Book Reviews

Book Review—Regaining Mercy

July 29, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

About the Book

Book: Regaining Mercy
Author: Carolyn Miller
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release date: June 29, 2021

A mom ready to do anything for her son. A man determined to win the woman he loves.

Going on Love at First Glance had seemed like such a good idea. She didn’t care about finding Mr. Right. No, Mindy Murray chose the reality TV show for more mercenary reasons. A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do when it comes to feeding her son.

When Mindy returns to Elnora, the girl from the “wrong side of the island” just wants a chance to rebuild her reputation. Too bad the folks at church don’t practice what the preacher preaches.

Enter Dermott Reilly. The interim boss at Greener Gardens has always had a soft spot for Mindy and her son, but with his new responsibilities, an important garden competition, and a few other concerns, he finds it difficult to prove himself to her.

A tropical storm and a missing child prove that sometimes grace appears in the most unusual ways.

Regaining Mercy concludes the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series, featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

My Thoughts:

I’ve been hearing good things about Carolyn Miller’s books, so I decided to sign up to review one of her books. I think I like her! Regaining Mercy is primarily romance, but there is enough else in the story that I enjoyed the story anyway.

Mindy has just gotten home to Elnora Island from being part of a reality show in Hawaii. She’s doing all she can to make a living for herself and her son, but people are looking down on her. When a particularly nasty woman deliberately insults her, Mindy loses her job at the grocery store—what can she do now? She knows she’s a terrible mother, and that’s probably why Jon, at four, hardly talks. She’s had so little experience with children, though, that she doesn’t know if he’s acting normally or not, and she certainly won’t be taking him to a doctor when she hardly has enough money for food!

Dermott, the interim boss at Greener Gardens, wants to help out his friend in any way he can. He feels overwhelmed, though, with getting jobs done and promoting the gardens they’ve done in a competition. He finds a way to help Mindy by helping him with promoting the business on social media—and doesn’t mind spending time with her! But, will she ever see him as more than just a friend? Then, a severe tropical storm hits, a child goes missing, and Mindy knows for sure that she is incompetent. How can any good come out of this mess?

I liked Regaining Mercy. As I said, it’s not just romance. Mindy is learning to be a mother, and how to get along with people. She is also learning that she is worth something, that she has value. She also had to learn to accept help when she needed to. I loved her friend Tina; she was so kind and caring.

I chuckled at one word in Chapter 8. The author is Australian, and she used an un-American terminology: “That’s when you rang earlier…” We hear that said here, in New Zealand—but in America you would say “called.” Oops!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: The word “gosh” is used once, and two kisses are described.

About the Author:

Carolyn Miller is an Australian author of inspirational romance, particularly that of the Regency era, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds where flawed people can grow in faith, hope and love through stories that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives.

More From Carolyn:

Have you ever wondered what might happen if a failed TV reality star was to return home to her narrow minded community? What if she’s been tarred and feathered with disgrace?

In our world of insta-fame, selfies and fakebook, I find it fascinating that so many people are entranced by so-called reality TV, with its editing and narratives and shiny-eyed hopefuls chasing money, love and dreams. But what if it doesn’t work out? What happens next? How do you resume ‘normal life’ when you’ve been living in a very artificial world?

I enjoy writing fiction that is grounded in reality, with realistic, flawed characters who are on a God journey to find faith and freedom. My contemporary and historical novels often see characters struggle with the choices they’ve made (don’t we all?), which is exactly what single mom Mindy is dealing with.

Combine Mindy’s challenges with those faced by gardening expert, Dermott, a man whose stone wall building skills are better than his way with women, or his inability to hide his attraction to his former co-worker’s younger sister.

Regaining Mercy encourages us to see ourselves as God does, to not let the labels of the past to shape our future. Along the way, readers will enjoy the honest portrayals of family, friendship and faith.

