in Ada. It hasn't been a year yet though so he can't court her and even if it were Ada is hiding a secret of her own and can't allow anyone to court her. At Josiah's construction job his idea wins on what to build as a promotion for the company. Not understanding his religion the owner gives Josiah a hard time about certain things that were he to do them go against the Amish religion and he worries if he'll still have a job because he won't go against his religious beliefs. I enjoyed how the romance was at a slow simmer state and not rushed is this book. It was beautiful to see how Ada and Josiah worked together for the betterment of the child giving him the understanding and compassion he needs to understand about this mother's death. They gave the child security which was what he needs.
Pub Date 24 Apr 2018
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a complimentary copy of this book obtained through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Amish Teacher's Gift is the first book in a new series, from writer, Rachel J. Good. Readers of Amish fiction will love the atmosphere and setting of this novel. Good captures the Amish way of life in a different light with this one and is able to draw the reader in from the beginning. Josiah is recently widowed with a special needs child and Ada is young woman caring for a large family on her own. Good's character development and knowledge of Amish customs and practices shine here.



What I liked:



The romance that develops between main characters Ada and Josiah is sweet and loving. Unfortunately, the circumstances of life seem to have a way of keeping them apart. As with most Amish romances, this is a very clean book without a lot of frills and elaborate plot devices. Good is able to keep the readers interest by providing them with characters that are have depth and substance. She does an excellent job of showing the readers emotions and love for each other without overcomplicating or dramatising their attraction.



The special needs aspect of this book is what really sets it apart from other books in this subgenre. With Amish books you generally get a lot predictability. They tend to follow a certain pattern and sometimes that's not a bad thing, but it's an expected thing. Good however, changes things up by giving readers a special needs character that is very central to the plot. Nathan, Josiah's son is deaf and he has lost his mother. For some reason he is having a difficult time communicating and there is an element of fear in Nathan's reaction to his father. When Josiah enrolls Nathan in the new special needs school, Nathan begins to turn a corner and I thought that Good did an amazing job of showing what special needs students need in order to be successful.



I loved the relationship that develops between Ada and Josiah but I really felt that the addition of Nathan's disability added depth and sincerity to the story. Ada was a strong young woman. Dealing with seven siblings and teaching is a feat in itself, but the way she dealt with the challenges of her students with patience and love was just a joy to read to read about. Good makes Nathan's character as important as the love story and that was unexpected.



What I didn't like:



There was only one little thing that niggled at me about this book. There is not a lot of dialogue or story that explains Nathan's resistance to his father or the reason behind their failure to communicate with each other. I don't know a lot about Amish communities but it seems to me that Josiah should have been able to learn ASL or some other way to interact with his son. I just felt there was not enough back story for the reader to understand both Nathan's vehemence and fear of Josiah who essentially seems like a good father.



Bottom Line:



I enjoyed this one a lot. I'm a fan of good Amish fiction and this one had a unique quality about it that made it stand out from the pack. The special needs aspect of the story was very well written and the character development was good. I liked the romance between Ada and Josiah, but really enjoyed Nathan and the qualities this character added to the story. A good clean enjoyable read.

The Amish Teacher's Gift has such an unique story line about special needs in the Amish community that I was drawn in immediately. Rachel J Good tossed that in with love, a little bit of suspense, and their love of God to make a beautiful story!

What drew me to the charactors of Josiah and Ada were that they both were such hard workers. Both were faced with insurmountable tasks and were willing to face it head on but not without some heartache for both along the way.

Such a great read!

The Amish Teacher's Gift touched my heart deeper than any book I have read to date because I could relate in such a deep way that it brought tears to my eyes. This book is about love - love of others - children - each other - GOD. It is a challenge to work with autistic children but oh so rewarding - it touches you in places you never knew was there. You have a character who wants to serve by teaching those special children - she is becoming last and will eventually become 1st - you have the 2 characters that are deeply hurt and have a major past - can they get over it and let love rip or will they let the past hold them back? Will they let GOD lead?

The Amish Teacher's Gift is a beautiful story about Ada Rupp; Ada is not just teacher at the special needs Amish school, but a parent to her siblings, after her mother passed away and her father became sick. And while that is enough work for everyone, Ada is determined to make things work and be the best teacher she can be.

