Snap Decision

My son enjoyed this book - and even helped write the review - provided to us by BookLook and Zonderkidz in exchange for an honest review.
Snap Decision by Nathan Whitaker is a great sports-themed book for that pre-teen boy in your life. The back cover gives a real life reminder: "Sometimes the right move isn't in the playbook."

Tripp and Chase are best friends. Chase plays quarterback for the JV football team but has a chance to get called up to varsity; Tripp plays wide receiver for the varsity team. During a varsity game, Chase got a front row seat to a big hit on Tripp. The coaches ask Chase if Tripp was knocked unconscious. If chase tells them that Tripp was knocked out, will their friendship be doomed? But if he doesn't tell the truth, what could those consequences be?

Four stars.

Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids

Through the BookLook program, I was provided Book 2 from The Good News Shoes series, Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids, by Jill Osborne. My son read this book in a day or two and asked when we could get more - five stars for sure!

When Riley Mae begs her parents to sign a shoe contract with Swiftriver, she finds herself traveling all over the country. She even gets to meet four cool kids from Africa - one, named Sunday, is battling leukemia. In the traveling, even though it is fun, Riley struggles to find her faith in God. Riley's best friend, Rusty, flies out to surprise her in Montana. While in Montana, Riley has a photo shoot to do while going down the rapids but she loses her raft and gets stuck at the bottom of the river! Will she make it out alive? Will Sunday survive leukemia? And what about her faith in God in the middle of this?

Samantha Sanderson On the Scene

Samantha Sanderson On the Scene is Book 2 in this faiThGirLz! series. It was provided to me through the BookLook (formerly BookSneeze) program and Zonderkidz Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I chose this book since I read book 1, At the Movies, and wanted to continue the enjoyment of this series.
In book 2 Sam is continuing her work on the school newspaper and still trying to work her way up to editor, despite the current editor's dislike for Sam. This time her series is about bullying, encouraged by the bullying she sees happening to a classmate. But Sam isn't happy just writing about bullying and how to prevent it - she wants to solve the mystery of who the bully is. But can she do all that
sleuthing under good conscience? Or legally? Will her and her friend's search cause more problems? On top of this newspaper and detective work, there may be a major change happening in her own family...

I rated book 1 five stars but I enjoyed book 2 even more. There were some tense parts in the book that made it hard to put down. I believe any tween/teen would love reading this series. And although the books tie together with characters, I don't think anyone would be lost picking up book 2 before book 1.

Children's Encyclopedia of American History

We have used My Father's World Curriculum for our core homeschool curriculum over the past five years. We have really loved the curriculum and the variety of books it provides. Some books obviously surpass others in content or practicality and some are obviously more enjoyable than others. One of the books we used this year was the 2003 edition of DK's the Children's Encyclopedia of American History. The content was great. The shortness of each section was perfect for short attention spans. The amount of pictures was helpful for visual learners.

However, many pictures are used for the background. That makes it super hard to read some of the pages. It is very distracting and really caused a slow down in our reading. I am disappointed in what could have been an excellent book.

Samantha Sanderson At the Movies

Samantha Sanderson At the Movies by Robin Caroll was provided to me through the BookSneeze program and Zonderkidz Publishers in exchange for an honest review. This book is part of the FaiThGirLz! series but still would be enjoyed by middle school boys as well.

Samantha Sanderson, or Sam, wants to be a journalist like her mom. She writes for the school newspaper but the editor, Aubrey, doesn't want her on the paper staff. However, when Sam finds a hidden bomb at the movie theater, she is sure she has a good enough story to show Aubrey she is deserving of a good roll on the newspaper staff.

What will happen now? Was the bomb planted by an atheist because a church was renting out the theater to show a Christian movie? Can Sam balance all of this detective work and newspaper writing with school and cheerleading? And what happens when Sam publishes "ideas" about the bombing instead of facts? Could this affect her roll on the newspaper? Or her dad's job as police detective? Should she listen to her dad and step down from writing about this story?
And what about her friend who isn't a Christian? How can she witness to her without forcing Jesus down her throat?