I’m so glad people are really enjoying my new contemporary books, where I can bring my love of gardens (& my horticulturalist hubby’s expertise!) to a new audience. Want to see what’s growing in my garden? Check out my website www.carolynmillerauthor.com – and you might even see some of my husband’s famous stone walls!

If you enjoy stories of hope, heart and humor, then you’ll be sure to enjoy this novel about a prodigal and the patient gardener who helps her find God’s mercy – and renewed hope for her heart.

Happy reading!

Carolyn

To purchase your copy, click here.

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To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review—Trapped in the Tunnel

July 8, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I have read most of Katrina Hoover Lee’s books, and really enjoyed them, so when she asked for beta readers for her new children’s book series, I was excited to help her out! We ended up just reading Trapped in the Tunnel for review, though. I read it aloud to my boys, and they kept begging for another chapter. We knew from the title that the boys would find the tunnels they heard about—but how? And how would they get trapped? How would they get out? We had to keep reading to find out!

Terry, Gary and Larry Fitzpatrick loved growing up in their house along a river in Northern Indiana. They were horrified that their parents were thinking about moving to Iowa because of the scruffy people that they had seen going into the abandoned house next door—how could the boys convince their parents to stay? Meanwhile, they find many ways to occupy themselves. They build a bike jump, which only Terry can use because Gary has an artificial leg and Larry has bad asthma… and Terry gets hurt. They go to the library to research something that an antique dealer was asking about… and run into the scruffy man who smells awful. They sneak into the abandoned house at night… and that scruffy man shows up.

Mom has a project for the boys to work on this summer, too. She wants them to learn about the Fruit of the Spirit. This first week, they are supposed to think about love. Who do they see showing love? What can they do to show love? What symbol can they draw to stand for love? The answers to those questions surprise them!

Trapped in the Tunnel is a delightful adventure story. Set in the 1980s, there is no technology such as we’re used to now. The three boys have a lot more freedom than most children do today, and are allowed to do things like row a boat up the river to go to the library. I loved the way they interacted with each other, and the lessons they learned about relating to their parents. This is a beautiful story of family life, as well as a fun, fairly gentle adventure. I highly recommend this book for boys and girls who love a good story.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. All links may be affiliate links, which help to support Esther’s website and do not cost you anything.

WARNING: No warnings!

Buy your copy of this delightful book here!

Book Review—Far Above Rubies

July 8, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 5 Comments

Far Above Rubies JustRead Blog Tour
Welcome to the Blog Tour for Far Above Rubies by Jolyn Canty, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Far Above Rubies: The Life of Louisa MacDonald
Author: Jolyn Canty
Publisher: Azure Star LLC
Release Date: April 14, 2021
Genre: Biography

Her husband—a friend to Mark Twain, mentor to Lewis Carroll, and the man C.S. Lewis called his “master”—was one of the greatest Christian writers of the Victorian era. She was his hidden gem, the bulwark and bastion on which he could lean. Though she was an accomplished musician and singer, an advocate for the poor and neglected, and a published author, she didn’t need the spotlight, but was content to be her husband’s biggest fan and companion. She bore eleven children and adopted and cared for several others. Enduring hardships few of us will ever experience, this petite woman faced them with courage and strength.

Her name was Louisa MacDonald.

My Thoughts:

I read a few of George MacDonald’s books many years ago, and have several on our shelves now, waiting to be read. I hadn’t thought about him very much, though, for a number of years, until I read a book recently by Michael Phillips. That book quoted MacDonald a lot of times, and the characters in it and the sequel avidly read each new MacDonald book as it was published. Then, I saw Far Above Rubies, a biography of George MacDonald’s wife Louisa, availabe for review. I knew that was a book I wanted to read! Did the book live up to my expectations, however?

