Twelve-year-old Aaron hated moving to his new home in the country. To say he was bored was an understatement! That is, until a hike in the woods leads Aaron to discover the secret land of Homewood. Now, he must balance his world with that of his new Homewood friends. Will he be able to keep Homewood the beautiful, untroubled place he found? Will he be tempted to share it with others? Will Homewood change him? This is a 196-page middle-grades novel with twenty-two full-color illustrations and sheet music for four original songs. This is the Premium Color Edition. "Through the eyes of Aaron, the book's protagonist, the author reminds readers of the naked optimism that children need to cultivate...to be able to see potential in the unknown and to not be afraid of struggling through self-doubt." Brad Stooksberry, Elementary Principal "I highly encourage everyone to go along on Aaron's adventure in Stories from Homewood! As he learns who he is and where he belongs, readers, too, grow in knowledge of themselves and their place in the world." Allie Wilson, Teacher of Gifted "The concepts in this book are the types of core life lessons that we never stop learning, no matter how old we get. Aaron is a good kid who wants to do the right thing, but he's discovering that the right thing isn't always obvious and it definitely is not always easy. Especially when his friends and family will never know (and therefore can't admire him or praise him for it)." Jennifer Butler Keeton, Writer/Editor "A little bit of Alice in Wonderland combined with Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh with a sprinkle of The Jack Tales, Stories from Homewood offers timeless life lessons for both the young and old." R. Stooksberry, School Psychologist "One thing remains the same no matter where I am teaching... our kids need more opportunities to just be kids. They need opportunities to distract them from the pressures of today's society and their personal traumas. They deserve a chance to lose themselves in the moment, let their imaginations take over, and allow their worries to fade away, if only for a short while. Stories from Homewood: Adventures in a Secret World provides tweens and teens the connection to do just that!" Kalie Snipes, Math RTI Facilitator While Rick's thirty-one-year career in middle school is over, his storytelling never retired. In Stories from Homewood, Book 1, Rick shares the first three adventures of twelve-year-old Aaron as he learns the lessons that help us understand the joys and costs of caring. Rick lives and loves and writes with his sweet wife, Pam, two cats, and a community of folks who probably wonder every day about the friendly guy who can talk to a rock and get something out of the conversation. He is lucky the inspiration for the stories, his son Aaron, lives nearby with his wonderful wife, Kelly. Through regular phone calls and visits, they are still discussing life's joys and costs. Rick is currently working on Stories from Homewood, Book 2, with the next three adventures for Aaron. And while Rick mostly agrees with Will Rogers never having met a person he didn't like, he does admit that not all rocks are equal. Aaron added his lunch and tea to Miss Pammie's treats, and it was a meal he never forgot. The food was wonderful, but what stood out was how perfect the whole party seemed to be. At one point, he looked around at his friends, the food, the house, the stream, and the woods and felt something inside that seemed new. He struggled to describe it, rolled the word "peaceful" around, shook his head a little, and then gave up. Aaron wondered if some of the best things might not have words to describe them. He turned back and noticed Curly looking at him. Curly nodded, winked, and said, "What could be better than this? Nothing needs to be." While Rick's thirty-one-year career in middle school is over, his storytelling never retired. In Stories from Homewood, Book 1, Rick shares the first three adventures of twelve-year-old Aaron as he learns the lessons that help us understand the joys and costs of caring.Rick lives and loves and writes with his sweet wife, Pam, two cats, and a community of folks who probably wonder every day about the friendly guy who can talk to a rock and get something out of the conversation. He is lucky the inspiration for the stories, his son Aaron, lives nearby with his wonderful wife, Kelly. Through regular phone calls and visits, they are still discussing life's joys and costs.Rick is currently working on Stories from Homewood, Book 2, with the next three adventures for Aaron. And while Rick mostly agrees with Will Rogers never having met a person he didn't like, he does admit that not all rocks are equal.