A Dolphin Wish

Mia rolled her coin in her hand, and as they passed by the well, she tossed it in. Please, God, help me solve this mystery. She had no idea if God answered prayers like this one, but she had to at least try. It’s for me, kind of, because I want to solve a mystery of my own, like Maddie. But it’s also for the animals. I don’t want them to be in danger.

Book: A Dolphin Wish (Faithgirlz / Glimmer Girls) by Natalie Grant, Zonderkidz, 2016

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Adventure

Target Audience: Girls 9-13

Subjects: Identity, Obedience, Sibling Relationships, Parent Relationship

Summary: Something is just off. Mia has felt it ever since the trip to London when Maddie pulled her disobedience stunt to solve a mystery. She’s not quite sure who her sister is anymore. And she’s kind of jealous. Maddie got praised for solving the mystery and showing courage. Maybe it’s time for Mia to solve her own mystery. Maybe then things will get back to normal. What could be mysterious at an Adventure Park though? Well, perhaps animals randomly escaping their pens and walking free around the park! Who on earth would risk hurting the animals by letting them out? Don’t they know all the dangers the animals are going to face? Mia no longer wants to solve the mystery just for herself. She wants to help protect the animals too!

Notes: A Dolphin Wish is the second 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 second book, the second of the twins is now trying to figure out who she is as she is growing up. She feels as though she and her twin are starting to separate a bit, there’s just this distance between them. Mia “felt like the world had turned upside down. It was the strangest feeling, as though someone had swapped her sister for a stranger”. She’s also, just like Maddie in book one, trying to figure out her role in the Glimmer family – what makes her sparkle and shine? She tries a couple of different things to get her answers or to put her world right again, but fails. The harder she tries to push her own agenda, the further away from her family she feels. Just as in the last book, a strength of the story comes with the character of the mom. When Mia talks with her about what she’s feeling, her mom explains that God did not make everything black and white and simple. She tells Mia that from God’s “perspective, right and wrong are simple to see. But from our limited perspective, it’s not simple at all”. She talks with her about how Jesus messed up the black and white system of the Pharisees and wouldn’t always explain Himself or answer all the questions asked of Him. She encourages Mia to take her concerns to God, to pray about them. Then she encourages Mia that it’s ok for her and Maddie to be carving out their own identity, that it doesn’t make either of them not Glimmer Girls.

I highly recommend this book to young girls at the age of asking questions about their faith and their identity.  It does a great job showing realistic characters they could relate to while giving firm answers to the questions they have.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Matthew 5:23-24 - “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest option. I greatly enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to many friends!

London Art Chase

Maybe Mia was the one who’d usually lead a charge, but Maddie wasn’t going to let this criminal get away. Not only had she been waiting all day to see “Sun-Splattered Afternoon,” but it was wrong to take a painting, something that had been made so long ago and which could never be replaced. Maddie made up her mind. Even if it was against the rules to run in a museum, this situation was obviously the exception. “He’s getting away!” she called to her sisters. Maddie sprinted for the stairs.

Book: London Art Chase (Faithgirlz / Glimmer Girls) by Natalie Grant, Zonderkidz, 2016

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Adventure

Target Audience: Girls 9-12

Subjects: Identity, Courage, Obedience, Sibling Relationships, Parent Relationship

Summary: A trip to London with Mom’s tour sounds great! A fancy hotel, a beautiful art museum, famous landmarks – what could be better? Well, six year old Lulu can think of something, but neither of her ten year old sisters agree, at least not until Maddie spies a man sneakily removing a painting from the wall of the museum and disappearing with it! Now Maddie is fully convinced of the value of solving a mystery! The trouble is that no one wants to take her seriously. The museum workers certainly don’t. And her twin doesn’t. And Miss Julia, her nanny doesn’t. Maddie knows what she saw and heard though. And she recognizes that maybe everyone’s doubts are ok – it gives Maddie a chance to prove her worth. Maybe she can figure out what her role as a Glimmer sister is this way.