Louisa MacDonald never had a very easy life. As a girl, she was the plain one, with beautiful sisters. Her mother, after having 13 babies and losing several of them very young, became quite sick and eventually died. Louisa always helped to run the household and care for the younger children. The Powell household was a happy place, despite Louisa’s mother’s sickness. Louisa’s world expanded when she met a young man named George MacDonald. He was studying for the ministry and was able to answer many of her questions about the Bible, and inspire her in many ways. They also shared a love of nature. They soon fell in love, and were able to get married when he was finally hired by a church—after he recovered from a hemhorrhage of the lungs. I was really amused at the descriptions of George’s beard!

After George and Louisa were married, they were very happy together, and deeply in love. Soon, the babies started arriving. All 11 babies who were born to them were welcomed, and very much loved. Louisa poured her life into caring for her children and her often-ailing husband. Life was never easy for them; though George had a pastorate when they got married, some of the people in his congregation could not handle his straight-forward preaching of the Word, and he found himself without a position. After awhile, however, he discovered that he could weave his beliefs into stories, and people would receive them that way. For the rest of his life, he tried to support his family by writing.

I really enjoyed Far Above Rubies! I found Louisa’s life very inspiring. She truly loved her husband and children, as the many quotes from her letters to them show. I loved getting to know her and her family through their correspondence; much of the book is quoted directly from the MacDonald’s letters. I chuckled many times as I read this book; Jolyn Canty was able to relate stories about Louisa and her “Bear” in quite a humorous way! Quite often, I have found biographies that are written this way, with many quotes from the subject’s writings, to be dry. This one wasn’t! I enjoyed it all the way through.

I really liked Louisa’s attitude toward motherhood and her children. Over and over, her babies are referred to as miracles from God. One quote, especially, stood out to me: “She considered herself a chalice, a vessel to be filled to the brim with God’s Spirit, to cooperate with her husband and with God, to be poured out for her family.” She gave all her strength to caring for her husband and children in every way she could.

Another line that stood out was a statement by George before they were married. He was referring to two poems he had read, and said, “They were both to me worth hundreds of sermons—of some kinds at least.” This stood out because of something a friend of mine said when I was discussing MacDonald with her a few days before I started reading Far Above Rubies. To her, reading one of MacDonald’s books was as good as reading a sermon! Now, I want to read some of his books for myself, especially after reading about the author and his wife.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links to buy the book may be affiliate links, and if so, will help to fund Esther’s website.

p style=”text-align: left;”>PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jolyn Canty

Jolyn Canty is the wife to her beloved Earle, the mother of six, and the adoring Nana of three grandchildren. She is a talented artist, a passionate quilter, and a long-time devotee of George MacDonald.

CONNECT WITH JOLYN: Facebook

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Far Above Rubies by Jolyn Canty and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 6, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 13, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Print copy US only. Ebook and gift card available for international where available. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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Product Review—Home School in the Woods

July 7, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We’re studying ancient history this year, from Creation to the time of Jesus. Therefore, when we were offered a product from Home School in the Woods to use and review, I chose one of the Project Passport World History Studies—the one about Ancient Egypt. We’ve never used a Project Passport study before. They looked too big and involved to me, the other times we were offered products from this company. I’m finding it fun, though, and fairly easy, although it will take us awhile to get through it. Because we’re using it as a supplement to the other history we’re doing (two courses simultaneously—yes, I’m a bit of a curriculum junkie!), we are doing no more than one “stop” a week, and last week we didn’t get anything done on it, due to Mom being sick, a first aid course one day, and dental appointments another day. We have made it through the first five stops, though, and I’m hoping to continue doing one a week. Mr. Sweetie (age 11), Mr. Imagination (9), and Little Miss (6) are doing this study, and I’m doing each project with them.

Each “stop” on our “itinerary” through Ancient Egypt has a few standard activities. We have been adding place names to our map on most stops, and pictures to our timeline. We often get to read and decorate a postcard, and many stops include an audio tour of something (once it was a trip on a boat down the Nile, and yesterday we listened to a man talking about how they were embalming the Pharoah). We also add to a newspaper we’re writing, with a news article or a couple of advertisements each time. Mr. Imagination loves that—he likes to draw! Each stop also includes some sort of craft and a few pages of text that I read aloud.