Excellent book aimed at the middle school population - boys or girls.

Open Your Eyes

Thomas Nelson Publishing, through the BookSneeze program, provided me with a copy of Open Your Eyes by Jake Olson and McKay Christensen in exchange for an honest review.

What an inspirational book! Jake Olson lost his sight to eye cancer when he was twelve years old. But that hasn't stopped him from playing football, taking AP classes in high school, having a positive attitude, praising God through it all, or even working on his goal of one day playing on a PGA golf tour (seriously!).
So this book is about Jake, yes, but it also has stories from others who have faced major struggles in their lives (Muhammad Ali, for example). There is also a lot of "self-help" talk by McKay Christensen, a researcher and speaker about how adults learn and find happiness. That writing is always followed by "Insights From" Jake, his parents, or his twin sister to show how they have put that particular teaching into practice.
Each chapter begins with a quote and ends with "In Summary" bullet points.

Some spots I marked in the book:

• "Struggle and pain...were not put here to torment or mock men, but to life and build them...Adversity, pain and struggle do not challenge the Lord's love for us, they prove it." (p. 28)
• "When we make mountains from molehills, we expect others to change, when it may be we who need to change." (p. 64)
• "One of the most important things I have learned is to stay calm and not imagine the worst possible outcome. It's important to focus on the best possible outcome." (p. 75)
• "A dream without reality is only a wish." (p. 157)
• "When you have a positive image of the future and confront the facts realistically, you learn and get better. You constantly get stronger and wiser from adversity. You can bear more challenges today because you've lived through them in the past."
• "If you're not happy with who you are or what path you're traveling in life, if you don't feel that you've met your true potential, then maybe you need to live consistently with your moral compass."

Goodnight, Angels

Goodnight, Angels by Melody Carlson is a very cute board book which was provided to me through the BookSneeze program and Zonderkidz Publishing. This book is a modern take on the classic Goodnight, Moon. The rhythm and rhyme, like Goodnight, Moon, are great for toddlers and the repetition is predictable and exactly what little kids love. The dog peeks his way into every picture making a fun "find it" game for your toddler. The little boy in this book remembers to offer a prayer to God along with saying goodnight to all of the things in his world before falling asleep.

It's A God Thing

It's a God Thing was a very fun book to read, provided to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing through the BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review. It reminded me of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series but with much more of a God twist.
There are forty-six independent stories in this book, each telling a great story of God's provision, love, and/or power. There are stories of births and deaths, stories of accidents and natural disaster, stories of bombs and wars.
Some of the chapter titles really make you wonder. What is God going to do with yellow cups? Or a dog barking at a chicken? Each story gives you a glimpse as to how God can and does care for each one of His children.

Chocolate-Covered Cashews

I received from the BookSneeze program and Westbow Press E-Books Chocolate-Covered Cashews by Wiley Baxter in exchange for an honest review.
I was very intrigued by the preview of this book:

Wiley Baxter was 57-years-old when God brought a surprise to him. Over the next four days, it was revealed to him that he was the biological father of identical twin daughters and four grandchildren, which resulted from a two-year marriage he had 36 years before. Overjoyed and overwhelmed, he began a new chapter in his life.

However, only the first two chapters talked about the phone call that then led to meeting his daughters. And then finally at the end there was a brief family update. The eight chapters in between were about different events that occurred in the author's life previous to discovering he was a father. Each event was shared because, looking back, Wiley could see how God had taken care of him during those times.

In my opinion, this book had decent bones but was very poorly written. It seemed to have been written by an elementary or middle-school student, not a fifty-nine year old man. Or maybe an editor was not involved. Unnecessary sentences, even paragraphs, were in this book as if maybe the minimum number of words was trying to be met. Different wording like "head concussion" seemed very redundant/obvious. Another example of elementary writing is after telling the story of when his brother died. He said, "I was very sad that day." Really?

I really do not want to bash Wiley Baxter's book because he is trying to make some good points about how God has been with him even when he wasn't necessarily willing to admit it; hindsight is 20/20. But there is still a lot of polish work that needs done on this book. Two stars.

