Mystery Rider

Kate tensed as the corner approached. After the long, sweeping curve, it took a couple of minutes to hit the straightaway on the far side. The light from the moon had increased, and the trees cast long, spiky shadows. Kate could still see the road all the way to the next corner, some distance ahead.

Not a thing moved along the entire stretch. The horse and rider had disappeared like a wisp of smoke on the wind.

Book: Mystery Rider (Horses and Friends) by Miralee Ferrell, David C. Cook, 2015

Genre: Horse Book, Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 10-14

Subjects: Friendship, Evangelism, Love for others,

Summary: It’s a gorgeous horse, but a very mysterious rider. Kate sees it out the back door one night and after some investigation she, Tori, Cole and Melissa learn that this rider comes out every night, riding this horse. Following her leads them to a farmhouse not too far away where they are scared off by the rider who has a good reason for the secrecy. All the while, Kate is wrestling with her doubts about Melissa. It seems Melissa no longer wants to bully Kate and Tori but wants to be friends with them. Kate isn’t sure she trusts Melissa after their history. The trouble is that her lack of trust could hurt Melissa as much as Melissa has hurt her. How is Kate going to sort out all the questions and find the truth?

Notes: A Horse For Kate is the third in the Horses And Friends series. In this third book Kate is wrestling with showing love to the least of these. The mystery rider is actually a person who has been hurt by the treatment of others. Kate has to put aside her fear to show kindness to this person. And she has to put aside her doubts about Melissa to show kindness to her. In fact, it’s not just kindness Melissa is lacking, it’s a relationship with Christ. Kate has to show her what it means to be a Christian and how to have a relationship with Christ. 

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer:  J:-)mi

1 Peter 3:15-16 – But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Silver Spurs

They couldn’t cancel the show, they just couldn’t! This might be their only opportunity to get included in the rated show. She was pretty sure they didn’t have they money to replace the fence of the jumps. Why did this have to happen now, when the show was so close?

Book: Silver Spurs (Horses and Friends) by Miralee Ferrell, David C. Cook, 2015

Genre: Horse Book, Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 10-14

Subjects: Friendship, Love for others,

Summary: Having her own horse is great, but Kate longs for even more. She wants to see the stables at the farm actually filled. She wants to have a lesson horse that her friend Tori can use. She wants a trainer on staff who can teach her and Tori and others how to ride better. And if all of that isn’t enough, she wants their stables to house a competition! Her little brother’s autism takes a lot of money and focus though. It’s hard for her parents to commit to something this huge. And even if she got her parents on board, there’s a lot more obstacles to overcome – including the girl who bullies Kate and Tori at school being in need of a place to stable her horse.

Notes: Silver Spurs is the second in the Horses And Friends series. In this second book Kate is struggling with selfishness. She wants a lot of things and is willing to be somewhat disrespectful to her parents to get what she wants. She also has to learn a lesson about prayer again. She writes off the idea of asking God for what she wants since some bad things are still in her life – like her brother’s autism. However, she then remembers that He actually gave her what she wanted last time –so He apparently is listening. The third issue is with showing love to the girl who bullies her. She encounters a situation where the bully is in a difficult situation and gets a picture of why she treats people the way she does. She then has a chance to do something really extreme to help.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer:  J:-)mi

Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves

A Horse For Kate

Dad sank onto the couch next to Mom. It’s not our business, honey. Capri belongs to Mr. Miller. If he decides that’s what is best, it’s not up to us to question his decision.”

Kate spread her arms wide. “But we could buy her!”

Dad shut his eyes. “We’ve discussed this before, Kate. I’m not going through it again. I’m sorry.”

“But Dad!”

“No more argument, Kate. You need to take care of your chores. I don’t want your work at the barn to interfere with your responsibilities at home. You promised to keep up, remember?”

“Yeah.” She scuffed her toe against the carpet, wanting to say more but knowing she shouldn’t. When Dad used that tone, any discussion was over. Finished. Done with. Nothing would change his mind. Not even an earthquake.

