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 Little Allie Claybrook is not happy her dad has to go to Iraq.
The 11-year-old is not happy that her dad isn't going to be home when her mom has her baby brother and she certainly is not happy that she has to leave Fort Hood to move to "Hicksville" while her dad is gone.
Allie is not happy. But she is trying very hard to be and to support her mom and 5-year-old brother during her dad's year-long tour of Iraq.
Although Allie is only a fictional character in Tamra Norton's latest children's novel, Make Me A Memory, the trials and triumphs she encounters during her father's deployment to Iraq are frequently identical to the Army adventure hundreds of Fort Hood youth live every day.
Using a voice both amusing and insightful, Norton takes readers on a journey of discovery throughout the course of the 118-page book. The journey, which opens with Allie's move from Fort Hood to Edna, Idaho, follows a winding trail of discovery as Allie comes to understand her important role in keeping her family together during the deployment.
"Over the past few years, I have been incredibly moved by the numerous stories of sacrifice, commitment, hope and faith as our U.S. military men and women leave home to fulfill their assignments abroad," Norton said of her motivation to write the story. "The premise of Make Me A Memory came to me rather quickly one day while contemplating these thoughts."
Dedicating the book to "the children of our dedicated men and women serving abroad in the U.S. military," Norton said she hopes her story honors the hard work and sacrifice of the soldiers and their families and offers some insight into the role children play during a deployment.
"I think that (Fort Hood's) children will close the pages of this book feeling a sense of purpose and a better understanding of the importance of their part of the 'separation equation,'" Norton said. "Just as mom or dad has an important responsibility as a soldier, these children will gain a better understanding that they too have an important responsibility. As a family member, they can choose to be a tremendous help and support to the remaining parent at home as well as strive to help preserve family memories and traditions through letters, journals, pictures, artwork, or whatever medium they chose."
While Norton's book contains several lessons to be learned about children and deployment, her goal with this and all of the books she has authored is to simply make her readers happy.
"My greatest desire in writing is to bring a smile to the face of the reader," Norton said. "If they gain something else in the process which I hope they do it's an added bonus for us all."
Make Me a Memory is geared toward readers age 8 to 11 and costs $9.99 plus $2 for shipping, handling and tax. To buy a copy of Make Me a Memory, visit www.tamranorton.com.
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