• Reading age: 8 to 13

Young Susan Sinclair is a typical girl whose most exotic pastime, in the normal course of things, is her weekly martial arts class. But when a complete stranger gives her a rare crystal while she’s at a flea market with her parents, everything changes.

Every time Susan sleeps, she wakes up on a nineteenth-century migrant ship headed for New York City. There, she meets a young boy named Jeremy who was orphaned at the beginning of the vessel’s journey.

When Susan attempts to return the crystal, she learns it has chosen her to go to places in the past where something is wrong and must be set right, and she can’t give the stone away until it determines the time is right. Susan, who does not even like Jeremy, is outraged.

However, as her travels through time continue, she softens toward the unfortunate boy and decides to give this new adventure a chance. But on one return visit to the ship, a bully steals the crystal—and Susan finds herself stuck in the past. She will have to summon all the bravery and resourcefulness she can to escape from a danger beyond her wildest dreams.

G. Rosemary Ludlow's profile page

• Short-listed, "Chocolate Lily Award"

G. Rosemary Ludlow is a former schoolteacher with a deep love for storytelling and teaching children to read. She is honored and grateful that her first book in the Crystal Journals series, Rare Gift, was shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Awards.

When she isn’t thinking up new and wonderful stories, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, flying in helicopters, sailing in boats, and taking lots of pictures.

G. Rosemary Ludlow is a storyteller. VIDEO AUTHOR INTERVIEW https://www.goodreads.com/videos/123416-book-1-nomination-for-2017-18-chocolate-lily-award

"An impressively well crafted and exceptionally entertaining novel for young readers by an author with a genuine flair for originality, "A Rare Gift" is the first volume in Rosemary Ludlow's outstanding 'Crystal Journals' series and unreservedly recommended for both elementary school and community library collections. Also very highly recommended is "Pharaoh'sTomb" http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/dec_17.htm#Fiction

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Read! Aug. 3 2016 By Roberta A. Rich - Published on Amazon.com Format: Kindle Edition Wednesday, August 3, 2016

I am not normally a reader of time travel but I found this well researched book irresistible for a number of reasons. It is written in a clear, fluid style.
The characters are full of surprises, and are not what they seem at first. The book is wonderfully suspenseful.
Every chapter ends with a –cliffhanger-. The plot is filled with surprising twists and turns. The author, Ms. Ludlow has a good ear for dialogue.
This is a book which will reward the reader with many hours of entertainment as well as giving insights into the world of migrant ships and harsh
conditions at sea.