Full Heart, Pure Soul

By Celestine Gonzales

Tara Elizabeth Wilson has never quite 'fit in'. The only place that has ever felt truly welcoming to her is her secret hideout, Enchanted Garden. In this magical place of fantasy, Tara holds her deepest feelings, thoughts, and special friends. One day she receives a note from her best friend who lives in Enchanted Garden, Hallie. Hallie is a talking tree who has known Tara since she was seven years old. In the note, Hallie tells Tara about construction workers who are roaming the Garden. Tara soon finds out that these people are going to burn down Enchanted Garden, then build an amusement park on its ruins. She immediately knows she will have to put a stop to it. But she can't do it alone. Will Tara have to sacrifice her most private secrets to save her beloved Enchanted Garden, or will she give up without a fight and lose her most precious friends? Read Full Heart, Pure Soul to find out more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481772150

Celestine Gonzales

Celestine Gonzales is a 10 year old fourth-grader who enjoys reading and writing. This is her first real novel, though she has been writing since she was four. Celestine lives with her mom, dad, and two brothers in Andover, Massachusetts. She started writing Full Heart, Pure Soul when she was nine, and finished it in a course of 3 months around her 10th birthday. Celestine won 2nd place for the Most Original Poem in the Massachusetts Science Poetry Contest in 2012. She wishes young authors happy writing, but doesn't have a website, so please don't go looking for her online.

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© 2013 by Celestine Gonzales. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/02/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-7216-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-7215-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013911651

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1   About Me…

Chapter 2   The 3 Paths and the Discovery

Chapter 3   My New Friend

Chapter 4   Birthdays

Chapter 5   My Real Family

Chapter 6   School

Chapter 7   The Mysterious Note

Chapter 8   Jenna’s Reaction

Chapter 9   Meeting Phil

Chapter 10   The Plan in Action

Chapter 11   Newspaper Surprise

Chapter 12   Popularity

Chapter 13   Clearing Things Up

Acknowledgements

About the Author

For Breanna and Sarah,

my truly magical best friends.

Chapter 1

About Me…

Tara Elizabeth Wilson

I gaze at the stone that has just fallen into the brook. Silently, I reach into the water and place my hand on it, about to take it out, but something stops me. My hand just stays there. It feels cold and smooth, that stone. Then I clasp it tightly, and run away.

Some people just can’t figure me out. I totally understand that. Sometimes I can’t figure myself out, but it doesn’t bother me. Here’s what does bother me: people think I’m a freak. They don’t tell me to my face, but I hear them. Whispering behind my back. Avoiding me in the hallway. Seriously, if they want to keep a secret from me, they should try not to say it while I’m around. Because I can hear them. And what they say isn’t exactly nice.

I don’t have a disability or anything. I’m just weird. Being weird isn’t a bad thing. The way I think of it, everyone’s weird… in their own way, that is. I’m weird because I have a ladybug collection. I have ceremonies for things that die—trees, plants, animals. I’m weird because I run away. All the time.

I don’t run away because I’m scared. I would never do that. Who would? I run away when I’m happiest, saddest, or most at peace. I have a special place called Enchanted Garden. No one knows where it is, because I discovered it myself.