Book: A Horse for Kate (Horses and Friends) by Miralee Ferrell, David C. Cook, 2015

Genre: Horse Book, Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 10-14

Subjects: Obedience to parents, Prayer, Friendship

Summary: All she wants is a horse. Just one big, expensive, difficult to care for, horse. Ok, so Kate isn’t exactly thinking of it in those terms. But her parents are. First there was the move. That caused her to have to quit her riding lessons. Then there’s the fact that her little brother has severe autism and any extra money or focus needs to be poured into him. Kate is not feeling too thrilled with her parents right now. When an ad appears for someone to come clean a local stable in exchange for lessons, Kate leaps on the opportunity. There are just a couple small problem with it though: first, she hasn’t asked her parents about it yet. And second, the new friend she’s making who would come with her is uncertain about horses herself and has a mom who is terrified of them. At the rate things are going, Kate isn’t even going to see a horse, let alone own one!

Notes: A Horse For Kate is the first in the Horses And Friends series. In this first book, Kate is all focused on getting a horse of her own. She prays, asking God to give her the horse. She tries to convince her parents that having one is an essential. And she tries to get her new friend to be as into horses as she is. When things don’t go her way, she assumes God isn’t listening. A near disaster with her little brother changes her perspective a bit on what is actually important.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer:  J:-)mi

Psalm 37:3-6 – Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Merchant Of Alyss

 “Legends have come to life around us!” The sage pointed north and east, to the ridge that separated them from the desolation. “A crimson mage appeared and destroyed the peace of ten centuries. A hero rose from the ranks of humans and joined the crimson mage in battle. The sky was blasted with flame and magic, such that we ourselves witnessed the event, fourteen days’ hard march from Emporis!” Caleb’s beard trembled with indignation and certainty. “I, Caleb, the Elder, tell you that a dragon has arrived! If it is a threat, the hero of Emporis will bring it down! And I, keeper of the Highland Lore, will bear witness to all the generations yet to come!”

Book: Merchant of Alyss (Legends of the Realm) by Thomas Locke, Revell Publishers, 2016

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 18+

Subjects: Marriage, Attraction to opposite gender, Power, Direction In life

Summary: Every night the dragon appears in Hyam’s dreams. It appears to be attempting to communicate with him, but he doesn’t understand it. Some say it’s a clear threat, others a sign. Some doubt that a dragon could exist at all. A dragon isn’t all that is found though. Old scrolls, written in a language only Hyam can interpret, they contain spells for magic. Before long it becomes clear that a quest is needed. Hyam, Joelle and some of the others set out for a very distant land, a land few ever visit. Hyam relishes the feel of experiencing magic again as he touches the scrolls and is eager for the journey. A great danger, one very unexpected awaits them though. 

Notes: As with the first book, there aren’t any clear spiritual elements. Rather there are “morally good” elements. Some of those that are seen in this book are: battle for self-control, sacrifice, love, individual’s choice of being good or evil and finding power in something greater than yourself. One character feels strongly attracted to a man who is married to someone else and is told that there is a chance he could belong to her – no one knows or can predict the future. She is told to weigh carefully the consequences of choices she makes and taught to understand that with the position or authority she is being given, comes much responsibility. A character hurting over a loved one who is ill has to put aside his own hurt to focus on his mission to help save everyone else.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 1/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Proverbs 21:2 – All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.

The Roman, The Twelve And The King

“As you go back in time to Jesus, watch Him, the Maestro, again. Watch as he carefully chooses his twelve instruments, tuning them to perfection in order to bring a full symphony of purpose into being. Once more feel the crescendo of His life symphony to its climatic end in the Passion… Feel the thrill of Messiah’s mighty encores, which has left believing audiences applauding ever since that day. You see, in order to truly make beautiful music, one must know the Subject well, and feel it deep in the soul.”

