Celebrate Lit / January 29, 2025

Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel

About the Book Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel

Book: Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel

Author: Terry Overton

Genre: Middle-Grade Reader Fiction

Release date: November 26, 2024

Charlotte McMaster is in trouble. Some innocent memes shared with the whole school have resulted in community service at a rehabilitation center for the elderly. But her time with Mrs Abigail Hooper will at least get her out of the tension at home, where her father stays out late working and her mother spends a lot of time worrying.

But when Mrs. Hooper invites Charlotte to spend time in her garden, she tells Charlotte about an angel that appeared to her when her husband died. Charlotte is drawn to the elderly woman and soon finds herself bringing her best friend, Ellie, on her visits as well. Seeking answers about her adoption and her biological parents, Charlotte continues to be drawn to the garden to see if she can see the angel for herself.

Will Charlotte ever be able to find the answers she is searching for? Or will her search tear her family apart?

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My Thoughts on Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel

Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel is a sweet novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and adding to our collection. As a family who has adopted this novel took on a whole different meaning for us. While we didn’t go the traditional route of foster to adopt (ours was a family adoption and not through the system) there are some similarities. Thankfully we know the birth mom and she is actually family so it’s easy to talk about and answer questions. The issues we face are similar to the authors with drugs and alcohol though.

I love the idea of an angel who can guide and answer questions. Community service for a transgression should always be the first action in my opinion. I worked at a nursing home as a helping hand and then as a CNA when I was in junior high and then high school. Now I’m a nurse and half of my career has been spent in the nursing home with the rest in mental health. So, the elderly have my heart and I love seeing them portrayed in a positive light.

This was a positive story. I enjoyed reading it. My kids enjoyed reading it or having it read to them. And it will remain on our shelf (it’s a virtual shelf for this book) and be read again and again.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel

Terry Overton is a retired university professor of educational and school psychology. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her professional experience includes teaching public school, teaching at the university level, and being a college dean. She has two children, seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter.

Her writing and publication experiences include textbook and journal articles in the fields of special education and school psychology. She seeks to answer God’s call to share the good news and grow the church by writing Christian books and devotionals.

Her books have won Firebird Book Awards, American Writing Winner Awards, Bookfest Winner Awards, Reader Views Silver Reviewers Award, and International Book Award Finalist. Her books examine real-world events with a Christian worldview. She enjoys writing for young children, middle-grade readers, YA fiction, and adult-level novels. She and her husband live in the southern tip of Texas where they enjoy semi-tropical weather and spending time with their friends and family.

More from Terry

My daughter is an amazing person. After having three children, she and her husband felt God calling them to do more for children without parents. They fostered eleven children.

But one year, they were asked to foster a newborn infant whose mother was no longer able to care for any of her children due to drug addiction. It was not that the child was rejected by his mother but that she could not care for him. My daughter brought him home from the hospital at the age of three days while he was having withdrawal symptoms from meth.

After a few months, they decided to adopt the child.

The process took a while because, for a short time, the child was allowed to return to his birth mother. He now lives with my daughter’s family, and he is an absolute delight and a great addition to the household.

Charlotte McMaster and The Messenger Angel is dedicated to my daughter.

It is a middle-grade reader about a middle school girl who, while wrestling with the question of being adopted and being rejected by her birth mother, meets a fascinating elderly lady. The vision of an angel provides help and guidance as this young girl comes to realize her adoptive parents were selected for her by God.

This story conveys themes of healing, hope, and spiritual discovery.

Through the character of Charlotte McMaster, the novel explores how a young girl, navigating the challenges of family tension and personal identity, seeks guidance from earthly and Heavenly sources. The elderly Mrs. Abigail Hooper tells Charlotte about her own experience with an angel. This introduces Charlotte to the idea of divine presence, sparking her curiosity about her past and adoption.