Celebrate Easter review

The Beginner's Bible Come Celebrate Easter Sticker and Activity Book Description:

The Easter story comes to life through age-appropriate puzzles, activity pages, and stickers in this friendly and fun The Beginner's Bible Come Celebrate Easter Sticker and Activity Book featuring classic art and simply written content from The Beginner's Bible.

My Review:

Marketed for children ages 4-8, this is a great way to talk about the Easter story with you child.  My 6 year old daughter loved being able to add stickers to scenes, spot differences between pictures, and solve the codes.  I felt like some of the activities were very young for her (trace the word RAN, dot-to-dot puzzle was very simple and only went to 12) but she didn't seem to mind.  With a price tag of less than $5 this would be great to add to a quiet bag for church or to add to an Easter basket.

Saving Amelie

Saving Amelie description:
Increasingly wary of her father’s genetic research, Rachel Kramer has determined that this trip with him to Germany—in the summer of 1939—will be her last. But a cryptic letter from her estranged friend, begging Rachel for help, changes everything. Married to SS officer Gerhardt Schlick, Kristine sees the dark tides turning and fears her husband views their daughter, Amelie, deaf since birth, as a blight on his Aryan bloodline.

Once courted by Schlick, Rachel knows he’s as dangerous as the swastikas that hang like ebony spiders from every government building in Berlin. She fears her father’s files may hold answers about Hitler’s plans for others, like Amelie, whom the regime deems “unworthy of life.” She risks searching his classified documents only to uncover shocking secrets about her own history and a family she’s never known.

Now hunted by the SS, Rachel turns to Jason Young—a driven, disarming American journalist and unlikely ally—who connects her to the resistance and to controversial theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Forced into hiding, Rachel’s every ideal is challenged as she and Jason walk a knife’s edge, risking their lives—and asking others to do the same—for those they barely know but come to love.

My Review:

I was worried that this was going to gloss over the real aspects of the war and become a love story.  I am pleased to say that I was wrong.  Gohlke does a phenomenal job of bringing the atrocities that were inflicted during the war to life in a personal way.

Although Gohlke walks the reader through the fears that many citizens faced, and the bravery of others, she leaves a lot of questions unanswered.  Whether this was done to open the door to a second book, or because much of the questions truly do not have an answer I will not speculate.  I will say that this book has been added to my daughter's required reading list for the WWII time period, along with Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex.

a Father's Love review

A Father's Love (I Can Read! / Adventure Bible) Description:

A Father’s Love is a level two I Can Read! based on the NIV Adventure Bible. In it, young readers learn about how great a father’s love can be for his child. At this read-alone level, newly independent readers follow a young man who decides to go out on his own, with his inheritance. He wastes his money and makes bad choices but eventually realizes that home and family are more important than anything. When he goes home to make amends, his father welcomes his son home with open arms and joy.

Written for the newly independent reader, vocabulary and content is at a more advanced reading level, making this series appropriate for children almost ready for their first chapter books.


This I Can Read! series of Bible stories makes use of the unique features found in the NIV Adventure Bible such as “People in Bible Times” and “Words to Treasure”.

My Review:

As a fan of the NIV Adventure Bible I was eager to take a peak at this book.  It is my first expose to an I Can Read book based upon a Bible story and after going through this, I doubt it will be my last.

My youngest is probably at a level 1, simple sentences for eager new readers according to the back of the book, yet she was able to read this book with some help from mom or dad.  There were about 20-25 words per page and the words were spaced well to make reading easy.  The illustrations by David Miles fill the entire page, including the area where the words are written on some of the pages.  I was worried that this might be a distraction but my princess managed without a problem.

I liked that it included a key Bible verse at the end (Luke 15:32) and I especially liked the "words to treasure" section which helps to the reader on God's plan.  I do wish that the story had included the Bible reference for the story since the story is written with developing readers in mind.  This to me indicates independent readers and I am big on referring them back to the actual Bible text whenever possible.

That being said, I found that the story remained true to the Biblical account, and was written in an engaging way.  I like that this is a way to get God's stories in the hands of a child without handing them the complete Bible, which would definitely overwhelm young readers.

Review: Capturing Jasmina

Capturing Jasmina (India's Street Kids Book 1) by Kimberly Rae

Description:  Capturing Jasmina, fiction for young adult readers by Kimberly Rae, is the story of Jasmina, a young girl in India, and her brother, Samir. The children are sold by their father to a man promising them an education and good jobs.

But, as Jasmina and Samir soon discover, the man is providing an education, not in a school, but as a slave in his sweatshop garment factory. While Samir quickly submits to his new life of misery, Jasmina never stops planning an escape.

She comes to realize that escape doesn’t always mean freedom.

My Review:

Capturing Jasmina is a tale of slavery and bondage of body and soul. Sold by a father who saw her as less desirable due to her gender, Jasmina enters a world of slavery. At first determined to escape, she eventually succumbs to anger and resignation...until a chance encounter gives her hope.

Although a short story, this book gives insight into human trafficking from the perspective of the victim, and does so elequently.  Although the book does move fast, and many of the situations are only dealt with supperficially, it is still difficult to not become attached to this little girl.  My heart broke for her, I found myself unable to put the book down until I knew she was safe.  Then, upon finishing the book,  I wanted to jump into action, to assist in ending the horror of human trafficking.  I wish some organizations or resources or something had been included towards this end.

