101 Ways to Have Fun, from the Editors of Faithgirlz and Girls' Life magazine

This book is a super cute gift idea for a preteen or teen girl at the start of the summer.  The title says it all - it's page after colorful page of ideas for things to do when you're bored.  It's in an easy-to-read magazine format.

Chapter Topics:  Just for You, Have a Blast with Your BFF, Friend Zone, Mini Makeovers, Super Sleepovers, Throw the Best Bash, Fun Ways to Make $ Fast, Get Active, and Get Crafty.  The chapters are filled with great ideas, recipes, and craft projects that are fun to do.  

The book also gives approximate times of how long each idea will take.  Ideas range in complexity from simple to complicated, and cover a wide variety of topics.  There should be something in here for every girl to find and enjoy.  Plus, since it's from Faithgirlz, this is all good wholesome fun, with nothing overtly religious.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Four out of Five Stars

Emily Climbs, Book #2 in My 2016 LM Montgomery Challenge

     So, right off the bat, I have to say that I'm not doing so well in my drive to read an LMM book each month in 2016.  I finished Emily Climbs on Leap Day, but haven't actually written the review.  This is primarily due to my absolute love of my teaching job, plus the busy-ness of a daughter who had 2 horse shows in 3 weeks and a son who earned Webelos rank in Cub Scouts.  

     But I'm back on track with the blog, which frankly is always going to take second place to my children and my students because that's how God intended it!

     Anyway - about Emily Climbs!  This has always been my favorite book in the Emily series.  This book sees Emily going off to high school in nearby Shrewsbury.  Since the place is 20 miles away and Emily doesn't have the luxury of living in the time of public transportation or motorcars, she's got to board with her Aunt Ruth.  (And had I remembered about Aunt Ruth, my daughter would not have Ruth as a middle name!)  Readers of Emily of New Moon might have thought Aunt Elizabeth was practically Machiavellan, but she's got nothing on Aunt Ruth!  

     Among the many charms of Emily's three years in Shrewsbury, we see her drive to climb her Alpine Path of writing.   She truly burns that midnight candle - she has to, since Aunt Ruth tries to push her writing down by giving her extra chores during the day.  

     The introduction of new characters is a welcome change after the short cast of characters in Emily of New Moon.  Aunt Ruth might be half-baked, but she's entertaining with her sniffs and her "Em'lys."  And then there's Evelyn, whose last name escapes me at the moment - but a better archnemesis in a YA book you will not find!  I think most of us remember an Evelyn from our own high school days, which makes the character spring to life.

     And the New Moon characters are still ever present - Ilse with her madcap personality, Perry with a new drive to make himself into something respectable, and Teddy with his subtly romantic charm.  (Emily and Teddy's first kiss popped into my head during my first kiss with my husband - it's no wonder I married the guy!).

      Then there's Dean Priest.  Poor Dean, whom we were introduced to toward the end of New Moon - a school chum of Emily's late father whom the reader knows early on is "waiting" for Emily to grow up so he can marry her.  If I was creeped out by Dean as a child, I am appalled by him as an adult.  Emily really has no idea he's interested in her as anything other than a father/daughter relationship, Dean knows this, and yet he still secretly tries to woo her.  (So many italics!  Mr. Carpenter would disapprove!)  Even more disturbing, he's worse than Aunt Ruth in his attempt to dissuade Emily from her writing.  Aunt Ruth is at least open about it.  Dean is quiet and manipulative and everything you'd warn your daughter against in any friend.  And, of course, the denouement of this relationship is left for Book Three, Emily's Quest.

     I've said this before, but I love Emily because she's more real than almost any other LMM character I can think of, with the exception of Valancy Stirling in The Blue Castle.  Anne Shirley might be Canada's sweetheart, but Emily is the face we all see in the mirror every morning.  All the heroines of modern day YA trilogies have absolutely nothing on Emily.   Who needs Katniss Everdeen's bow and arrow when you can slay all your enemies with a single Murray look?  Emily really comes into her own in Emily Climbs, and the book leaves the reader in eager anticipation of Emily's Quest.

101 Things Every Girl Should Know, by the Editors of Faithgirlz!

I chose this book for my daughter to read, and it was a good choice because she's already run off with it!  It's basically a girls' magazine in book form - very fun, visually pleasing format.  