“And the subject is Messiah.” Nigel bowed humbly. “It will be an honor.”

Book: The Roman, the Twelve and the King (The Epic Order of the Seven) by Jenny L. Cote, Living Ink Books, 2012

Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 10-15

Subjects: Biblical History, Salvation

Summary: Messiah. What greater theme for a piece of music could there be? Especially for an oratorio, or “ora-oreo” as Al calls it. The year is 1735 and the seven animals have been given the job of helping inspire the men who wrote The Messiah. Whether it be Kate providing the spark for a romance, writing a letter, Liz leaving a passage of Scripture open for Mr. Jennens to see in the morning, Nigel playing a mouse-sized violin, or attempting to eat someone out of house at home (Al’s specialty), the animals do their best to help provide the inspiration for Charles Jennens and George F. Handel to write the Messiah. Just when the five animals think they are making progress though, a disaster happens. Gillamon arrives and assures them that all is well, and the plans are simply different than they had thought. The creatures need further inspiration themselves and are sent back to the time of the Messiah to watch once more His ministry, death and resurrection.

Notes: Delightful, playful, entertaining, educational, enlightening – all of these words describe this series well. It covers Biblical history during the time of the Gospels. It does a great job sticking to the truth of the story as recorded in the Bible while adding entertaining commentary from the animals. This particular book shows how powerful and loving our Messiah truly is. The reader gets to observe most of the events of the Gospels through the eyes of the animals – who, being immortal, have already seen and understood the history leading up to this point. They know Jesus will be crucified to pay the price for sin. And they know of the triumph that will happen three days later. As such, the characters provide insight into the events through their conversations and observations. This book is unique in that it not only covers Biblical history, it also covers a bit more modern time period – 1735. It shows the characters interacting with Charles Jennens and George F. Handel as they write The Messiah. It gives a glimpse of the events surrounding the writing of it.

I highly recommend this book and this series.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 4:25-26 – The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am He."

Escape From Fire Lake

As he tied down the canvas flaps, he took one last look in at Mike and said, “By the way, bright boy, leaving that trail of money was just a waste of your time and my good cash. If anybody does find one of those bills, I’m willing to bet that they don’t tell anyone and just keep it for themselves.” He paused for a moment and then added, “But just in case a Good Samaritan does come along…well, I think we’d best get off the main road for a while and have ourselves a little off-road adventure!

They had not traveled over ten miles before the truck pulled off onto a lonely dirt road. The only thing that marked the road was a sign:
FIRE LAKE WILDERNESS AREA: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Book: Escape from Fire Lake (Last Chance Detectives) by Robert Vernon, Focus On The Family, 1998

Genre: Mystery, Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 10-14

Subjects: Crime, Faith, Fear

Summary: Bank Robbers! Right here in the small town of Ambrosia! Not exactly what the Last Chance Detectives would have imagined when they went looking for a mystery to solve, but that’s what they found. Or at least, what Mike found. When he discovers what a truck is doing at the old abandoned hotel in town, he realizes he’s in danger and quickly hops in the back of their truck to hide when they come outside. Unfortunately for Mike, they are coming out to leave town, and now Mike is leaving town with them! When the bank robbers find Mike hiding in their truck, they decide to abandon him in a desert. Now Mike is in a fight for survival against the burning desert sun. With no water, no food and no shelter in sight, his chances aren’t looking too good!

Notes: Escape From Fire Lake is part of the Last Chance Detectives series, books based off of a movie series. The idea is that a young boy’s father supposedly went down in a plane crash, but neither he nor his plane were ever found. Mike is convinced his dad is still alive and is determined to find him someday. To practice, he and his friends form a detective club. In Escape From Fire Lake, Mike has to recall and rely on lessons his father has taught him – both about survival and about faith. Most of the book is just focused on adventure but there are a couple of scenes where Mike prays and relies on God to take care of him. When he is afraid, he reads a verse reminding him that God will never leave him, nor forsake him.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Hebrews 13:5-6 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Mystery Of The Island Jungle

Was there really a phantom? Or was it fear of the unknown that made people think there was? Who was the old Oriental who’d disappeared into the lava tube? Did Hotdog find the wrecked plane? Was he going to beat Josh in getting footage to the news services and ruin his plans? Could Josh could back with another camera and solve the mystery of the blue lagoon before it was too late?