Biff and Becka's Stupendous Vacation

The BookSneeze program and Westbow Press E-Books provided me with another children's ebook in exchange for an honest review. This was a chapter book, suitable for elementary children.

This is a great story about a rabbit family who has to forfeit their beach vacation due to a cut in the father's pay. After Biff (the son) has bragged about the beach vacation to his friend, he finds it embarrassing to admit they are having a "staycation." He also finds it difficult to be excited about a vacation of staying home. But he, his sister, and his cousins learn that a great time doesn't require an expensive beach vacation.

Throughout the book the parents use Biblical principles to explain situations (missing out on the beach vacation, why bees sting, how birds search for food, scavenger hunts, etc.), to remind them to be grateful for what they do have, and how sin can darken our lives. All of these examples were done very well (not cheesy). And the activities that were planned were so fun; it gives me ideas for my family!

A discussion guide is included at the end of this book too.

The only negative from this book was that rabbits were used as the main characters instead of humans. The plot in this book is geared toward early to mid- elementary kids but the characters are rabbits, as if this was for preschoolers. This was humorous at one point when Biff's and Becka's mom says, "Hurting rabbits hurt rabbits" when explaining bullies.

Four stars.

Willie Out West

Willie Out West by Rhonda Walker was a children's book I reviewed for the BookSneeze program. Westbow Press E-Books provided me this book for my nook in exchange for an honest review. I am sorry to say I did not enjoy this book, except for some humorous pictures.

This book was obviously geared toward preschool age children but the very first page starts out with Willie the walrus exclaiming to his mom, "I am sick of swimming and playing dumb games." Even though the idea in this story is that Willie changes his attitude after a bazaar dream, his mother just smiles at him in response to his disrespectful attitude. I can totally see little kids mimicking Willie with, "I am sick of doing dumb things."
Willie then has a dream about going to Big West and being a hero. Nice idea but his motives are to "have a story to tell when I return home a hero." While Willie is in "Big West" there is symbolism used about being a "thick-skinned" walrus or a "spineless jellyfish" which would be lost on the kids for which this book was written. And then somehow, because of this dream of defeating the big bad one-eyed ugly whale, Willie started listening to his parents. Huh?
Sorry, Rhonda Walker, one star.

Plain Peace

Plain Peace, by Beth Wiseman, is book number six in the Daughters of the Promise series. It was provided to me through the BookSneeze program and Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
I had already read some of the books in this series, but not all of them. I can see how reading all of the books in the series could add to the enjoyment of reading Plain Peace but not reading all of them certainly doesn't take away or make the reader lost or confused while reading. Beth Wiseman does a great job of making the reader feel like this is a stand alone book. The family trees at the beginning help as well.
Anna Byler, the bishop's granddaughter, is the main character in Plain Peace. Because of her strict grandfather, Anna faces difficulties in trying to date. As in, no young man is willing to approach the bishop to ask permission to date his granddaughter. When a new family moves to town, their oldest son isn't quite as intimated - at first.
But that isn't all that is going on in this quick-to-read-book. There are plenty of hurting people, all trying to figure out where they fit in with family and friends. I love Anna's grandmother's quote about family: "Family is a gathering of people who love and accept each other for who they are, whether related or placed together by God for His own good purposes."
Four stars.

Dandelion Summer

I finally took the time to read a book that has been on my "to read" list for two and a half years. Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate.
It took me a couple chapters to figure out what was going on but I am so glad I stuck to it. Great book! From the back:

All her life, Epiphany Jones has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, with the death of Mrs. Lora-the family friend who took Epie into her home-the sixteen-year-old must move to Dallas to live with her indifferent mother and new stepfather. Trapped in the low-rent area of blue Sky Hill, Epie doesn't fit in-and soon finds herself on the wrong side of the law. To make restitution., she's sent to work in another place she's not wanted: a home on the upscale streets of the Hill.

When J. Norman Alvord learns that his daughter has hired a teenager to stay with him in the afternoons, he's determined to nix the arrangement. Widowed and suffering from heart trouble, Norman wants to be left alone. But in Epie's presence, Norman finds a mystery. Deep in his mind lie memories of another house, another life, and a young black woman, a housekeeper, who saved him...

