Carpe Diem, Illinois

by Kristin Oakley

Overview

For decades, the small town of Carpe Diem, Illinois has quietly unschooled its children, eschewing tests and classrooms for real-life experiences. Now, long-smoldering political feuds – and deep personal secrets – threaten to explode. When her mother is hospitalized in Carpe Diem after an auto accident, teenager Tali Shaw, the daughter of a powerful state senator, finds herself at the heart of a vicious conspiracy to bring Carpe Diem down. Can prize-winning Chicago Examiner reporter Leo Townsend overcome his own demons and expose those behind the scheme before it's too late? And when the truth is finally revealed, can Carpe Diem ever be the same?

Product Details

BN ID:	2940149285853
Publisher:	Little Creek Press
Publication date:	03/31/2014
Series:	The Leo Townsend Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	284
File size:	479 KB

About the Author

Carpe Diem’s unschooling lifestyle is based upon Kristin Oakley’s own homeschooling experiences. She unschooled her two daughters, founded two homeschooling support groups, wrote homeschooling articles for Home Education Magazine, and offered workshops at the InHome Homeschooling Conference in St. Charles, IL. Kristin is a founding member and past president of the professional writers’ organization, In Print, a board member of the Chicago Writers Association, and teaches an online writing course through the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Education. She makes her home in Madison, Wisconsin, just down the road from Carpe Diem, Illinois.

Editorial Reviews

In Carpe Diem, Illinois, Kristin Oakley weaves a tale of local political intrigue into a fascinating lesson in unschooling. Through the eyes of broken Chicago reporter Leo Townsend we see the secrets that lie behind the fictional commune-like town where there are no schools and the children are mostly left to their own devices. Ultimately, this satisfying debut novel teaches us that if we open our eyes and our minds, there is much to learn and those mysteries to us are not so mysterious at all.

Author of Cheeseland and Lost in the Ivy - Randy Richardson

With a fascinating look at unschooling, Oakley combines classic Chicago dirty politics with small town charm, murder, mystery, and political intrigue... Carpe Diem left me not only entertained, but wanting to seize the day and apply some unschooling principles to my kids' summertime activities.

Author of The Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs Trilogy, The Debt Collector, and Faery Swap - Susan Kaye Quinn

From the beginning of the book to the last page, I was captivated! If we could all live in a town like Carpe Diem! I am looking forward to reading further adventures of Leo Townsend!

Reader - Janet Tomita