Jupiter Winds

Out of nowhere, a catchship rose over the ridge. Completely silent, it sent stinging dust flying into Grey’s eyes. She held up her sleeve to ward off the debris, glancing in the direction of home. If she ran, she could make it. In a few mad springs she’d be safely locked behind their steel door, Tram and Trif looking up at her from their dinner wondering what all the commotion was about. But Grey saw the Mazdaar star insignia on the ship’s side and she realized that by running shed be leading the craft straight to their home. Straight to Rin. Grey covered her face with her hand and turned away from the hidden entry. Tears filled her eyes as much from the gritty dirt as from the understanding that her worst fears were coming to pass.

Book: Jupiter Winds by C. J. Darlington, Mountainview Books, LLC, 2014

Genre: Science Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 17+

Subjects: Good vs. Evil, Family Relationships, Sacrificial Love, Faith, Tragedy

Summary: Five years they have been on their own. It’s been five years since their parents disappeared and were assumed dead. They’ve learned to smuggle in order to survive and a family friend helps watch out for them. They’ve remained unconnected, refusing the implant that connects them to the Mazdaar government. It’s a dangerous life, but they’re surviving. Until now. For some reason Grey has been captured, leaving her sister, Rin, all alone. All of a sudden everything explodes into motion. They learn that there is a chance their parents are not dead after all, the reason for the spaceship in their home, and that the person they viewed as an enemy is actually a friend and an important political figure. Now if only they could both escape with their lives intact! But the Mazdaan government has no intention whatsoever of letting that happen.

Notes: The first in the series, Jupiter Winds is set in 2160 with space travel and colonized planets. The premise is a dictatorial government who wants to implant microchips into humans, turning them into drones. Another government is secretly rising up with plans to take over Jupiter before the tyrants do. The teenage sisters are caught in the middle of all of it when their parents, leaders in the rebellion against the tyrants, disappear. The spiritual element comes in the oldest sister’s relationship with God. Their parents left them a legacy of faith, but Grey rejects it while Rin clings to it. Throughout the story Grey recognizes that God never abandoned her and is still providing His love and care of her, even in the midst of trails. The suspense is the strongest element in the story, but there are verses quoted multiple times are Grey remembers things her parents have taught her.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Joshua 1:5b – I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

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

Luminary

 “What if I go?” I can’t even believe I said it. But the words are out. And the people are quiet. “I can gather information about their plans and report it back to you.”
“Thalli, no.” Berk is beside me, his eyes wide. Now he speaks to me? To tell me no?
“I am new. I am neutral. They will accept me because I am from the State.” The more I talk, the surer I am that this is the solution. One that will help new Hope, keep my friends safe, and give Berk time to spend with Rhen without my having to see them together.

“They’re dangerous, Thalli.” Berk grabs my arm. “You saw what they did.”
“Yes and I agree they may do it again.” I pull away. “Or worse. Something has to be done. And no one here can do it. I can.”

Book:#2: Luminary by Krista McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2014

Genre: Science Fiction/

Target Audience: Girls 16+

Subjects: Truth, Trust, Love, Reality

Summary: It seems they are not totally free of the State’s influence, even out here. The nearby community has their own interesting ways of altering people’s perceptions and they use it to keep the whole city drugged and under their influence. The problem is that they aren’t content with that. They want this village too. This place of safety that Thalli, Berk, Rhen and John have finally found. This place free from the State. Invaded time and time again, crops robbed and destroyed, the people of New Hope have to take action. Thalli volunteers to go into Athens as a spy and bring back the way to defeat them, or at least keep them from harming New Hope any longer. Once inside though, how is she to know what is real and what is false any more than the people of Athens?