Notes: London Art Chase is the first 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 first book, one of the ten year old twins is trying to figure out her role in the family. Their family motto is “Glimmer girls glitter and shine, but most of all be kind”. Maddie can’t figure out how she glitters or shines. She’s shy, non-confrontational and terrified of being on stage. When she fixates on solving a mystery everyone doubts exists, she finally finds the courage to take a stand on something and finds her place in the family. The spiritual emphasis elements in this book are everywhere. As mentioned above, the family is portrayed as a godly family trying to let their faith determine all of their actions. The mom reacts to situations in a normal mode, then forces herself to calm down and patiently listen to her daughter, imparting wisdom and understanding, intentionally guiding her daughter to what is right. For me personally, that’s where the highlight of the book is – in a couple conversations the mom has with Maddie, patiently listening, showing her that someone will take her seriously, and then teaching her to respond to fears and worries with prayer – turning them over to God to let Him deal with them. She uses Philippians 4:6-7 to show Maddie how to respond correctly to the situation.  The mom and the dad encourage the girls to pray about anything, just openly telling God what they are thinking and feeling. There is some discussion about God’s will – in kid terms of course. Maddie tries to convince herself that God wants her to stop the thief – herself, and that it’s ok to break her parents’ rules for it, then recognizes that it’s not true at all. She finally learns that God made her with her own way to “glimmer” and she doesn’t need to break rules to solve mysteries to do it. I highly recommend this book to young girls at the age of asking questions about their faith and their identity.  It does a great job showing realistic characters they could relate to while giving firm answers to the questions they have.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

1 John 2:5-6 – But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Treasure Of The Battersea Bluffs

Em started forward again at a fast pace. Josh followed lost in thought. Why did Em say they were no longer in the twenty-first century? Even his girlfriend was delusional. He had heard of mass hysteria. Was there such a thing as mass hallucinations? Was he the only sane person in the area?

Josh put a comforting arm around Em as they skirted a large elm tree. “Em, I think you’re experiencing some kind of hallucination along with Ezra who thinks he’s a slave, and Blackburn who thinks… well, it doesn’t matter what he thinks, he’s just plain crazy and needs to be locked up.

Book: Treasure of the Battersea Bluffs by Sarah Norkus, Living Ink Books, 2014

Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure

Target Audience: Girls 13-18

Subjects: Civil War, Time Travel, Trials, Trust in God

Summary: Not again! When Emily Grace feels that same nausea and then loss of feeling as she collapses to the floor, she knows what is happening and begs God to stop it. Instead, Josh rushes over to see what’s wrong and the next thing they know, they are both waking up in 1770! This time, a man is determined to rape a young girl and when Em and Josh intervene with the help of a nearby slave, they find themselves on the run from the man. Unfortunately though, they are not merely witnesses of his attempted crime, but are the obstacles stopping him from recovering a lost treasure that will make him wealthy. The greed that controls the man consumes him and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Notes: This is the second in the time travel series about a girl in her mid-teens who finds a diary hidden in an old house and travels through time to learn more about the character of God and grow in her faith. In this book the girl has to learn to trust God when she has a fear of the future. In the last adventure she had a memory loss for most of it and knew what was coming for the rest of it. In this book, she can not figure out what is she supposed to do and why God has not sent her back yet. She’s uncomfortable, in danger, and afraid. A slave also gets a chance to increase his trust in God due to Josh’s sharing his faith with him. The characters turn to God for help, asking Him for strength or guidance when in trouble and recognize that they are in this time period to accomplish some purpose of God’s rather than some kind of accident or chance happening. The spiritual focus of the book is not quite as prevalent as the first book in the series, but still very good.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 82:3 – Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

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

The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain

The moment she saw the small brown book, a loud roar filled Em’s ears, accompanied by a sharp pain to her head, followed by dizziness. She emitted a soft groan.