As summer comes to Blue Sky Hill, two residents from different worlds will journey through a turbulent past and find that with an unexpected road trip through sleepy Southern towns come a life-changing friendship... and clues to a family secret hidden for a lifetime.

A letter J. Norman wrote really touched me (this might be a bit of a spoiler so if you plan to read this book, hold off on reading the rest of this post). These are words he would say to a young father:

• When you hear the first whimper in the night, go to the nursery and leave your wife sleeping. Rock in a chair, walk the floor, sing a lullaby so that she will know a man can be gentle.
• When Mother is away for the evening, come home from work, do the babysitting. Learn to cook a hotdog or a pot of spaghetti, so that your daughter will know a man can serve another's needs.
• When she performs in school plays or dances in recitals, arrive early, sit in the front seat, devote your full attention. Clap the loudest so that she will know a man can have eyes only for her.
• When she asks for a tree house, don't just build it, but build it with her. Sit high among the branches and talk about clouds, and caterpillars, and leaves. Ask her about her dreams and wait for her answers, so that she will know a man can listen.
• When you pass by her door as she dresses for a date, tell her she is beautiful. Take her on a date yourself. Open doors, buy flowers, look her in the eye, so that she will know a man can respect her.
• When she moves away from home, send a card, write a note, call on the phone. If something reminds you of her, take a minute to tell her; so that she will know a man can think of her even when she is away.
• Tell her you love her, so that she will know a man can say the words.
• If you hurt her, apologize, so that she will know a man can admit that he's wrong...

Peace on Earth

I was provided Peace on Earth A Christmas Collection by Mary Engelbreit from the BookSneeze program and Zonderkidz publishers in exchange for an honest published review.

This is a beautiful Christmas book - for children and/or for the coffee table. The cover has snowflakes on it with texture - very fun. All of the illustrations are in the familiar colorful Engelbreit style.

Except for one story which lasts four pages, each page spread is something different - a Christmas poem, a Christmas carol, or the Christmas story. My favorite part is near the end: two paragraphs by James Freeman Clarke about how God made so many different kinds of people. "Let us not torment each other because we are not all alike, but believe that God knew best what he was doing in making us so different."

Four stars.

The Christmas Candle

Through the BookSneeze program and Thomas Nelson Publishers I was provided The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute Christmas story set in the 1800's in England. The story is based around a candle maker the week before Christmas. See, it is said that an angel visits the candle shop the week before Christmas every twenty-five years. The angel touches just one candle and that candle is said to be the vessel for God to work. This is the year for the angel to visit and everyone in the village is wanting to be the recipient of this special candle.

The story is the anticipation of the angel coming and to whom the candle maker and his wife will give this special candle. All the while the new preacher is not on board with the candle holding special powers. So what will happen when the candle touched by the angel is mixed up with the others?

I rated this book three stars. I had a hard time following the story line at the beginning and keeping up with the characters. The writing style was just difficult for me: a chapter would start with all pronouns and on the next page the pronoun was finally identified. But it is a cute Christmas story and one I will probably enjoy with additional readings - maybe each Christmas.

Runaway Emotions

I was provided an incredible book by the BookSneeze program and Thomas Nelson publishers: Runaway Emotions Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It by Jeff Schreve. This book took me a long time to read - simply because I wanted to take the time to process all of the great truths! 

Each chapter highlights one emotion, what Shreve calls a "smoke alarm." Those emotions, that seem to take over, are warnings from God. Shreve follows that up with how to handle it God's way. 