Some of our projects get hole punched and put into the ring binder we’re each filling up. We spent an entire week working on clothing for an Egyptian man and woman! Some of the pieces of clothing needed to be colored on cardstock, cut out and either put into slits in the person we were clothing, and we also cut out a few pieces of cloth for other items. Another project we really had fun with was the Game of Senet, based on board games found in the tombs. We spent our history time one morning assembling the game from the PDFs I downloaded, and playing it. It’s a two-player game, so we divided into two teams, since three children and I are working on this project together.

We’re also making items in most lessons to eventually assemble into a lap book. So far, we’ve made a mini-book about about the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, a wheel that turns with information on it about jobs in Egypt, a cookbook (which we plan to use!) and a mini book about mummies, coffins, and sarcophagi. Each of these items is very informative. They are also fairly easy, since the instructions in the Itinerary are so detailed.

There are also craft projects that won’t fit in the books! We skipped the first one, since noone was interested in actually dressing like an Egyptian, but Mr. Imagination and Little Miss are working on the second. They are making a mummy and a sarcophagus, from foil, newspaper, masking tape, strips of white cloth whenever I find them some, glue, and a shoe box—and lots of paint! We are given craft cards to print and store in the notebooks about these projects.

I am very impressed with this course. A lot of work went into making it! It has been organized very well, and I’ve found it easy to use. To prepare for a “stop”, I simply open and print the PDFs for the text and itinerary for that stop, and then read through the itinerary to see what needs to be printed for that stop. All the pages we’ll need for the crafts, lapbook, etc, are in one folder, and labeled by the lesson number, which makes it very easy to find the right ones. The instructions tell whether to print the pages on white or colored paper, or white or colored card stock. (I’m thankful that Esther has found a place we can order the card stock and colored paper online—I can’t get it locally!) We’re learning a lot about Egypt from this project, and I will certainly request more of these projects in the future if they’re offered (I would even buy these!). And, the children are enjoying doing this. Little Miss is the most enthusiastic. Mr. Imagination hates cutting and gluing, but he loves drawing pictures. Mr. Sweetie isn’t overly excited, but I don’t hear any grumbling from him. The variety of projects helps to keep up interest.

Home School in the Woods has downloadable timeline sets that look great! They include pictures of many people and events from various eras of history. The Creation to Christ one looks like it would be great for the study we’re doing right now. Click on the image below to read other people’s reviews of great products from this company.

Product Review—Words Rock from EdAlive

June 29, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I’m trying to find ways to make spelling, grammar, and other Language Arts topics more interesting. When we were offered the chance to try out a program from EdAlive, I decided to try Words Rock Online, which includes a spelling course. Mr. Sweetie doesn’t have too much trouble with spelling most of the time, but Mr. Imagination, well, uses his imagination when he spells! It’s a big challenge for him. So, I decided we would try out this program to see if it would help at all.

There are a lot of different types of questions that cover a wide variety of spelling patterns. Some cover high-frequency words, others offer practice with consonant digraphs or consonant blends. The questions are set up as a game, with different ways to answer each one. With some, you have to reorganize letters or syllables; with others, you have to click on the misspelled word and then correct it. Sometimes you add letters to or take them off of words to make other words. The variety helps to keep this from getting too boring! Here is one question:

Mr. Sweetie has been using the Grammar section of Words Rock, as well as the Spelling section. Proper pronoun use is covered, and there is also practice with verbs, conjunctions, and prepositions. Farther on, all parts of speech are covered. Once again, there is quite a variety of types of questions and ways to answer them.

