Author, illustrator at Palmerton library

The Palmerton Area Library, 402 Delaware Ave., will host an author event on Saturday.

Author Bill Allison and illustrator Jae Rehm, a Palmerton resident, will be at the library from noon to 2 p.m. to talk about their new book "The Apprentice."

Rehm is a senior at Carbon Career and Technical Institute. He provided five illustrations for the book, which can be seen on the author's website at www.billallisonsbooks.com and Facebook page for the book "The Apprentice."

The book is a young adult, coming-of-age historical novel, based on the Allison's grandfather's experiences as a young apprentice to a merchant. The fictional character, Enoch Moyer, is a 14-year-old apprentice at a Pennsylvania dry goods store following the Civil War. He's a fatherless boy who is indentured to work and live for four years in a diverse industrial town.

According to a synopsis, Enoch's spirit is nearly broken by "a harsh master and a jealous senior apprentice, until he discovers the secret to gain his master's respect and disarm his rival. After enrolling in the community apprentice association, Enoch uncovers a plot to harm his master's family.

Partnering with his fellow apprentices, they foil the crime, save his master's family, and arrest the transgressors. When the case comes to trial, Enoch faces the challenge of persuading the judicial system to punish the real criminals."