Former Wayne County resident and educator Dr. Rick Burcham has written a book, “Stories from Homewood: Adventures in a Secret World, Book 1.” Dr. Burcham will hold a book talk and signing on Saturday, April 1 at 10am at the Collinwood Middle School cafeteria.
Dr. Burcham was a Teacher of the Year in both the South Central District of Tennessee while being a teacher, coach, and principal at Collinwood Middle School, and the Heidelberg District of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, while teaching 6th grade on an Army base in Germany. He spent practically all of his thirty-one-year career working with middle school students. His debut novel focuses on the struggles students face during these critical years when they are defining what type of person they will become. Of course, we never finish the task of facing these challenges, so the lessons are timeless.
Here’s a brief snippet from the book:
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.”
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?
Contact the Collinwood Depot Branch Library for more information on the book.
