Paperback ISBN: 978-1-957656-05-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-957656-04-5
Topics: Graduation, Family Dynamics, Aunt placed a child up for adoption in the 60s at an unwed mothers’ home - family secret, Sweet Romance
Audience: Ages 13 - up
“Wheeler’s latest is a gripping coming-of-age story that explores women's independence amid a plot full of mystery and romance. It also highlights the shame many unwed mothers faced in the 1950s and 1960s as well as the unimaginable heartache they faced due to societal pressures. A great read from Wheeler.” American Library Association January 2023 Editor Pick
Whispering Through Water navigates family dynamics, young love, and female autonomy with a little 1990s nostalgia.
The coming-of-age story follows Gwyn Madison, the summer after her high school graduation, as she grapples with her fast-approaching future. She'll have to face more than she bargained for with her Aunt Delia, the family matriarch, who holds the purse strings and the final word. In the meantime, Gwyn stumbles upon a tightly held family secret. Could a mysterious letter provide Gwyn the leverage she desires? Will it only bring more family division? Or, maybe, the past was never meant to stay buried after all.
Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler was raised in a small town in the Tidewater region of Virginia. From the moment she submitted her first short story to a young author’s contest in second grade, Rebecca knew she wanted to be a writer. Her love of writing led her to earn a BA in English and an MEd in English education. She spent several years as a high school teacher, during which she also developed a passion for mental health advocacy. Rebecca completed an MA in professional counseling and now works in school-based mental health and as a college adjunct psychology instructor.
Rebecca also teaches yoga for the young and the young at heart, and she likes to infuse yoga and breathwork in her counseling practice wherever she can. She believes the most valuable use of her time is teaching youth how to love and care for each other and the world around them. Her stories share this focus on positive relationships and a love of nature. Rebecca now lives in North Carolina with her husband, two children, and two spoiled Siamese cats. Rebecca has published two picture books, When Daddy Shows Me the Sky and When Mama Grows with Me, and a YA novel, Whispering Through Water, which was included in the American Library Association January 2023 Booklist and 2024 Hindi’s Library Best Overall YA Book Award.
“Wheeler’s latest is a gripping coming-of-age story that explores women's independence amid a plot full of mystery and romance. It also highlights the shame many unwed mothers faced in the 1950s and 1960s as well as the unimaginable heartache they faced due to societal pressures. A great read from Wheeler.” American Library Association January 2023 Editor Pick