Book: The Secret Diary of Sarah Chamberlain by Sarah Norkus, Living Ink Books, 2012

Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure

Target Audience: Girls 13-18

Subjects: Civil War, Time Travel, Trials, Trust in God

Summary: Cancer for her, loss of home for her aunt, loss of husband for Sarah. If God really exists He must not care much for His people. That’s Emily Grace’s conclusion. After some of the struggles she has faced she starts to doubt God and His love, but when she finds an old diary and reads about the murder of an innocent man right at the end of the civil war she makes her decision. God just simply doesn’t exist. As soon as she makes her decision, her life completely changes, but not in the way she thought. She finds herself unconscious, wakes up and she is back 150 years ago and a loss of memory. The family she falls in with is very godly, openly professing a faith she had denied 150 years in the future. As the days go by, she faces choices that will affect not only her and her time, but the past as well.

Notes: This is the first in the time travel series about a girl in her mid-teens who finds a diary hidden in an old house and travels through time to learn more about the character of God and grow in her faith. In this book the girl has to learn trust God even when bad things happen. The book does a good job covering the spiritual elements. The spiritual focus of the book is the theme running through the entire book. And (spoiler’s warning) the ending is not as tragic as I expected it to be!

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 1:2-4 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Curio

The group halted. One solider – an exact replica of the man next to him and the man
next to him and so on – stepped forward and bowed at the waist. A mechanical
hum accompanied the opening of his mouth, and a monotone voice spoke.

“Do you require assistance, Mistress Porcelain?”

Grey gasped.

The flat voice continued, “Are you fully animated, Miss?”

Book:Curio (Blink) by Evangeline Denmark, Blink, 2015

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 16-19

Subjects: Revolution, Politics, Genetic Modifications

Summary: Fighting bad guys in her world one moment thrust into a world of animated
porcelain figures the next, Grey is totally confused. When she left her world,
it was controlled by a select group of people who had set themselves up as
better than everyone else. The population was controlled by giving a daily
potion that would keep them alive. Anyone caught violating the rules was
subject to horrific punishments. Her father and grandfather were rebels with
ancient blood in them, giving them strength to live without the daily potions.
Just as she leaves her world, Grey learns she has the same blood in her. When
she reaches the strange new world, she learns it is run in a similar fashion.
One group who believe themselves to be better than all the others, have set
themselves up, lording it over the rest and leaving those outside of their
group in suffering and poverty. Unfortunately for Grey, their ruler has taken
an interest in her and her different body and way of functioning. And once he
sets his sight on something, he refuses to let it go. If Grey wants to be
anything more than a body to be experimented on, she will have to do the
impossible – escape back to her own world – which is a slight problem since she
isn’t quite sure how she got here in the first place! In the meantime, she is
caught up in a revolution that some have undertaken to help the poor class.

Notes: This is a book with a very detailed, complex storyline, focused on two different worlds where one people group declares themselves to be better than
all the rest and therefore rulers to lord it over the rest. There aren’t any spiritual elements that I can find in the story. There is a hint in the second world of an Ultimate Being in the form of a “Designer” but nothing is expressed in the story about the Designer. It’s almost a deist worldview – obviously a creator sat the world in motion but isn’t actually involved in the creation
now. There are some hints of sexual content – nothing too blatant, just hints. The first world bans any touch at all between a man and a woman unless officially approved by the ruling class. So when they finally encounter touch,
they tend to go a little nuts. At first two characters act totally in love with each other. When Grey enters the other world, she instantly goes nuts over another guy who has apparently been having sex with someone else. There is also
plenty of violence as people fight and kill each other. There is one hint of
drugs as well as a “potion” makes one character feel extra strong and powerful
and he wants more of it. There is also an interesting element of “modifications”. Injured characters in the second world, the world where the “people” seem to be some sort of living dolls and wooden toys are repaired and have parts replaced or new parts put on. Some completely reject those who have been modified and a set of parents refuses to even claim their child once the child is modified – back to the idea that only one group of people is perfect and can lord it over the others.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 1/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 3:28-30 – For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles
too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and
the uncircumcised through that same faith.

My Life As A Torpedo Test Target

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a pretty decent swimmer. In fact, during the last couple of days, I’d even gotten the hang of using the face mask and scuba tank. It’s just when you put the possibility of anything going wrong and me, Wally McDoogle, in the same room (or ocean(, the chances of something catastrophic happening are pretty high. It’s like a law or something. If you’re looking for a disaster, just make sure I’m around.