1. Embarrassment: When You Feel Inferior
2. Loneliness: All by Myself
3. Frustration: A Real Nowhere Man
4. Worry: When Anxiety Attacks
5. Anger: The Beast Within
6. Guilt: When Your Conscience Is Killing You
7. Discontentment: Unhappy Campers
8. Depression: When All Hope Seems Lost

Some highlights from the book:

• The very first chapter (EMBARRASSMENT) reminded me that we have already been given everything we need (patience, strength, etc.), but we need to claim those gifts from God. 
• I definitely had some "take-homes" from the ANGER chapter as well... "when we see life from His perspective, we will say, 'Lord, You did all things well! You did every single thing in my life perfectly, Lord, and I'm so glad.'" 
• The GUILT chapter reminds the reader of Hebrews 12: 7-8 summarizing it by saying, "If you're not experiencing discipline, then you're not My child." That "the smoke alarm of guilt is a blessing." Schreve uses examples such as premarital sex or harboring bitterness. If you don't feel guilty about those things, then you aren't walking with God. 

 Five stars and highly recommended!

Rosemary Cottage

I was provided Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble from the BookSneeze program and Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Knowing this book is the second Hope Beach Novel, I reserved the first book Tidewater Inn from the library before this book arrived on my doorstep. Many of the characters from the first book show up in the second book and the location is the same. However, reading Tidewater Inn is not necessary in enjoying Rosemary Cottage.
Rosemary Cottage has a little bit of romance on top of the mystery and suspense involved in Amy Lange's investigation into her brother's death. Amy is a midwife with parents who have their own plans for her, including leaving her brother's death labeled as a drowning. However, Amy has many reasons to be suspicious of her brother's death and she learns that things are not always as they seem.
A coastguard, Curtis Ireland, decides to help her with her investigation. He lost a sister in a boating accident and can relate to Amy's grief. But in their grief there is also anger and denial. The reader sees how these emotions cause them to become defensive and therefore interfere with their possible budding romance.
Through this story Amy learns, "No one was perfect. Trying to make believe only led to heartache" and from that realizes she needs to share her trials, not hide them.
Five stars.

The Rainbow Egg by Linda K. Hendricks

This book was provided to me through the BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review. I have mixed feelings on this book.
The story is analogous to international adoption. It is based on this chicken who lives in the woods with many other animals. This chicken is very happy being in the woods even though she has talked to chickens who live in chicken coops. One day this chicken realizes she has laid an egg. But because of her living conditions it becomes a burden to take care of this egg she has laid.
Meanwhile there is a chicken couple in the chicken house who wants to lay an egg but cannot. They try all sorts of ways - on their backs, on their heads (pictures included...).
As you can predict, the chicken who is burdened with the egg gives her egg to the couple who wants an egg. Very sweet as the chicken struggles with her love for the egg (and chick to come) but knowing she cannot take care of it in the woods.
In the midst of this story there is a redbird who sings and guides them in their decisions. That part was kind of random and after reading the book three times I decided the redbird is analogous to God but in a way as to not offend people...
Three stars.

Letters to Katie

I received Letters to Katie by Kathleen Fuller on my nook from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I did not realize this was Book #3 in the series and therefore was a little confused at the beginning. Had I read this book having more background information (as in reading the first two books) I probably would have given it four stars.
This was a great story to remind all of us the importance of family and faith - especially before wealth and possessions. Also a great reminder in waiting for God's timing - because that is always better than ours, and it is perfect.
I believe this is the first book I have read by Kathleen Fuller but it will not be the last. There is just enough excitement to keep the book moving but not so much that I was tense.
(I have put the first two books on reserve at the library because just enough details were given about previous events that I am curious how things happened.)

When God Makes Lemonade

Thomas Nelson Publishing provided this book to me on my nook through the Book Sneeze program in exchange for an honest review. When God Makes Lemonade compiled by Don Jacobson was a fun book to read, reminding me of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. There are sixty-eight short true stories telling about how God worked their 'lemon' story into lemonade. Each story ends with a quick biography of the author including information on their other writings or blogs, as applicable.

Each story was encouraging and just awesome to read about people recognizing God as the One who turned their lemons into lemonade. The stories cover many topics: financial difficulties, grieving loved ones, near-death experiences, suicide, rape, blended families, disabilities, illnesses, and more.

This was a nice book to pick up, and read just as many stories as I had time for. Since each story was independent of the others, the stories could be read in any order. It would have been nice to have them grouped in sections by topic - especially for reference if wanting to share a story with someone going through a similar situation. Four stars.