About the Book
Book: If You Really Knew Me
Author: Alison Cheah
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Release date: December 2021
Tommy is glad of friendships which make him forget the situation at home. His father’s illness makes his behavior so unpredictable that the whole family must tip-toe around him for fear of becoming the butt of his anger.
Elise wishes her twin sister didn’t think being champion swimmers was an adequate goal for their lives. She has her own dreams to fulfil.
Carrie hides a secret, avoiding other students so nobody will ever find it out. But Tommy and Elise both look to Carrie to save them from their situations.
Until she disappears.
Tommy’s protective instinct kicks in, and Elise reassesses her priorities so she can help keep Carrie safe.
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About the Author
Alison Cheah worked at Youth for Christ for five years and volunteers with her church youth group. One of her favorite activities is preparing Bible Studies and seeking how to connect the stories of the Bible with her students’ own stories.
As a child she was always to be seen with her nose in a book, and nothing has changed. One of her favorite authors was Patricia St. John. Her characters are people you want to know, and you are rooting for them to overcome their problems, but for Alison, the added dimension was that each person discovers their answers in Jesus. She saw that the faith she had grown up with had applicability in real life.
Her prayer is that this story has the same result for you.
More from Alison
I spent five years working at Youth for Christ with middle school students like Tommy, Carrie, and Elise. They are not based on kids I met, but they are inspired by my experiences then.
My friend and mentor in youth ministry was Anna-Marie Valles who is also a character in Tommy, Carrie and Elise’s story helping them to make sense of some of the questions they have.
We don’t get to know her well in the book, but I had a chat with her recently about youth ministry and here is an extract from that conversation. I think you will enjoy getting to know her better.
Alison: In the story, Elise shares her problems with you. Do you find teens want to talk to an adult about their problems?
AMV: Kids are hungry to be able to unload their stories on people who are willing to listen. I remember in one club a student said that all day, adults were telling him what to do. But club was a space where people were asking him, “How are you feeling? “What are your thoughts on this?” He was shocked.
Alison: You were only eighteen when you started in youth ministry. After all these years, how do you stay current so kids still want to talk with you?
AMV: If you come to kids with a willingness to learn, you become relevant. Say to them, “Tell me what’s going on?” Don’t pretend you have all the answers. I find that has worked for me. “I don’t know your culture like you do. But I’m willing to see through your lens if you’re able to share that with me.”
Age is interesting. I always worried I would age out. At my application interview for seminary I said, “I always thought if I aged out of youth ministry, I’d be a chaplain.” And the professor called me out on that. You never age out because kids still need that safe place where someone is willing to listen.
Alison: The profits from this book will be used to send kids to camp. Why is this important to you?
AMV: Youth ministry is all relational. But trust can take a while to build. The beauty of camps is that you can create a bond in one week that could take two years without. And at camp they hear the gospel presented in different ways by different speakers. Other people’s creativity and presentation may reach my students in a way that I haven’t been able to.
What saddens me is not everyone can go because camps are costly. My desire is that every student who wants to go will have the opportunity to do so.
For more of this conversation, see alisonrcheah.com
(Interview transcribed by https://otter.ai )
My prayer is that the story of Tommy, Carrie and Elise will be one of those different speakers Anna-Marie talked about, helping kids to begin their own relationship with Jesus.
Thank you.
Alison
Author Interview with Alison
Q: What was the inspiration behind this novel?
Alison: Some years ago, when our church was holding a summer reading program for the kids, my friend asked me whether I had written a missionary story which they could include. I hadn’t, but I decided to write one with a twist. The main characters were two fictional girls whose lives were impacted by some of the missionaries supported by our church.
I liked the format so much that I decided to do another one for my friend Anna-Marie Valles in aid of her work in middle schools.
The story isn’t about her, although she does make an appearance. Instead, I concentrated on three students who are trying to find their way through the complicated problems of life in middle school.
Q: Do any of the novel’s characters hold a special place in your heart?
Alison: I love Tommy who is mischievous and full of fun. He’s the sort of friend you’d want because you know he’ll always have your back. But that’s a heavy responsibility for him because when things go wrong, he blames himself. It’s a pity his father can’t be a better role model for him.
Q:What do you hope readers take away from this novel?
Alison: In my family when I grew up, Jesus was a daily part of our lives, but I much preferred reading fiction to reading the Bible.
However, in the stories written by Patricia St. John, I found both. Each character became a friend whose ups and downs mattered to me. But each one gave me something more. They all discovered that Jesus was a Friend who cared about their problems and loved them in their messiest moments and through them, I began to understand the same thing.
My goal is to write stories with the same “both/and” elements that Miss St. John engaged, piquing my reader’s interest while attracting them to Jesus who loves them.
Q: What are you reading now?
Alison: I’m scouring the shelves of the library for middle grade fiction. I review books that I have enjoyed recently on my Facebook Author page.
I’m also reading Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens. He is one of my favorite authors because his observations of life are true, and he writes boldly about social issues. He is one of those people whose stories leave me with a better understanding of myself and human nature. Although I’ve read most of his books, I’m not sure I ever discovered Martin Chuzzlewit before. It’s always a delight to find an unknown book by a favorite author.
Q: Who is an author you would recommend to anyone and everyone?
Alison: C. S. Lewis’s Narnia books are stories I return to again and again. In his essay Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to be Said he explains that in stories the author can "steal past [the] watchful dragons of stained-glass and Sunday School associations" to direct the reader to a correct feeling "about God or about the sufferings of Christ." That’s what he does for me in the Narnia books.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 13
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 14
Texas Book-aholic, May 15
Beauty in the Binding, May 16 (Author Interview)
Blogging With Carol, May 16
For Him and My Family, May 17
Inklings and notions, May 18
Blossoms and Blessings, May 19 (Author Interview)
deb’s Book Review, May 20
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 21
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 22
Simple Harvest Reads, May 23 (Author Interview)
Vicarious Living , May 23
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 24
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 25
Guild Master, May 26 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Alison is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Enter Giveaway: https://promosimple.com/ps/1db4d/if-you-really-knew-me-celebration-tour-giveaway.