Book: My Life as a Torpedo Test Target (The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle #6) by Bill Myers, Word Publishers, 1994

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Greed

Summary: Sunken Pirate Treasure! Wally, Wall Street and Opera have joined a crew searching for the treasure! In WWII an old sub was sunk and at some point, someone stole some gold and hid it in that sub, then promptly died. Now the treasure is in a hidden sub, supposedly guarded by a prehistoric monster known as “The Stinger”. Wally and the rest of the crew want to find that gold and become rich. They are calculating all they could do with that much money. Unfortunately, greed comes with a high price. Wally’s crew isn’t the only one searching for the treasure. To beat the other crew, Wally with have to take some risky moves – which could be a problem considering we are talking about Wally McDoogle – the boy highly talented at clumsiness and causing disasters.

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 Torpedo Test Target, Wally discovers just how serious of consequences can come from greed.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Luke 12:15 – Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Sarah And The Lost Friendship

Sarah heard Teacher sigh. “I haven’t wanted to pry. Whatever it is, these little Christians seem to be pretty thorough in their hating. Remember the old saying, ‘Behold how they hate one another?’ Would you have supposed that cherishing grudges was a Christian virtue>” She laughed as she spoke, but Sarah didn’t feel like laughing.

Book: Sarah and the Lost Friendship ( Prairie Adventure Series ) by Margaret Epp, Victor Books, 1970

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 11-14

Subjects: Friendship, Jealousy, Forgiveness

Summary: It’s wonderful attending school with your best friend. Sarah and Susan have a great time together. When Sarah’s older sister marries Susan’s older brother and starts to show sisterly kindness towards Susan, Sarah begins to feel the stirrings of jealousy. When Susan’s mother insults her multiple times and even makes accusations against her to her own mother, Sarah starts to think maybe Susan isn’t her friend after all. When Susan implies that some of the girls are school are only being nice to Sarah because they want attention from another of her big brothers Sarah decides that settles it. Susan just won’t be her friend any longer!

Notes: Sarah and the Lost Friendship is the third in the Prairie Adventure Series. This book was originally published in hardcover under the title “The Princess Rides A Panther”. That title is based off of a section in the book where Sarah, who’s dad’s nickname for her is Princess, compares the poem A Lady From The Tropic of Cancer Rides A Panther, to her unforgiveness of her friend. Sarah’s mother, brother and teacher all try to help Sarah see that her attitude is not godly, but Sarah is too caught up in her hurt and anger to accept the truth. It’s not until she overhears her teacher pointing out how hateful these two Christian girls are, that she is willing to stop holding a grudge and forgive her friend.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

The Hidden Kingdom

It was her land, her world that was an illusion, she mused. A wizard’s fabrication. But not this. This was a piece of the actual world above. The world that was created ages ago, designed for humans to inhabit. The world she and her people were from and were meant to be a part of. As wonderful as the box had felt under her hands, moving to her will, this rock felt even more wonderful. For it spoke to her heart and soul. To her origins that cried out in her blood. She felt as if she had been wandering lost her whole life, looking for her true home. She knew now she had found it.

Book: The Hidden Kingdom (The Gates of Heaven Book 7) by C. S. Lakin, Living Ink Books, 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 12-16

Subjects: Faith

Summary: Destruction. One site after another is being destroyed. The Gates of Heaven that were set up to protect the world from evil are crashing. Sha’kath the Destroyer and his gryphons have been loosed and are seeking out all seven of the Gates of Heaven to destroy them. What the keepers and kings and wizards can not figure out is why Heaven is allowing it. Perthin, King and Keeper of Elysia is told that he will be the last king and the last keeper. Perthin, Kael, Adin, Joran, his father and other wizards, and Justyn from Wentwater join together in an effort to find the seventh kingdom in hopes of finding out how to stop Sha’kath. Back during the time of Lael, when Heaven first set up the sites, one wizard managed to escape Sha’Kath’s attack by creating a city hidden inside a mountain. The city is now failing as the wizard is aging but the only hope of saving their world is a young girl with a curiosity about the outside world that could complete the destruction in one rash move. Heaven holds the answers to all, but finding them is more than just searching scrolls. The kingdom is hidden and yet within. And only when finding it will the answers be revealed.