A bunch of little fears began nibbling at the edge of Josh’s mind, and more were to come.

Book: Mystery of the Island Jungle (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #3) by Lee Roddy, Focus On The Family Publishing, 1989

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Fear, Phantoms, Family, Bullying

Summary: A phantom in the jungle! What Josh saw fits right in with the legends, but he and his parents aren’t so sure it isn’t something a bit more real than a phantom. Josh

recalls stories of his grandfather’s days in World War II and a kamikaze Japanese pilot he encountered. The uniform of the phantom is the same as his grandfather’s descriptions. Josh and his parents start to wonder if this is a crashed plane, the pilot lost in the jungle for decades. It would be a great story for the news services either way, and make enough money to bring Josh’s grandma over from the mainland to live with them. Josh isn’t the only one interested in the story though. A local reporter is determined to beat Josh to it. Only if Josh can find the phantom first, record footage of him and the fallen plane, and make it back out of the jungle safely, with his equipment, before Hotdog does, will he be able to make the money needed to take care of his grandma.

Notes: Mystery Of The Island Jungle is third in the Ladd Family Adventures, a series focused on a twelve year old boy living in Hawaii and the adventures he has with two of his friends, usually adventures that somehow relate to surviving the elements of nature. In Mystery Of The Island Jungle, Josh and his friends are exploring a remote part of the jungle when they encounter a man who chases them back to their helicopter. Legend says the man is a phantom who sometimes appears to explorers in the area. When Josh and his friends and family decide it’s actually a crashed Japanese pilot from World War II, Josh decides it would make a good story and a way to earn money. As he pursues his adventure he has to deal with the truth – is there really such a thing as a phantom, the local bully who works for the reporter trying to steal Josh’s story, his fear of all that could go wrong, and the possibility that it may be too dangerous and his parents won’t let him go back. As for spiritual issues, Josh recognizes where to turn when he is in danger and prays for help, then later thanks God when the danger is past. When Josh needs wisdom he also prays. He and his parents discuss whether or not lying – the only solution they could think of at the moment to stop the reporter, was acceptable since God says lying is wrong. There is a recognition that another family does not believe the same as them.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 3/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 91:2 – I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Eye Of The Hurricane

He turned eagerly toward the aircraft when he heard the engine begin to turn over. Come on, come on! Start!

It did, causing the six people on the ground to let out a collective yell of joy. That faded into disappointed groans as the motor died.

“What’s the matter, Keegan?” Franks yelled, striding to the helicopter’s open right door. “That motor sounded fine to me! Why’d you shut it down again?”

“The warning chip light came on again.”

“Meaning what?” Franks demanded hotly.

“Meaning,” Keegan replied bluntly, “there’s no way we can fly out of here. So we’d better find shelter fast – or we’re all going to die in the hurricane.”

Book: Eye of the Hurricane (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #9) by Lee Roddy, Focus On The Family Publishing, 1994

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Lies, Sibling Relationships, Dating, Rebellion/Disobedience

Summary: A hike into the jungle, into the swamp for a research trip turns life-threatening when first, a hurricane approaches, then Josh, Tank, Josh’s father and Dr. Nakamura, an ornithologist, encounter a couple of poachers, wanting to hunt the same exotic bird as Dr. Nakamura. Meanwhile, back at home, Josh’s family is trying to prepare for the hurricane as well, taking all the precautions they can. Josh’s sister is upset about more than the hurricane though. She is fighting the guilt of fighting with her brother before he left. She had tossed out angry, hurtful words at him when he dared to ask her about the boy she’d been caught seeing – a boy who doesn’t believe at all the same thing as she does. Not only that, but she lied to her parents about it. The hurricane threatens to make a broken relationship stay broken permanently.

