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The Collectors by Jacqueline West
The Collectors is the first volume of a duology that explores the limits of human responsibility for the destiny of others. The Collectors by Jacqueline West. Greenwillow, 2018, 372 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 Giovanni (Van) is the only son of Ingrid Markson, a celebrated soprano who travels the world with him in tow. Small, meek, and unassuming, he lives in her shadow. Content to be an observer rather than an actor, he watches for the trinkets and throwaways other people drop in pursuit of their own lives. With these he acts out scenarios with himself as “SuperVan,” protector of the weak. One day…
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Adulting 101 by Josh Burnette and Pete Hardesty
Adulting 101: #Wisdom4Life by Josh Burnette and Pete Hardesty. Broadstreet Publishing Group, 2018. 192 pages. Reading Level: Ages 16 and up Recommended For: Ages 14 and up, especially recent high school graduates (and college!) “Adulting” is the new word for those ordinary life skills my generation learned from our parents along the way (and countless generations before us). I assumed I would go to college and then live on my own, in my own apartment or house, go to my own job, pay my own expenses, drive my own car, and do other responsible adult things like carry insurance. My parents were great at teaching my sister and me these…
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The Paradox Of Love by Teri Harman
The Hunter And The Star The Paradox Of Love by Teri Harman is a heart wrenching Christian historical tale set in 1889. It shows the power of love to heal and to restore, if we would just let love into our hearts. The novel has the themes of discrimination, abuse and intimidation. It is not […]
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The Holy Heroes Devotional by Scott Bayles
Not Just For Super Hero Fans The Holy Heroes Devotional by Scott Bayles is a forty day devotional for super hero fans – right? Wrong! TheHoly Heroes Devotional is a forty day devotional for everyone. You do not have to be a super hero fan, you just need to love Jesus and want to immerse […]
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Practical Ways to Rule Over Your Emotions
Practical Ways to Rule Over Your Emotions The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. – Genesis 4:6-8 Despite receiving a warning from God, Cain was still not able to overcome the heat of anger. Being unable to control his rage, he made the decision that…
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Indivisible: A Fight to Keep a Fort Undivided
Indivisible: A Fight to Keep a Fort Undivided This film was based on true events that happened in the life of Army Chaplain Darren Turner and his wife Heather. He brought his wife and three kids with him to Fort Stewart. Heather took all the responsibility of caring for their kids. She also attends to the wives of other soldiers at the Fort while Darren was in Iraq. In this kind of separation between husband and wife, we see two different perspectives. For Darren, it means self-sacrifice to go and serve his duty at an uncertain place for the first time. For Heather, it means containing her strong-will so she…
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Gone Too Soon by Melody Carlson
Shake Them, Break Them, Make Them Gone Too Soon by Melody Carlson – wow what an emotional roller coaster read this contemporary YA Christian novel is. If you are looking for a comfortable feel-good read this is not it. However if you are looking for a gritty novel dealing with relevant issues and with the […]
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Gone Too Soon by Melody Carlson
Shake Them, Break Them, Make Them Gone Too Soon by Melody Carlson – wow what an emotional roller coaster read this contemporary YA Christian novel is. If you are looking for a comfortable feel-good read this is not it. However if you are looking for a gritty novel dealing with relevant issues and with the […]
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Caterpillar Summer by Gullian McDunn
Biracial siblings connect with their estranged grandparents in Caterpillar Summer. Caterpillar Summer by Gullian McDunn. Bloomsbury, 2019, 291 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8-12 Summer vacation can’t come too soon for Cat. Her family is going all the way from their home in San Francisco to Atlanta! While her mom teaches a three-week college class, Cat and her little brother Chicken (real name, Henry) will stay with her friend Richi who moved to Atlanta a year ago. Or that was the plan. But when Rishi’s family is suddenly called away to care for his sick grandmother in India, there’s only one alternative for Cat and…
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The Young Messiah
The Young Messiah: A Glimpse of Jesus’ Childhood We have seen many stories about the life of Jesus in the film, but an account of what his childhood could be like is what inspires The Young Messiah. The story began with a Jewish girl playing with Jesus who was then about seven years old. A bigger kid teased and hit him for playing with a girl. A tall man in black cloak appeared and threw an apple to trip the kid, so Jesus gets blamed for his immediate death. Mary pulled Jesus from the crowd and locked the door. Jesus’ cousin asked if he can restore the kid’s life the way he did…