Notes: Seventh and final in the Gates of Heaven series, a series that constantly reminds us that Heaven exists, that personifies Heaven, almost takes on the role of God Himself. “Heaven favors the honest and valiant” is an example of one of these.  This series is designed to be fairy tales that teach Scriptural truths in fantasy settings. The biggest spiritual element in this book is the incredible power of God’s love. All throughout the series, we have been introduced to sites where Heaven set up a gate and a keeper to guard against evil in the world. All ancient literature points to there being seven such sites, yet no one knows of the seventh. The seventh is apparently hidden – even more hidden than the site under the lake or the site inside the ice kingdom that no one can even see without knowing the secret to it, or the city that appears to have no entrance. At the end, the characters finally learn that this kingdom is hidden in their own hearts – it’s God’s kingdom – accessed through His love. That’s the huge element – the conclusion of the whole series. There’s another element in this book though – the discussion of whether or not to hide the truth for the sake of protecting the innocent. A wizard creates a city inside and under a mountain and casts a spell so the inhabitants of the city don’t even know there is an outside world to protect them from the extreme evil that was destroying everyone.

Overall, this story completes the series well. At one point I was hesitant about it in terms of spiritual elements – it seemed to imply that a powerful wizard could create – just like God – and was powerful enough to accomplish about anything. At the end though, it turned it back around to show how the power comes from Heaven. Here’s how they describe it: “She knew now what this sensation was. It was the same thing she had felt in her cell in the Destroyer’s fortress – the wellspring of love that had grown from a spark into a wildfire. But this wasn’t just the love she felt for her father, or that which she felt from him, however deep and pure and strong and enduring. No, this was another’s love, and it was far more pure and strong than any human’s love could ever be. It was more powerful than the burning orb in the sky. More powerful than a pounding waterfall or an avalanche of rocks. This was the source of all creation, what fueled and sustained not just the world around her but the whole of life, of existence. Every tiny particle of everything in and under heaven had this spark of life. Yet it was not only everywhere outside of her; it was also within. The wellspring of her life. The key to the kingdom.”
In conclusion: I highly recommend this entire series!

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 103:19 - The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 145:13 - our kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

Sheep Tales

Gayla couldn’t believe his ears. Oh, they had been through their arguments; they had gone round and round. But it was so rare that Edgar wanted to listen. He liked to be the one doing all the talking. Perhaps he would question every little bit of the narrative and throw in nasty and sarcastic remarks to boot. Who could say? Gayla only knew he now had a chance to tell the Sheep Tales and he loved doing so.

Edgar rolled his eyes as Gayla began: “There are the stories that hold the mysterious key of hope that will last long after you and I are gone.”

Book: Sheep Tales: The Bible According to the Animals Who Were There (A Family Devotional Reader) By Ken Davis, Ken Davis Productions, 2001

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 10+

Subjects: Bible History, Hope

Summary: A hurt raven, angry and bitter for years forms an unlikely friendship with a spotless sheep. When Gayla is selected for sacrifice, Edgar stops raging long enough to listen to why Gayla claims to have hope. Gayla tells him the stories that have brought him hope through the years – the stories of Arvid the platypus, Sub the elephant, Dandy the lion, Herman the sheep, Clarence the horse, Glubber the great fish, Earl the worm, Socrates the sheep and Sable the rabbit. Taking place over hundreds of years, these stories show how the Creator interacts with His creation and how He has a plan to rescue them from the sin that plagues their world.

Notes: The Sheep Tales is a retelling of some Bible stories as might be described if an animal had observed them. It’s also the story of how the animals’ lives were changed through the events that happened. All throughout the story it’s also the tale of how Gayla is trying to bring hope to Edgar. Edgar’s bitterness and pain over his mother’s death when he was young and his partial blindness has made him unable to believe in love. At the end of the story, Edgar is present at the death and resurrection of Christ and finally finds the hope Gayla had been sharing with him. The reading level is that of a ten year old or older, but it would make a great read-aloud for younger children as well.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 5:5-8 – And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks to my friend Katie for telling me I needed to read this and loaning me her copy!

