The Fire, The Revelation And The Fall

“Aye, I guess ye’re r-r-right, Mousie,” Maz agreed. “So now we need ta get Paul an’ the Tyr-r-rant ta meet.”

Liz started walking daintily over to the student with her tail curcled up in the air. “And I know exactly how to make their introduction.”

“HEY, CAT!” cried Aristarchus, lunging for Liz. “Come back with that! Stop!”

Liz bolted out of the portico and down the steps of the School of Tyrannus. In her mouth, she carried the boy’s parchment containing four hours of hard work. He young boy went blazing after her as fast as his feet would take him.

Max grinned wide. “I guess the Tyr-r-rant wouldn’t believe the lad if he said a god ate his homework.”

“Jolly good joke, old boy!” Nigel quipped, grooming his whiskers. “I say we stay here and wait for our educational Tyrant and until Liz accomplishes her mission.”

Book: The Fire, The Revelation and the Fall by Jenny L. Cote, Living Ink Books, 2015

Genre: Historical/Biblical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 10+

Subjects: Biblical History, Trust in God, Paul the Apostle, Peter the Apostle, Persecution

Summary: From Rome, to Jerusalem, to a random island and everywhere in between! The Epic Order of the Seven is busy carrying out their missions to help the apostles and ensure the writing of the New Testament. Whether it be stealing a fish to lead one man to another or leaving a secret note or dropping an object in front of them, the animals are on it! Their jobs become much more difficult though, when Nero takes the throne and the intense persecution of the Christians begins. It will take all the strength their Maker can give them to stand strong during the dark days of the Roman Empire.

Notes: This is the fifth in the Amazing Tales of Max and Liz/The Epic Order Of The Seven series. The

series is about 2 dogs, 2 cats and later a few other animals that lived during the time Bible stories took place and witnessed many events of the Bible. The series is highly entertaining, filled with lots of humor and adventures. It’s also spiritually rich as the characters not only witness, but influence history.

In this book, the animals are assigned to assist some of the apostles during their last days on earth. One is on the island of Patmos with John. One is down in the cell as Peter and Paul write their final letters. One is by Mary’s side as she leaves the earth. The animals witness the intense persecution of Christians and the horrific games in the arena from Nero to the day Telemachus stands in the arena begging for it to stop.

I highly recommend this book and the entire series!

Spiritual Content Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

1 Peter 1:6-9 - In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Miracle In Music City

“Annabeth and Emily are mad at us,” Maddie said. “You know how we made that dance, since they had one that didn’t include us? Anyway, I guess making our own dance was the wrong thing to do. And then they got even more upset because we’re singing at the Opry. Everything feels, I don’t know. Like how things felt when we first sang our song today. Everything is off-key and out of rhythm. And I don’t know how to fix it.”

Mom’s rock skipped once, and then twice, and she picked up another rock to try again. “Ruby, Annabeth and Emily, plus the concert – that’s a lot of challenges to be thinking about at once.”

Book: Miracle In Music City by Natalie Grant, Zonderkidz, 2016

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 10-14

Subjects: Fear, Homelessness, Love for others, Jealousy, Friendship

Summary: Summer vacation is over and the Glimmer Girls are ready for life to get back to normal. They excitedly greet their friends on the playground, but discover their friends didn’t spend the summer sitting back and waiting for them to get home. They’ve done things together, made a dance together – a dance that has no room for two more. Maddie and Mia aren’t quite sure what to think! It seems their friends are jealous of the adventures they’ve had, jealous and losing interest in them. In the meantime, their mom is recruiting their help with a benefit concert and auction to help a local homeless shelter. The girls find their hearts being impacted as they meet the residents and hear the stories. They are devastated though when the big ticket item for the auction is stolen! It’s time for the Glimmer Girls to put to use those detective skills again and solve the mystery!

Notes: Miracle In Music City is the third in the Glimmer Girls series – a series by music artist, Natalie Grant. She writes a story comparable to her own life – 3 daughters, the oldest two twins, a singer mom, a producer dad. The strength of the story is in the way the family lives out their faith, making it a party of everything they do. It shows young girls asking the kinds of questions girls do at that age and parents giving them the answers they need, directing them to the right source.

In this third book, the twins, especially Maddie, wrestle with questions about friendship and how to truly show love to someone else. Hurt feelings and jealousy are destroying their friendship with the two girls at school they consider their best friends. A girl their age they meet at the homeless shelter creates a longing to reach out and actually make a difference in someone’s life. There is also the issue of fear – Maddie doesn’t enjoy performing the way her sisters do. She gets extremely nervous when she takes the stage. The last issue dealt with is miracles or maybe just the power of prayer and God working in people’s lives. When the guitar for the auction is stolen, it is acknowledged that God knows where it is and can help them find it.

I highly highly recommend this book and the others in the series! They are very well done books that challenge young girls to grow in their faith.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Matthew 19:21 - Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion! I greatly enjoyed it!

Courageous

“Sir Randel Penigree has the purest, the gentlest heart a knight could ever possess. He threatened Sir Sebastien to protect the children, but I know he would never murder anyone. Let his guilt over the accident at Gravensworth be proof enough that he is not capable of such an intentional act of evil.”

“Why would you believe her?” The venom turned Rosalind’s way. “She is no better. Thief! Harlot! Murderer!”

Each word hurled like a dagger. Slow and sure. Straight to Rosalind’s heart.

Book: Courageous by Dina Sleiman, Bethany House Publishers, 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance/Adventure

Target Audience: Girls and Boys 13+

Subjects: Guilt, Forgiveness, Crusades, Love, God’s Will

Summary: Forward. Ever forward. The words, calmly, purposefully spoken at just the right times when the dark threatens to descend bring encouragement to Rosalind and Rand’s hearts. Thirteen year old Sapphira has led them on this crusade to free captives in the Holy Land. Rosalind and Rand oversee the training, instruction and care of the children on the crusade. They find great comfort in each other’s presence, but neither one will let anyone entirely into their hearts. Guilt over the past is trapping and binding them more than any chains ever could. A dangerous crusade is not the time to lug around extra burdens though, and all too soon, the secrets will spill out and only destruction can follow in it’s wake.

Notes: Courageous is the third in the Valiant Hearts series. This series focuses on showing strong, independent women and the strong men who love them. The author is encouraging young girls to be bold and strong and follow where God leads them and then if/when God brings a knight in shining armor into the picture, to join together in following God.

In this story, the maid to the main character from book two is the heroine. In book two, she made the choice to indulgence in fornication with a young man who had no intention of making a commitment to her. Pressured by her family, she surrendered to an abortion – a decision that left her torn apart by guilt and despair. In hopes of doing enough penance, she joins the crusade, following the vision of a young maiden who dreams of setting free captives.

Sir Randal, the hero of the story, also carries around guilt. His is over a battle gone wrong in which, an attack at the enemy who suddenly approached him wound up being an attack of one of his own men instead, a young man who died as a result. In fact, he was the only one in his group of soldiers who did survive the attack. He feels the need to surrender to his parents’ wishes for him since he failed at his own.

Neither one wants to let themselves fall in love with the other, even though the gentle friendship and support they offer is what sustains them through the journey. An enemy is among them though, an enemy who will stop at nothing to see them destroyed.

The spiritual aspect comes in their accepting God’s forgiveness, God’s redeeming work in their lives. There is also a strong thread of how to know God’s will. The vision of the thirteen year old is taken over by her elders and they question whether or not to listen to her or their own experience. Then she herself questions how to know if she made the right choice or not.

The spiritual threads are strongly woven all through this book and are actually an important part of the storyline itself. I highly recommend this book.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion! I enjoyed it!