Josiah Yoder is a widower, and struggling to deal with his young son Nathan, who is deaf, and has violent temper tantrums, but when Josiah takes Nathan to school, a who change comes over Nathan, when he meets his new Teacher Ada, but then again, a change comes over Josiah too.

The Amish Teacher's Gift is such a beautiful story, that in parts reduced me to tears. As I live in Pennsylvania Amish country, I appreciate the realism this book provides, and love the fact that the author brings the characters to life, not just make them one-dimensional cardboard characters.

I give The Amish Teacher's Gift 5 Stars

Nine months ago Josiah was widowed with a young son, Nathan, who lost his hearing at age two. Josiah and Nathan have not been able to communicate effectively and Nathan's behavior has gotten out of control. Josiah enrolls him into the newly opened Amish school for kids with special needs. There he meets teacher Ada who has her own troubles at home. When her mom died she became the sole care giver to seven younger brother and sisters. Can Ada help Nathan and the other special needs students and still be able to take care of her family?

I was thrilled to read this book since it was on a topic close to my heart, special needs students. I hoped to learn something from the book I could take to my own classroom and I did! The biggest help was learning more about patience which is something that does not always come easy to me. Patience is common sense but we all need a reminder on common sense at times. I was also reminded that what you see is not always what you think. You need to get the full story before making assumptions. I try to remember that when I see children acting up in stores and restaurants. That child may be special needs and we not even know it.

The love story between Josiah and Ada is very sweet. I found it very believable.

This is a clean read that I would let a teenager or my ninety year old Mamaw read. Pick up your copy today and have a relaxing weekend with Josiah and Ada.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Love & Promises series
The Amish Teacher's Gift 4/24/18
The Amish Midwife's Secret 11/27/18
The Amish Widow's Rescue Release date unknown

Special needs children cross socio-economic boundaries including the Amish. With only an eighth-grade education, Amish school teacher, Ada Rupp, feels God has called her to work with special needs children in her community. She studies hard to learn all she can and with the bishop and school board’s blessing she is given a separate building in which to teach. Ada soon discovers she has her hands full. One scholar, six-year-old, Nathan Yoder, has an uncommon fear of his father, Josiah. As Ada tries to help she develops an attraction to Josiah. She doesn’t think any man will want her as she has seven siblings to care for and there are rumors in the community about what she did to her Daed. Josiah finds himself drawn to Ada but feels unfaithful to his recently deceased wife. Will Ada and Josiah be able to work through their differences? You will discover a story of inspiration and promise.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

Josiah Yoder is a wonderful hero in this well written Amish novel. It is about a widower, his son and a friend, Ada the heroine of the book. This book is so easy to relate to and full of depth and emotion. A great read.

I absolutely loved this story. As a retired teacher that had a few “special needs” students in my elementary classes, I completely identified with Ada’s love for her students and her continued efforts to find a way to help each one. It was apparent that the author had done some accurate research on this topic and this helped the story to have an authentic feel.

The budding romance between Josiah and Ada was sweet. Even though it was almost “love at first sight”, there was much to overcome before they reached their “happily ever after”. The story’s end was perfect. This is a book I’ll read again.

This is a clean, sweet book with no bad language or embarrassing scenes.
I’m looking forward to more Amish stories from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion about this book.

The Amish Teacher's Gift gives us a different look in Amish living and communities. Opening a special needs school in one community seems the answer to prayers. Ada Rupp isn't sure if taking on teaching while trying to raise her siblings is the right thing to do. Josiah is trying to find a new normal with his special needs son. He cannot seem to reach Nathan but the new teacher has a calming effect on his son. Why is he pulled toward this teacher? Is it too soon?

The premise behind the story is that two people who shouldn't fall in love. The real stars of this story are the children. We have a unique look into a special needs classroom environment. The characters tugged at my heart and pulled me in to their lives. Reading how Ada used and learned new ways of teaching her students was enlightening. I would recommend this story to all but especially toward those who may be having a hard time connecting. I received a copy from Netgalley. I review was not required.