After some internet research, I did discover the author's website, which does include resource information.  You can find it here.

the Perfect Score Project

The Perfect Score Project: One Mother's Journey to Uncover the Secrets of the SAT Description:

The project began as an attempt by Debbie Stier to help her teenage son, Ethan, who would shortly be studying for the SAT. Aware that Ethan was a typical teenager (i.e., uninterested in any test, especially a 4-hour standardized exam) and would be facing a much more competitive admissions process and economy than when she was in high school, she decided to climb into the trenches with him.  She took the SAT seven times in one year, ultimately compiling an accessible and relatable guide that is both a consumer report of fresh tips and an amusing snapshot of parental love and wisdom colliding with teenage apathy. Stier quickly became hooked, and her quest turned into an exercise in both hilarity and heartbreak as she persisted in deciphering the mind-boggling menu of test prep options. In The Perfect Score Project Debbie tries it all, from Kaplan, to Kumon and The Khan Academy; she meets with a premier grammar coach, takes a battery of intelligence tests, and studies with the world’s most prestigious (and expensive) test prep company. She answers all the questions that overwhelm students and parents facing the SAT: “When do I start?” “Does brand-name test-prep work?” “Do I need a tutor, a class, or can I self-study?” “What’s the one thing I need to know?” and, “What’s the secret to teenage motivation?”
           

    The Perfect Score Project has inspired thousands of parents, students and teachers to connect and transform the most reviled right of passage in a high school student’s life into a positive experience. This book provides concrete research on the best ways to succeed on a test that serves as the last big milestone before kids leave for college.

My Review:

As the mom of a bright, intelligent, ADHD underachieving boy preparing for college exams, this book excited me.  You see, my son scores "gifted" on intelligence tests....until he has to write down his answers and show his work, or put his thoughts on paper in some form slightly resembling a paragraph.  Then he scores "learning disabled".  The conundrum of both a gifted and learning disabled student neatly wrapped up in the body of an exuberant boy terrifies me when it comes to converting it into numbers that will allow him admittance in a college.  Especially when his chosen major is only offered at one college in the state and it only accepts about 5-10 students per year for that major!

When I was given the opportunity to review this book it felt like an answer to prayer.  Debbie Stier's own son had ADHD and her concerns were much like mine.  I sure don't want to pay for various test prep programs, much less the $350+ she must have spent to take the SAT seven times in an attempt to find the best scenario.  Let me say, I am glad that Stier was not only willing to do so, but she was also willing to share her story and results with the rest of us.

This book is FULL of advice that I had never even considered, and even more things to think about that I didn't even know were available!  My son has already begun to incorporate some of it in his own test prep, and both of our minds are much more at ease about the whole process.  Is he going to achieve "the perfect score"?  Probably not.  But he will achieve a score much higher than he would have without this book, and with a lot less stress!

The Legend of the Candy Cane

The Legend of the Candy Cane  Description:

One dark November night a stranger rides into a small prairie town. Who is he? Why has he come? The townspeople wish he were a doctor, a dressmaker, or a trader. But the children have the greatest wish of all, a deep, quiet, secret wish. Then a young girl named Lucy befriends the newcomer. When he reveals his identity and shares with her the legend of the candy cane, she discovers fulfillment of her wishes and the answer to her town's dreams. Now will she share what she has learned? Warm, lavish illustrations by James Bernardin bring to life a timeless tale by Lori Walburg, a story that will help families celebrate the mystery and miracle of Christmas - for many Christmases to come.

My Review:

While the story hasn't changed, the illustrations on this edition are beautiful!  Much more appealing to the younger crowd.  While the story itself isn't verifiable, (there are many variations floating around in cyberspace) it is a great way to share the meaning of Christmas.  I am pleased to add this to my list of Christmas stories and am sure we will read it for many Christmases to come!

The Advocate Review

The Advocate Description:

At the trial of Christ, Theophilus, brilliant young assessore raised in the Roman aristocracy, stands behind Pontius Pilate and whispers, “Offer to release Barabbas.” The strategy backfires, and Theophilus never forgets the sight of an innocent man unjustly suffering the worst of all possible deaths—Roman crucifixion.

Three decades later, Theophilus has proven himself in the legal ranks of the Roman Empire. He has survived the insane rule of Caligula and has weathered the cruel tyrant’s quest to control the woman he loves. He has endured the mindless violence of the gladiator games and the backstabbing intrigue of the treason trials.

Now he must face another evil Caesar, defending the man Paul in Nero’s deranged court. Can Theophilus mount a defense that will keep another innocent man from execution?


The advocate’s first trial altered the course of history. His last will change the fate of an empire.

My Review:

Although the identity of the biblical Theophilus has been lost in history, and the opinion that Theophilus was in fact Paul's advocate is not widely accepted, Singer offers up a rather interesting and intriguing story from that perspective.  Singer draws from the biblical account of not only Jesus "trial" but of Paul's character and life as well.  He does take some creative license, but not so much that it caused me to question his attempt at a creative telling of biblical accounts.

Theophilus embodies what I think many citizens during the time of Jesus and the birth of Christianity may have felt.  They knew that something was different about Jesus, but weren't really sure what.  It wasn't until they took the time to hear his message that their lives were changed.  I found the characters came to life in this story and I was drawn in.  At over 400 pages there was enough detail to allow me to create the images and action in my mind but not so much that I was overwhelmed with useless information.

I look forward to reading more from Singer and I hope that he again writes in this genre.