Notes: Mystery Of The Island Jungle is ninth in the Ladd Family Adventures, a series focused on a twelve year old boy living in Hawaii and the adventures he has with two of his friends, usually adventures that somehow relate to surviving the elements of nature. In Eye Of The Hurricane Josh and his friend are once again out in the jungle when danger strikes. The spiritual issues in this book are plentiful. Tiffany, Josh’s sister wrestles with her decision to date a boy who doesn’t share her beliefs and mocks her for them and encourages her to rebel against her parents. Her mom points out that the symbol he wears stands for the opposite of her cross. Her brothers point out how she is lying and deceiving their parents in her pursuit of the boy. Josh has a chance to share his faith with those he’s trapped in the jungle with. They see his trust in God despite the danger.  

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

My Life As Dinosaur Dental Floss

“You should probably call the police,” Wall Street offered.

“But they think I’m the terrorist!” I argued. “I’m the one they talked to on the phone. I’m the one on the videotape. I’m the one with this nuclear gunk.”

We all paused to look at the canister of reddish-pink goo in my hand. Who could have believed that one little jar could cause all this trouble?” Then again, maybe it wasn’t one little jar that had caused the trouble; maybe it was one little lie.

Book: My Life as Dinosaur Dental Floss (The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle #5) by Bill Myers, Word Publishers, 1994

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Truth

Summary: How much trouble can one little lie cause? It’s just for amusement, right? Wally, Opera and Wall-Street have figured out that telling small lies makes life more entertaining and easier. It all starts with a lie that gets Wally into a closed exhibit at the museum. The usual Wally McDoogle clumsiness results in Wally getting his hands on a sack that leads to the SWAT team, president, and newspaper reporter chasing after him! After numerous accidents that cause Wally to get hurt over and over, he concludes that maybe a lie isn’t such a great idea after all.

Notes: The Wally McDoogle series focuses on a twelve year old boy that is impressively clumsy. He calls himself a “dork-oid”, someone he describes like this: “While everyone else is wearing hot new fashions, we’re sporting frozen-oldie hand-me-downs. While everyone else has these terrific put downs, we usually say something stupid or, worse yet, polite.” Whenever an opportunity for adventure comes up, Wally finds a way to accidentally get himself into trouble. In the process he learns some lesson from the Bible.

In My Life As Dinosaur Dental Floss, Wally discovers just how serious of consequences can come from telling lies.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Proverbs 13:3 - He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

My Life As Crocodile Junk Food

I was faced with a major decision… what to worry about the most:

A. Being lost in the rain forest.

B. Being chased by angry poachers.

C. Being with these people who are sick and dying.

D. Worrying about Dad worrying and calling up Mom so she’ll worry even more.

E. All of the above.

Book: My Life as Crocodile Junk Food (The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle #4) by Bill Myers, Word Publishers, 1993

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Missions, Salvation

Summary: Missions. That’s Wally’s father’s latest attempt to help Wally “become a real man”. So offer to the rain forest he goes. His picture of what missions is all about is quite different than what Wally expected. Wally isn’t comfortable sharing his faith with anyone else. So instead of pursuing missions, Wally and the missionary’s son, Jamie, go exploring. It seems that’s not such a good idea either though as the cave is where poachers are hiding. When Wally and Jamie try to escape the poachers they encounter an unknown tribe of jungle natives, a waterfall (which they go over) and a few other dangers before they can make it back home.

Notes: The Wally McDoogle series focuses on a twelve year old boy that is impressively clumsy. He calls himself a “dork-oid”, someone he describes like this: “While everyone else is wearing hot new fashions, we’re sporting frozen-oldie hand-me-downs. While everyone else has these terrific put downs, we usually say something stupid or, worse yet, polite.” Whenever an opportunity for adventure comes up, Wally finds a way to accidentally get himself into trouble. In the process he learns some lesson from the Bible.

