The Unsigned Valentine And Other Events in the Life of Emma Meade

The Unsigned Valentine is a story about a young girl in the early 1900's named Emma Meade. At the age of 15, she falls in love with a boy named Cole Berry. She finds herself wanting to spend all of her time with him and wondering if she's too young to be in love. When Cole starts courting her,

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Emma's parents forbid them to see each other because they believe Emma is too young to get married. Months go by as Emma quits school to help her pregnant mother with all the daily chores at home. One day, something terrible happens: It has been raining for countless days and the rivers and streams can't hold anymore water. The town floods. Emma sets out to get her sister from school and bring her home, but on her way there, a bridge she's standing on collapses and she finds herself submerged in water, gasping for air and trying to stay afloat. Just when she thinks she can't take it anymore, Cole Berry comes out of nowhere in a canoe and rescues her. When he brings her home, Emma's parents find their daughter a changed person, like she's grown 2 years older in a matter of hours. They believe she is mature enough to have a relationship with Cole, but they won't let her get married until she's at least 18.

I found this Children's Novel surprisingly interesting. Although it is at a lower reading level than I am accustomed to, I could relate to the characters in the story. I find that the author was great at being careful with making the story age appropriate by not suggesting physical attraction between Emma and Cole. All in all, I would rate this novel 4/5, only docking one point due to personal interest.

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