Notes: The author of the realistic teen romances has ventured into the realm of science fiction and written a beautiful story of the power of love. The premise of this series is that emotions are viewed as the cause of all the wars and fights and problems on earth so if humans could just be genetically modified to be free of emotions then all problems would cease. Yet, somehow, one girl still experiences emotions. Supposedly they plan to do away with her since she’s an anomaly, but she is instead entered into a virtual reality program that is set up to trick her into believing she’s experiencing something real. The challenge is that the reader gets tricked to, till at the end you’re doubting everything you just read. In this second book, Thalli and some friends have escaped from the underground annihilation chamber and are trying to settle into a village that is at war with the village next door. The spiritual element that comes across strong in this book is truth. Thalli became a believer in the last book and in this one her new faith is tested multiple times – even to the point of death. She has to decide how much she wants to hang on to the truth and the way she believes is right. I highly recommend this book for fans of futuristic/sci-fi/post apocalypse fiction.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 8:32 - Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Son Of Truth

The Word had said he could not repay Him for healing the darkness. But maybe he could make up for what he had done in his past. To love instead of kill. To protect instead of destroy. To guard mankind. To become what his mother had given up for reasons he did not know. Here was a chance to change his life. And become a Son of Truth. But at what price? Could he do it? Caleb took a couple of breaths. Deep down, he knew what he wanted. And that desire brought one word to his lips. “Yes.”

“I will protect you.”
Caleb could see she still didn’t trust him. And they were running out of time. The longer they were out here, the more chances someone would see or hear them. Tension worked its way across his shoulders. “Trust me,” he said with quiet urgency.
The woman glared at him, “After what you did to me in the Temanin camp? After you held me captive and tied up? After what I heard about you? You killed people! And I watched you each day walk out of the tend like you were possessed. Do you think I will trust a crazy man? I’ll never trust you!”
Exasperation began to replace the compassion he had felt moments before. “Word, I need Your help now.”

Book: Son of Truth by Morgan L. Busse, Marcher Lord Press, 2014

Genre: Fantasy/Allegory

Target Audience: Girls and Boys 16+

Subjects: Faith, Power, Good vs. Evil, Sacrifice, Salvation

Summary: You can’t deny it any longer. Beings once thought completely extinct are far from gone. They are right here, living among us. The good kinds and the bad kinds alike. Not everyone is opposed to this though. The greedy know they can take advantage of having Eldarans in the land. People who can heal on demand can make sure money for you. Thankfully, there are those who neither fear nor wish to exploit the Eldarans, recognizing the true battle is against the Shadonae. As they seek to rescue the captives, many threats stand in their way, not the least of which is their own doubts. The world is changing and only through faith in the Word can any of them even hope to survive.

Notes: The second in a series, Son of Truth is an allegory showing how great the love of God is for His children. The ultimate being in the story, the Word, creates man, gives them free will, then dies in their place, taking on all their evil and suffering to bring them healing from the darkness within them. Some are gifted with special powers to help the rest of the people but even they have to choose to suffer in order to bring any healing or truth. The allegory is very strong and very well written in this story. It does an excellent job painting a picture of Jesus’ sacrifice and the great love it takes to offer one’s life for another. The one drawback is that this story is also very dark with much violence and death. The theme of this story is redemption. The assassin-for-hire from the last book has met the Word and been set free from the burden of guilt that weighs on him from all those he has killed. Now he is given a chance to help instead of hurt, to guard those in need of protection. A former assassin is not someone easily trusted though and helping is quite hard when no one believes you will truly help. Caleb is tested and challenged as he seeks to embrace the calling he has received.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 5:24 – "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

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

Cloak Of The Light

But his mind wouldn’t stop buzzing…. Was he going crazy? He’d seen movies of people, some of them very famous and intelligent, who experienced hallucinations. How real were they to those people? Drew had never been so unnerved or scared in his life. If he wasn’t crazy, then these invaders were real. And if they were invisible to humans, how extensive was their power? Could they read his thoughts…or perhaps even control them? He closed his eyes… If only he could close out the fear as well.