In My Life As Crocodile Junk Food, Wally finds what it means to have a passion for the lost and hurting and a desire to share the Gospel with them.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Luke 10:2 – He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

My Life As A Broken Bungee Cord

It all seemed so unfair – being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night just to die. At least in prison when they execute you at dawn, you don’t have to build your own electric chair. But here we were, up before the rest of civilization, unfolding a balloon, and getting ready for the ride of our lives… or deaths. In less than an hour I’d be meeting God. Talk about unprepared. I hadn’t even brushed my death. Do you think they had out Certs in Heaven?

Book: My Life as a Broken Bungee Cord (The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle #3) by Bill Myers, Word Publishers, 1993

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Faith, Trust in God, Prayer

Summary: The great outdoors is no place for the “Dork-oids”, even if it is for a good cause – visiting Wall Street’s brother and trying to convince him to come back to the faith and the family. Her brother is running adventures at a restort. Visiting the resort thrusts them straight into the adventures. Before they know it, they are gearing up for a trip in a hot air balloon. Of course, that doesn’t go the way expected – well at least not according to anyone except for Wally’s expectations. Wally knew there would be trouble. If anyone else had any idea that Wally would be in the air, alone, with a defective balloon, they wouldn’t have let him anywhere near the resort!

Notes: The Wally McDoogle series focuses on a twelve year old boy that is impressively clumsy. He calls himself a “dork-oid”, someone he describes like this: “While everyone else is wearing hot new fashions, we’re sporting frozen-oldie hand-me-downs. While everyone else has these terrific put downs, we usually say something stupid or, worse yet, polite.” Whenever an opportunity for adventure comes up, Wally finds a way to accidentally get himself into trouble. In the process he learns some lesson from the Bible.

In My Life As A Broken Bungee Cord, Wally learns what it means to trust God to take care of him in danger and Wall Street’s brother starts to trust that even when things don’t make sense, God is still in control and can be trusted.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 62:8 – Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. "Selah"

My Life As Alien Monster Bait

Nobody was acting the way they were supposed to. I mean, think about it:

-         My brother Brock pretends to like me…

-         Dad uses me to impress his boss…

-         Reptile Man treats me like a human being…

-         Melissa Sue Avcarice gives me a juicy smack in public…

I mean on the McDoogle Weirdness Scale of 1-10 this was definitely pushing an 11.There there was the way I treated Opera – like pond scum. It really bugged me. Amazing… one little part in one little movie and suddenly everybody goes schizoid on me. Everybody, including me!

Book: My Life as Alien Monster Bait (The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle #2) by Bill Myers, Word Publishers, 1993

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Pride, Humility, Friendship

Summary: One line. One scream and the whole world changes. Well, more like quite a few screams. After all, one has to rehearse if they are going to star in a movie. No one cares how little of a part Wally has in the movie, all that matters is Wally is a movie star! He can get them connected with other movie stars! He can get them roles in movies! Wally falls for it – hard. He even goes so far as to consider himself above his fellow “dork-oids” friends. He doesn’t want to be seen associating with them any longer. How far will his pride let him fall before he becomes humbled?

Notes: The Wally McDoogle series focuses on a twelve year old boy that is impressively clumsy. He calls himself a “dork-oid”, someone he describes like this: “While everyone else is wearing hot new fashions, we’re sporting frozen-oldie hand-me-downs. While everyone else has these terrific put downs, we usually say something stupid or, worse yet, polite.” Whenever an opportunity for adventure comes up, Wally finds a way to accidentally get himself into trouble. In the process he learns some lesson from the Bible.

In My Life As Alien Monster Bait, Wally learns of the dangers of pride and the value of humility, as well as what real friendship is.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 4:10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.