Taken

“So what now?”

Oliver nodded. It was time to claim his role, to cement his authority as their leader. “Everything has happened very quickly. I’m sure it’s all as much a shock to you as it is to me,” Oliver said solemnly. “It’s going to take some time to digest it, but we have to act now if we want to rescue our parents.”

Book: Taken (Quest for Truth, Book 1) by Brock Eastman, Focus On The family, P & R Publishing, 2011

Genre: Science Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 12-16

Subjects: Sibling Relationships, Responsibility, Trust, Truth

Summary: Oliver went to the house that night out of impatience and frustration. But he was not the same boy when he returned to the spaceship. The responsibility for keeping his siblings alive and finding and rescuing his parents from an unknown enemy was now on his shoulders. And he was determined to do it to the best of his ability. But little siblings don’t always obey and things don’t always go the way you want them to. And when you don’t know who your enemy is, it’s hard to know how to trust. Maybe Tiffany can find answers in reading her parents’ journals. Maybe the twins’ encounter with the blue people won’t ruin everything. Maybe Oliver can figure out how to do all the things he hasn’t had time to learn at the Academy yet. Maybe they can all make it out alive. Maybe…

Notes: The first in a science fiction series set way in the future, Taken tells of a time when no one knows of the Bible. A line of it is discovered – a line promising eternal life. This is all the bad guys need to know. A book that tells the answers of eternal life is definitely worth destroying some lives in a pursuit to possess the answers. This first book in the series doesn’t actually contain any more spiritual elements than that. It just hints that there is something out there, something more. This first book is clearly setting up the rest of the series. I suspect the series overall will get a 5/5 rating. But in of itself, the first book just doesn’t have the spiritual elements.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 2/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 10:28 – I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

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!

The Golden Braid

Mother just didn’t understand what it was like to be young and to want to do things, to learn things, to meet new people. Mother was content to speak only with Rapunzel, to be always with her. What if she never did make a close friend? Was she destined to be alone with her mother until one of them died. To never marry or have children?

Book: The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2015

Genre: Fairy Tale

Target Audience: Girls 16+

Subjects: Truth, Ethics, Love, Charity

Summary: Alone. That’s how Rapunzel feels most of the time. Her mother has denied her opportunities to get close to anyone. They move whenever someone begins to show too much interest in Rapunzel. No education for her outside of that she could scrounge out for herself. This move is different though. They are close to a big city. Opportunities can be found in a city that have never been available before – most importantly the opportunity to seek reading lessons. The opportunity comes in a surprising form though! On the road to the city, Rapunzel and her mother are attacked by a thief and then rescued by a knight – a highly educated knight… with an injury that will keep him from working for weeks! Carefully sneaking out of the house at just the right times, Rapunzel learns to read and opens her eyes to a world outside of the one her mother has created for her. When she finally finds the courage to break away, she learns that nothing is as she once thought and this knowledge places her in great danger.

Notes: The latest in the collection of Fairy Tales by Melanie Dickerson, The Golden Braid is a Rapunzel story. Like Rapunzel it has a girl kidnapped by a woman claiming to be her mother. Unlike Rapunzel, she is only locked in a tower for a short time. Rather than a prince, it’s a mere knight who has to come to her rescue. Due to her confined lifestyle, Rapunzel does not know all that much of Scripture. She knows what she has heard from some various parsons. Gerek has been able to actually read and even own Scripture. When Rapunzel is kidnapped, Garek fasts and prays and follows God’s leading to find her. Early on in the story he tells Rapunzel he is afraid of having a relationship with a woman due to his father killing his mother. She tells him that God can make him into any kind of man, no matter what his parents did. Rapunzel feels unloved but another woman shares how looking to a husband to fill our great need for love will not fill us. Only God can fill the ultimate need we have. She encourages Rapunzel to read Scripture and recognize God’s love written there.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

1 John 3:16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

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!