Book:Cloak of the Light, War of the Realms Series #1 by Chuck Black, Multnomah Publishers, 2014

Genre: Supernatural/Speculative Fiction
Target Audience: Boys 16+
Subjects: Angels and Demons, Death of a loved one, Friendship, Faith, Love
Summary: Life just falls apart after his dad’s death, completely falls apart. The only thing left keeping Drew sane is the times he escapes into the wilderness with his dad’s friend. With this help he manages to survive the rest of high school. In college things seem to go well – for a time. Then an experiment goes wrong, Ben vanishes and Drew… well, something strange happened to him. He’s not sure what, but starting with the moment right before everything exploded he has been seeing things – some kind of invaders. He doesn’t know who they are or how they got here but one thing is for sure: they want nothing but death and destruction for all mankind.
Notes: The first in the Wars Of The Realm series, Cloak Of The Light speculates “What if an unbeliever could see the spiritual forces in the world around us? How would they interpret what they saw? And how would they respond to it?”. Drew is not a believer and does not appear to know much about Christianity but a girl he is very attracted to is a Christian and gives just a hint of truth to Drew. By the end of the story he still has not realized that what he is seeing are angels and demons. The story is clearly building up throughout the series rather than giving answers in the first book. He does learn quite a bit about Christian principles of love and service from a church he gets connected with. The biggest spiritual content benefit to this book is the end. After the story is finished there is a very thorough discussion guide with verses explaining where each of the elements come from and pointing readers straight to the truth of Scripture. With that guide, my rating is a 5, without it a 3. I suspect the series overall will be a 5, just not book 1 by itself.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Ephesians 6:12 – For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Thank you to Blogging For Books for providing me with a free review copy of this book.

Worth the Wait

Her mom said, “I noticed a lump in my last self-exam, so I went to the doctor.” Ellie’s heart dropped to her feet. What was coming was not good. “We got the results today. I have breast cancer.”

Book: Worth the Wait (Waltham Academy) by Laura Jackson, HopeSprings Books, 2014

Genre: Realistic

Target audience: girls 16-19 years old

Subjects: sex, following rules doesn’t guaranty easy life, serious diseases, finding God’s plan for you

Summary: Ellie Lansing has the perfect life: a good family, an understanding best friend, but most of all an awesome and loving boyfriend. And then it comes crashing down. Her mom gets cancer and her oh-so-amazing boyfriend turns out to be not so amazing. What did she do deserve this? She always followed all the rules and this is where they got her. Didn’t God owe her an easy life?

Notes: The idea of Worth the Wait is interesting and practical for many Christians, teens or older. Ellie learns that following the rules does not guaranty you an easy life. She also discovers how great God’s plans for her are, even if that’s not what she had planned. Another good aspect is that sex before marriage was always shown as the wrong it is. Note: there is nothing really graphic in this book. There are no sex scenes, except for the one where the boyfriend wanted it and she said “no”. This is Waltham Academy book 1.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4.5

Reviewer: Sofia Marie

Jeremiah 29:11 –For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, which I have written.

The Fight

That was it. Sam stepped forward and raised his fists. Immediately Dwayne whipped his own fist from his pocket. He held a five-inch blade up before him. “You’re screwed now.”

Sam stopped and studied the knife as Dwayne swished it menacingly in front of him. But it changed nothing for Sam. He look up without fear. “You’re gonna die,” Sam said calmly and stepped forward again.

Book:The Fight by Luke Wordley, Tyndale House Publishers, 2014

Genre: Sports Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 16+

Subjects: Boxing, Suicide, Fighting, Terminal Illness, Family Relationships, God’s Will, Prayer, Salvation

Summary: Two boxers, one the trainer, the other the trainee. One has a relationship with God, one does not. One lost his dreams for the future, one is about to lose his dreams for the future. Sam is a fifteen year old on a course set for destruction. With a dead father and a mom who washes away her pain with alcohol Sam is alone. His fists keep him alive and on top but he’s on his way down and heading there fast. Jerry is living his faith and letting it sustain him. When Sam enters his boxing club full of rage and raw undeveloped skill Jerry sees himself and determines Sam will have the future that was denied to him. The question though, is how long Sam’s rage can sustain him before he finally breaks.

