I read Paige by Judy Baer. 16 year-old Paige Bradshaw’s peaceful life is disrupted when a mysterious man comes to her farm, claiming to be her late grandmother’s first child from another marriage. Paige’s parents decide the man, Samuel Gardner, is a crook that’s after the inheritance money. Paige then decides to solve this mystery. But somebody doesn’t want her to find the truth, and tries to stop her.
The author’s message is promises are important. She shows this through the characters. Paige promised Gardner to look for proof of another baby’s existence for him, and she kept that promise to the end. Mrs. Emma Smead, an elderly neighbor and girlhood friend of Paige’s grandma, Sarah, kept all the promises she made long ago, even though Sarah was dead. Sarah had promised the child’s adoptive family that she would “relinquish all claim” to the child, and even though it broke her heart, she kept that promise. I agree completely because I think that promises are important and should be kept. I would highly recomend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and a dash of romance.