I checked out some of the questions in the Vocabulary on my own account, and found practice with labeling objects with the correct word, identifying synonyms and antonyms and homonyms (without calling them those names), and choosing the correct meaning of a proverb. There are also questions in which I had to choose the correct meanings of Greek and Latin words. They made me think!

All these programs use Adaptive Learning. In other words, if the questions seem quite easy for you, you are advanced to a higher level. If they are too hard (and you always have the option to click the “Too Hard” button if you don’t understand a question), you will be moved to a lower level.

The parent’s dashboard is very useful. It shows what the students have been doing, in several different ways and with varying levels of detail. These screenshots show some of the things I found there.

I asked Mr. Imagination and Mr. Sweetie what they think of Words Rock. They aren’t impressed! (Am I surprised? No. It’s school work.) Mr. Sweetie says that “You aren’t taught anything. You’re just expected to know it, and it’s a review. You have to be a good reader to do it. I struggle with reading it.” My response to him is that with this program you learn by getting things wrong and trying again later, in a different way! Mr. Imagination doesn’t like the alien-type pictures. I liked that the concepts they have already learned in their regular Language Arts books are reviewed and reinforced with this program. We’ll continue using it for awhile, anyway, because we need something for Language Arts for Mr. Imagination. I really don’t know if it is doing any good, but extra spelling and grammar practice sure can’t hurt!

One thing that we have not used is the games that are built in. There is the option to choose “Questions Only,” and that’s what my boys always do. The games are typical video games, I think, and we just aren’t interested.

Click on the image below to see what other families have to say about Words Rock Online and two other programs from EdAlive.

Emeline Revisited

June 25, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I published a review of Emeline: A Journey on here last week, and mentioned that I had not seen the companion journal. (See that review here.) Well, that has changed! A courier dropped off a package this afternoon, and lo and behold, it was my review copy of both Emeline and My Journey, the journal! They were mailed from the United States the middle of April. Yes, the mail is moving slowly—ever since our borders were closed when the COVID lockdown began, there aren’t very many planes coming here from America, which means not much space for cargo.

Even though it was late, I was excited to finally get to see this journal. It’s beautiful! Little Miss tried to lay claim to it right away. I told her maybe I’ll keep it till she is older—I don’t think she needs it just yet. I might give it to her when she fills up the journal she’s writing (with Esther’s help) right now—we’ll see. Anyway, have a look at the pages inside. Most pages are blank, but an occasional one has an inspirational verse or saying like these. I love the variety of colors of the pages, too!

I was sent a copy of each of these books for review, in case you didn’t figure that out yet! The links in this post may be affiliate links, and if they are, they benefit Esther’s blog.

Book Review—Stealing the First Mate

June 24, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 2 Comments

About the Book

Book: Stealing the First Mate
Author: Tabitha Bouldin
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release date: June 29, 2021

Sometimes, happily ever after is as elusive as a pirate’s treasure.

Darcy Riggins dove headfirst into the online dating pool and sank. Every time.

Her lifelong dream of becoming a wife and mother becomes more elusive every year. So, taking the lack of a Mr. Right in her life as a decided “No!” from God, Darcy gives up altogether.

Single and happy is not an oxymoron. Right?

Nigel Jones has loved Darcy for ages, but her father (his boss, of course) ordered him to keep his feelings to himself, thanks to a stupid mistake that Darcy (thankfully) doesn’t know about. Too bad her dad does.

Being single and content turns out to be tougher than Darcy imagined, and when she begins doubting everything she’s ever known, Nigel decides it’s time to admit his mistakes, tell the truth, and trust God for the outcome.

In this “forbidden-love-meets-friends-to-more” novel, Stealing the First Mate continues the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

My Thoughts:

I decided I wanted to review Stealing the First Mate for two reasons. One, I was reading wonderful reviews about the books in the Independence Islands series, and that they were much deeper reading than most romance books. Two, I had never read anything by Tabitha Bouldin and wanted to know if I would enjoy her books. I found the setting of this story quite different—a pirate ship that performed skits with a Christian message while giving tours around the islands!

