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This is a discussion topic for the March 2024 Book of the Month, "SandPeople: An Across Time Mystery" by Cheryl Kerr


Did you find the characters in this book relatable?

The characters are totally relatable, across the board. I only wish that T.J. had been given a bigger part in the book. He has the personality of a brother, if ever I saw one—and I have seven brothers. I also appreciate Aunt Meg, the childless aunt who likes the kids but didn’t ask for this intrusion on her solitude.

The stretch for me comes when the archaeology dig brings in the kids. That isn’t as likely to happen, so those characters are less relatable. Archaeologists and university administrators will rope off a dig and keep the kids out. They aren’t going to let them set up camp.

Overall, I loved this book. It’s the kind of thing I read as a kid and still love as a grandmother of adventurous kids. This writer kept it mostly real in her character developments.

Yes, I do. She reminds me of me as a child, around her age, rooting around in my grandmother's garden, trying to find evidence of the past. I also feel her frustration at not being believed as I was promptly told not to do it as I was bringing mud into the house!

Aunt Meg reminds me of one of my mum's sisters who helped raise us. She loved kids so much that we even feared she will have so much of them when she got married. Unfortunately, she didn't have one before she passed. So, in the aspect of being childless and loving kids, I could relate to Aunt Meg.

Lea's feelings of confusion, loneliness, and longing for connection are emotions that young readers can likely understand.Cheryl Kerr seems to have created characters with emotions and experiences that would be relatable to the target audience of middle-grade readers.

The feelings of hatred, confusion, and doubt were very relatable in this book and spoke to me on multiple levels

"Sandpeople," the story is told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl dealing with her parents' separation. This is a situation that many middle-grade readers might be able to relate to, even if their own experiences are different.

Yes, the characters are very much relatable. My favorite character is T.J; he's so compassionate and has a brotherly affection. The character of Aunt Meg is worthy of admiration despite her childless state.

I found most of the characters to be very relatable. It's a very well-written book. Aunt Meg reminds me of my own aunt in many ways. I only wish I'd had the brotherly affection that comes from T.J. Lea's confusion as she navigates through tough emotions at 12 years of age, is also very relatable.

The stretch for me comes when the archaeology dig brings in the kids. That isn’t as likely to happen, so those characters are less relatable. Archaeologists and university administrators will rope off a dig and keep the kids out. They aren’t going to let them set up camp.

Of course! The characters deal with real-life challenges and struggles and are well-created. I think the characters are relatable enough and perfectly built into the storyline.

I did find the characters in this book relatable. Aunt Meg was a single person who liked artwork and her privacy. She sacrificed her solitude to help her sister. She learned valuable lessons in the process. The true friendship between Lea and Laura was very genuine. Their friendship reminds me of true friendships I had as a little girl as well. My favorite character was TJ being a typical boy child. Pestering his older sister and her girlfriend for fun!

The author displayed great prowess in terms of character development. I found the characters in "SandPeople: An Across Time Mystery" by Cheryl Kerr relatable.

The feelings of hatred, confusion, and doubt were very relatable in this book and spoke to me on multiple levels

Yes, especially Lea. I felt her frustration when their parents were leaving them and they had to go to their grandparents'. However, I'm glad that they finally found their grandparents' fun in the end. I loved most of the characters in the book.