This story was all about Katrina Yoder, and how she would, as an Amish teenager, handle herself when she is put into the English world. I appreciated her commitment to stay true to who she was and what she believed despite a strong influence to change.

Katrina loves to sing and has a great voice. But her parents don't approve of her singing. When her Dad becomes ill and needs surgery they can't afford, Katrina's best friend, Bekka, convinces her to try out for the show "American Star", a televised singing competition. If she wins she can have money for her Dad's surgery. So Katrina sets out to win. When she arrives in Hollywood she will discover just how different her life is from the world. Can she win? Will she be disowned by her community? Will she change? These will all be answered as you read this delightful story and fall in love with Katrina. ( )

Less unbelievable than I thought it would be. Some parts were too slow and some were very abrupt feeling. ( )

Melody Carlson. First read her in Christmas Pony; now this. Amish story, but not Amish topic writer. -- Story of a girl with a beautiful voice who is told singing is only for God & not to be overly enjoyed; ends up searching for background & is cracking good story. Need more MC books. ( )

Very obvious take on American Idol. Not a lot of tension because the main character isn't really drawn to the modern world - she has no intention of staying and isn't really drawn romantically to the English male lead either. Sweet, simple, safe, and watered down. ( )

To be honest, I was worried I would be a bit biased towards this book because Melody Carlson is hands down my favorite Christian author. The only person that comes close to her is Gilber & Lynn Morris. Her books are always engaging and well written. A Simple Song does not disappoint.

It starts off chronicling Katrina's life in the Amish community and establish how she is at odds with her singing voice. She doesn't want to be vainglory, but she still loves singing. As the story unfolds it is shown that her family is in desperate need of money and her friend Bekka has just the idea. She wants Katrina to try out for an English tv singing show. The book depicts Katrina's struggle to do so, excitement to sing, confusion with the English world, and most importantly her journey of self discovery.

Though the book does have an excellent plot and is not in your face with the Christianity aspect. (Yes, they do talk about prayer and God and all of that, but that is part of the Amish lifestyle and Carlson doesn't scream at you that God is the only answer in life.) I wished there had been more description in the singing contest aspect. I occasionally felt that I was just shuffled from one stage of the competition to the next and there were times where I just wanted more. (Though, if there had been more the book would be even longer.) That again is just a personal preference and you may find you think there is quite enough detail.

Perhaps the thing I wished for most was a bit more to the ending. Yes, I did enjoy the ending and found it very cute. I still wanted to see her go home and interact with her family. I wanted to know if they accepted her after the singing competition. I was rooting for Katrina the entire time and I really wanted to know what her mother and brother had to say when she got home. It is still the question that tugs in the corners of my mind today. Did they accept her? Did she have to go to a different community?

Overall it was a good, easy, and quick read. I read it all in one day as I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I enjoyed being slightly exposed to another culture, the Amish. I'm not Amish so I can't say if all the facts are correct, but knowing how much time and effort and how accurate her other books are I would venture to say it's probably pretty on point. The vocabulary and writing style is very reader friendly, even for those kids who aren't too sure about how great of a reader they are.

I commend Carlson for writing yet another great book! ( )