Notes: The first published novel of the author, The Fight explores the issue of what happens when someone determines to have their way no matter what. Jerry refuses to do what his faith dictates when it interferes with living his dream through Sam and Sam, not being a Christian yet, tries to let rage be what fills him, only feeling more empty with his success. The book goes back and forth between Sam and Jerry, showing each one’s perspective and thoughts, but it is primarily centered on Jerry, especially the spiritual elements part of the story. He knows what he needs to do but refuses to do it, fighting hard to hang on to his dream, even at the risk of hurting Sam and wanting to refuse to share the Gospel with him. It also shows the power of God at work in a soul to change a life.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

1 Timothy 6:12 – Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Ephesians 4:31 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Promising Forever

What if love wasn’t enough? What if the feelings faded? Or what if love wasn’t enough to keep them from fighting? Or going down different paths? What if they realized a few months into marriage that they didn’t actually want to be together after so many years apart? The idea was preposterous – she had never wanted anything more than to be with Joe Colby every waking moment of every day. But still if it had happened to so many others, could it happen to them? Or, what if she remained just as in love with him but he fell out of love with her? Her thoughts swirled, confusing and consuming her. The one question she kept coming back to was whether or not getting married was the right decision. Her mind stilled as she came to the echoing resolution that she would rather never have Joe Colby than to have him and lose him.

Book: Promising Forever (The Glendale Series) by Ann Goering, Covered Porch Publishing, 2011

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls and Boys 19+

Subjects: Marriage, Commitment, Love, Sacrifice

Summary: It’s like living in a fairy tale! The prince of her dreams has shown up and is about to rescue her… and their daughters from a life of loneliness. He is ready to be a husband and a father. Except, that he isn’t, not yet anyway. He wants to finish this semester of school first. And then he wants them to move to his school so he can finish the whole degree. Passionately in love, Jessica agrees. Then she meets a young couple who seemed to have it all together until they ended their commitment. And she hears about her parents and how committed they were until they broke it off. The doubts creep in as the stars disappear from Jessica’s eyes, allowing her to see clearly what choice is truly in front of her and how much she would have to give up no matter what choice she makes. Decisions like this can never come easy, no matter how in love you are.

Notes: The conclusion to the Glendale Series, Promising Forever, brings Joe and Jessica back together at last, ready to get married. Joe is eager to be a father to his daughters and Jessica is thrilled to finally have the one boy she loves back in her life. This book shows how serious of a commitment marriage really is as the characters wrestle with life decisions and the impact these decisions will have on their marriage. It also shows the importance of involving Christ in your decisions and letting Him guide you – the element missing from the two divorces that scared Jessica into doubting Joe’s commitment.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Ephesians 5:30-33 – for we are members of His body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Fourth And Long

Alex went over and over every mistake he had made today and vowed to do better tomorrow. He just had to make the team. He just had to.

Book:Fourth and Long, Game On! Series by Stephen D. Smith and Lisa Caldwell, Standard Publishing 2005

Genre: Sports Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 11-14

Subjects: Football, Loss of Loved One, Friendship

Summary: His dad would have wanted him to be on the team, Alex knows it. Practicing every second he gets, he determines he has to make the team. It doesn’t matter if he alienates his friends, if he disapp
oints the adults. All that matters is that he gets on the team. Except, he fails. And now he’s at a loss as to what to do with himself. Since his dad died, he isn’t here to tell Alex what Plan B is. Alex is completely on his own… or is he? A girl at school introduces him to a group that tells him of a very different way of figuring out what to do next, if only he can accept it.

Notes: Part of the Game On! series, Fourth And Long tells about a seventh grader who lost his dad to cancer and is struggling to find out how to cope with that. He has made football his focus but that isn’t bringing the peace he seeks. When he is introduced to Christ through some friends and later through a video his dad made before he died,  he realizes where true peace comes from.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4.5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Row This Boat Ashore

Prayers. Huh. I turned over to shake off that thought, but it wouldn’t go away. It sure couldn’t hurt anything, praying. Maybe God could help me stop loving a boy who apparently was never going to love me. Maybe God could help me just be “friends” since that was what Michael wanted.

