Twister and Shout, The Secret In The Woods & The Mystery of the Birthday Party

#1 - Twister and Shout by Bill Myers, Tyndale House Publishers, 1989
 
Genre: Realistic Fiction + a bit of Fable
Target Audience: Boys 12-16
Subject: Fear, Trust in God, Sibling Relationships
Summary: The chance every boy waits for: parents are gone, friend is over for the night, plans are already in motion to torment older sister. But the evening turns scary when a tornado warning is issued for their county. Nick and his cartoon friend McGee have to rely on God to give them the strength to do what's right when danger threatens.
Notes: This book is based off the movie series, McGee and Me, by Focus on the Family. Parts of the story are from the perspective of McGee and his imaginary world, parts of it are from Nick's perspective in his real world. The story is clearly based off of the movie, it isn't as well written as it could be. It is still a good story line though, one boys can definitely relate to.


#2 - The Secret In The Woods by Lois Gladys Leppard, Bantam Books, 2001
 
Genre: Mystery
Target Audience: Girls 11-14
Subject: No spiritual subjects discussed
Summary: Mandie takes a shortcut home through the woods one day. When she does, she hears a strange noise. That's mystery #1. Then one day as she and her friends are walking past the schoolhouse at a time when no one is supposed to be there, they hear music coming from the new organ. Mandie determines she has to solve the mysteries and ropes her friends into helping her.
Notes: This book is part of the newer Mandie series called "A Young Mandie Mystery", stories that take place before the time period in the original Mandie Books. Unlike the older series, this one does not contain the spiritual elements of her quoting her verse or asking God for help in all of the dangerous situations she gets herself into. It is just like the older series in that Mandie turns every question in life into a mystery to be solved and refuses to listen to any suggestions or commands to ignore it. For those who are big fans of the original Mandie Books, this glimpse into Mandie's earlier life can be fun.