Missing Your Smile

This heartfelt novel by former Amishman Jerry Eicher explores the journey of Susan Hostetler, a young woman who leaves her traditional Amish community after a romantic falling out. She embraces 'English' life in Asbury Park, learning new skills and finding new love. However, her parents are deeply saddened by her absence. Susan's path takes an unexpected turn when she becomes involved in helping an unwed mother arrange an Amish adoption for her baby. This experience forces Susan to confront her identity, her past, and her future, weighing the allure of her new life against the deep pull of her heritage and family. It's a story of self-discovery, cultural identity, and the complexities of love and belonging, suitable for late elementary to middle school readers.

Readers will delight in this heartfelt novel by bestselling author Jerry Eicher, a former Amishman, who writes with authenticity and compassion about the people he grew up with. When Susan Hostetler has a falling out with her boyfriend, Thomas Stoll, she leaves her Amish community and moves to Asbury Park to experiment in English life. There she learns to drive a car, takes her GED test, and falls in love with young and handsome Duane Bower. Back home, her parents are devastated and miss their daughter terribly. But what can they do? Susan has a mind of her own. Just as Susan is enjoying her new life, her plans are interrupted. She meets Teresa Long, a young, unwed, expectant mother who asks Susan to help her have her baby adopted by an Amish family. As Susan is drawn into the young woman's life, she also finds herself drawn back to her Amish roots. But can she truly leave her life behind...and Duane?