“Okay, God,” I said silently. “I’m sorry I hate my brother and I’m sorry I want Michael to kiss me and hold me when that probably isn’t right anyway. I really do like You, God and believe in You, but could You please help me out? Either get Michael out of my heart or make him love me…okay?”

Book: Row This Boat Ashore by Nancy Rue, Crossway Books, 1986

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 16-20

Subjects: Dating Relationships, Family Relationships, Faith in God, Physical Disabilities

Summary: Felix has never known anyone like him before – really! She’s never known anyone as wonderful, anyone as strong, anyone as encouraging, anyone with a close relationship with God. She’s seriously attracted the first time she meets him and it doesn’t take her long to fall in love when she gets to know him. She’s also never known anyone as limited as Michael though. Michael is physically handicapped. He’s in a wheelchair, unable to walk. Michael is everything Felix ever dreamed of in a boyfriend and everything she never imagined she would want.  He’s changing her world and she’s not sure how to deal with this. Then, just as she thinks she’s starting to figure things out, an accident happens and he shuts down, completely closes her out of his life. Now she’s alone again and has no idea where to turn for answers.

Notes: A stand alone novel, Row This Boat Ashore deals with a high school senior pondering the meaning of life. No longer content with chasing boys or pursuing the latest fashions, Felix seeks something more, something deeper. When she meets and falls in love with a boy in a wheelchair who introduces her to faith in God, she starts thinking she may have found that something deeper – until pride comes between them and he backs away. The book then starts looking at the issue of how Michael feels when he can not have any independence and has to rely on others to help him. There is a lot of focus on prayer – not just giving a wish list of requests to God, but truly communicating with Him and relying on Him for strength in your weakness.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Ephesians 6:18 – And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Romans 8:26 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

So NOT Okay

“Yeah, you’re a gang. Mitch the Witch, Winnie the Ninny, Gingerbread, and Victoria my pet.”

“You’re breaking everybody’s heart by even showing up at school. You reek like moldy gingerbread.”

“Anybody who likes Gingerbread has to be blind. Or stupid.”

“I think there’s something wrong with you.”

 “I told you – you’re dead.”

“Scientists and psychologists don’t know anything about what goes in a middle school. If they did, they wouldn’t call what we do bullying.”

Book: So Not Okay: An Honest Look at Bullying from the Bystander (Mean Girl Makeover) by Nancy Rue, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2014

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 11-15

Subjects: Bullying, Friendship

Summary: The Wolf Pack rules the school. Everyone knows it and just accepts it. As long as you lay low and blend in to the surroundings they won’t bother you too much. Sure they’re make fun of you sometimes, but nothing too severe, nothing overly prolonged. No one told Ginger that secret to survival though. So she makes an effort to befriend the girls when she starts school at Gold Country Middle School. Of course that only makes it worse and soon there’s an actual hate club with lists about why everyone should hate Ginger. Smashed together for a research project in Science, Tori, Ophelia, Mitch, Winnie and Ginger are faced with a question: Why does bullying occur and what (if anything) can be done to stop it? The question goes far beyond a homework assignment. They need to find answers – for the sake of their very survival!

Notes: So NOT Okay, the first in the Mean Girls Makeover trilogy, Nancy Rue addresses the issue of bullying from the perspective of the bystander. The next two books address it from the issue of the bullied and the bully. In this first book, the bullying situation is set up and the bystanders become the bullied as they support the one who was the primary target for the bullies. A sort of mentor tells the girls that “You can’t stay neutral and expect this to just go away. If you do nothing you’re partly responsible for the consequences.”