Like a magazine, it's chock full of tidbits that tweens and younger teens would be interested in. The "101 Things" run the gamut from advice on social skills to health issues, recipes to crafty kinds of things.  As a young teen, I would have loved to have a book like this.  My daughter is loving it now, and that's about the best recommendation I can give.

The only caveat I had was a reference to the Twilight series.  For me, this is a big uh-oh because the romantic relationship in that series is extraordinarily unhealthy.  And I think (and pray) that many girls are starting to catch on to that.  I know my daughter has, so it's not a worry for me.  

But other than that, the book is a fun read that a lot of tweens and teens would enjoy.  

Four out of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, by Kari Kampakis

     There are so many powerful messages for girls in this book, it's impossible to list them all in an appropriately-sized review.  However, the 10 truths that are discussed in this book are certainly important for every girl to know.  The book steers girls middle school and up to a God-centered life that helps them get through the struggles of adolescence.

     The 10 truths themselves discuss issues such as popularity, confidence, dealing with boys, building a good reputation, and living a life for God.  A tall order for one book, and I do feel the book does fall short in a couple of areas.  The chapter on popularity in particular tends to be vague and starts with an example that might be too cliche for many girls to respect.  This chapter is the first chapter in the book.  I encourage girls to keep reading beyond this chapter if they find it irrelevant.  The book does get much better, and is full of so much Bible-based wisdom that is applicable to modern life.

     I particularly appreciated the comments at the end of the book that surrendering to God and His plan for your life is not something that happens in one day.  Rather, it's a life-long process that goes far beyond a simple altar call at summer camp.  And many details of that process are well developed in this book in a way that reaches out to adolescents.  With discussion questions at the end of each chapter, I feel this book would be an excellent choice for a youth group book club.  I certainly wish I had gone through a book like this with my youth group in middle and high schools.

     Four out of Five Stars


Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Invisible, by Cecily Anne Paterson

          I picked this book up for free in the Kindle store - not always the best place to find good reads, but this book is a definite exception.  An outstanding book for middle grades readers, it's about a partially deaf middle-schooler who is still struggling to cope with her father's death four years ago.  There is no bad language, no sexual content, and it's a very inspiring story.

            Jazmine Crawford has been bouncing around from town to town since her father died.  She's learned to hide her feelings, and has no real friendships as a result.  Her relationship with her mom is strained, and she's gotten in with a bad crowd at school.  But when a sympathetic teacher intervenes, Jazmine finds herself thrown into working on the school play, Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden.  And, much like Mary Lennox, Jazmine finds that finding a purpose in life pulls her out of the mire that her life has become.

            The Kindle edition has some grammatical errors, but they don't detract from a beautiful story.  The author has great potential, and the power of the story is amazing.  The point of view of the preteen is spot on, in my opinion.  Paterson does a great job of portraying both the dreams and the insecurities of the age level.  And there's just enough early teen romance (holding hands, that kind of thing) to pique the interest of the young reader.

             I look forward to reading Invincible, a sequel to Invisible set to be released later in 2014.

            Four out of Five Stars

Starring Me, by Krista McGee

           Starring Me is a YA book about seventeen-year-old Chad, who has been a pop star since winning a major television talent competition.  He's trying to break into acting with his own show - but, his parents insist that his female co-host be a Christian.  Enter Kara, a seventeen-year-old non-Christian who is in the final round of auditions for the show.  The two have met through mutual friends, but neither has any idea that Kara is being considered for Chad's show.

            The story was frustrating from the beginning for me.  It is marked by awkward transitions, and I never felt as though I were a part of the story.  The characters were one dimensional and stereotypical.  This is the kind of book that seems to talk down to teens through characters that just didn't seem real. 

            Spiritually, the theology was sound.  However, the religious aspects were more preachy than not.  The Christians in this book rarely talk about anything but their religion, even though they supposedly lead multi-faceted lives.  There was certainly much more telling than there was showing, particularly with regard to religion. 

            The subject matter of this book might be interesting to teens - television auditions, teen heartthrobs, and even hanging out at the White House. But other than the setting, I couldn't find much in this book to intrigue me.

            Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

           

            Two out of Five Stars