The spiritual elements are surprisingly less in this story than in others from this author. The mentor is portrayed as a Christian and makes a comment about prayer a couple of times and at the end of the story tells Tori that all the methods they developed for dealing with the bullies came straight from the Bible. The author has said that the story is building up towards a stronger spiritual emphasis.

This book is part of an entire anti-bullying movement that the author is leading. Please visit the websites below for more information and to join the movement.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 2/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Esther 4:14 – For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

2 Timothy 4:2 – Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

http://www.nancyrue.com/sonotokay  - the author's main website with links to a number of resources

http://jointhetribelet.com/welcome/ - the page for girls 3rd-8th grade who have been bullied or want to join the anti-bullying movement
 
www.sonotokay.com - the parent/adult page for those wanting to join the anti-bullying movement
Review of # 2 and 3:
http://ctfdevourer.blogspot.com/2014/12/you-cant-sit-with-us.html
http://ctfdevourer.blogspot.com/2015/04/sorry-im-not-sorry.html

Merlin's Nightmare

Arthur took a deep breath. The time had come, and he would not shrink back.
”I am the High King, for my name is not Artorius, but rather Arthur, son of Uther. I am the one whom Vortigern longed to kill, yet I live. I am the one taken as a slave amongst the Picti, yet I survive. Behold! I am the one who was sacrificed, yet has been resurrected to lead all of the Britons against you…and I am the one who slew your brother. Leave here, now, or I will be your death.”

Book:Merlin's Nightmare by Robert Treskillard, Blink Publishers, 2014

Genre: Fantasy

Target Audience: Boys 14+

Subjects: Truth, Trust in God, Power

Summary: Merlin has kept his identity and that of Arthur’s a secret for over a decade. He’s kept the secret, not only from the outside world, but from Arthur as well. Soon the secret is forced out of him though. Their world is no longer a secure hiding place. Enemies on three sides are in pursuit of them and Arthur is right in the thick of it. Britian needs a strong king to lead them and Arthur is that king – or at least he will be if the Picti or Saxons blades don’t kill him and Morgana’s werewolves don’t destroy him.

Notes: A story based on the legends of King Arthur, Merlin’s Blade is the third book in The Merlin Spiral series. This story contains many of the traditional elements of the legend – the names, the fantasy elements, the objects. It is a well written adventure story, packing in so many events that a few days in the story seem like a few weeks. The spiritual elements are there but not as strong as in the first book.

The focus in this one is the fear that Merlin faces as he tries to shield Arthur from his destiny. He doesn’t want to leave his family but he is called to war. Then Arthur goes another direction and Merlin doesn’t want to let him go. No matter where he turns, there is danger for his loved ones and Merlin’s fear is ruling his decision making.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 3/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Job 28:23-28 – God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.' "

Psalm 46:1-3 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging

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

The Catnapping Caper

Book: The Catnapping Caper (Elizabeth Bryan Mysteries) by Vicki Berger Erwin, Concordia Publishing House, 1996

Genre: Mystery

Target Audience: Girls 10-13

Subjects: Friendship, Forgiveness, Step parents

Summary: ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE DOLLAR? There’s no way Elizabeth can afford to pay that much for the book – even if it is a birthday present for her mom! But thankfully, the bookstore owner makes a deal with her: Elizabeth can be her delivery girl and earn the money for the book. The trouble starts when Elizabeth does more than deliver books. Soon she is putting up lost cat flyers all over for the owner as her prize-winning cat has been stolen. And whoever the thief is, he doesn’t like Elizabeth interfering!

Notes: The main issue in this book is friendship. Another girl, Amy, begins to show friendship to Elizabeth and because Elizabeth is not rude to Amy, Meghan, Elizabeth’s best friend is mad and hurt. Elizabeth chooses to not like someone else though simply because they like someone she loves: the man who is dating her mom. Elizabeth learns a lesson about accepting others when she sees his kindness to her just as Meghan learns a lesson about accepting others.  There is also one short paragraph that takes a really good look at forgiveness, pointing out that Jesus even forgave those who nailed him to the cross.

Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.