Nigel was a crew member on board the Pirate’s Treasure. He had been in love with the owner’s daughter Darcy ever since he was six years old—but her father forbade him to even think about her because of a foolish mistake he made when he was 16. Nigel was ever so thankful that Darcy didn’t know about it, and made sure she never knew about his feelings for her.

Darcy had wanted, ever since she could remember, to be a wife and mother. She tried everything she could think of to find Mr. Right. Every single date she went on, though, turned out to be awful. What could she do to find the right man? Finally, she just gave up—God must be telling her that marriage wasn’t for her.

They’ve been best friends for practically their entire lives, so of course Darcy confided her doubts to Nigel. What could he do but listen and offer what advice he had from God’s word? And then, things came to a head between Nigel and Darcy’s father. What could he do now?

I really liked the depth of faith that Nigel displayed. I liked the thought, expressed by one of Darcy’s friends, that the very best marriage is when you wake up every morning beside your best friend. I did not like the sensual passages, like “All the moisture fled his mouth at the luscious curves the red material made no attempt to hide.” I did like the advice offered to both Nigel and Darcy by Mel, Darcy’s friend. So, my feelings about this book are a bit mixed. There are things I like, and things I don’t. If you love clean romance, you’ll like Stealing the First Mate. Oh, there was one other thing I really loved—CC, the little girl we meet in the first chapter on board the boat! She’s delightful.

I received a review copy of this book from CelebrateLit, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: As I mentioned in the last paragraph.

About the Author:

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, you’ll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha’s genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.

More From Tabitha:

I love the friends-to-something-more trope. There’s something invigorating about the challenges of stepping into a different kind of relationship with someone you already know and trust. The risk of losing the friendship if things go badly comes to the forefront and each character has to decide if they’ll take the risk or keep things as they are.

For Nigel and Darcy, there’s the added difficulty of Nigel’s unrequited love. They’ve been best friends forever, and he’s loved Darcy all that time. And she’s clueless! How does that happen?

I wish I could say this story came from my own experience, but that isn’t the case. While my husband and I knew each other for several years before we started dating, we were hardly friends. High school social circles are brutal things. Plus, he had a crush on my cousin, and I was dating someone else.

But it all worked out.

And we’re best friends now.

When it came time to write Stealing the First Mate, I knew Nigel and Darcy were friends. It wasn’t until I worked my way through the first chapter that the depth of their relationship started to emerge, and I realized they were best friends. Darcy runs to Nigel for advise (even dating advise, which became really awkward for Nigel).

Darcy has been looking for Mr. Right so long she can’t see the truth staring back at her in Nigel’s eyes.

Writing their story is one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in writing.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review—Emeline—A Journey

June 17, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 6 Comments

About the Book

Book: Emeline – A Journey with the My Journey companion Journal
Author: Kathy J. Perry
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction Adventure
Release date: November 1, 2020

Emeline:

I can’t ask Pa; I must decide for myself.

What do I really want?

Set in 1890, a period of no phones or refrigerators, thirteen-year-old Emeline has lost both parents and must travel through ten states to reconnect with family in Boston.

On the way, she encounters many people and trials. Some characters are unsavory, ruthless, and violet, wanting only her money and possessions, caring nothing for her life. But all is not bleak: good folks make her trip memorable, giving her help as they are able.

Will she make it, and if she does, will she stay?

Will the events of her journey redefine her life?

This Christian historical fiction adventure will educate, entertain, and inspire young readers.

My Journey:

You Are Unique

What do you believe?

What motivates you?

What are your thoughts, hopes, and dreams?

Find a quiet place and contemplate the questions inside. Journaling is a great way to understand yourself and work through emotions.

Who knows? You might surprise yourself!

My Thoughts:

I rarely read Young Adult books. Almost all that I have seen have to do with romance, include too much sensual matter, or are fantasy, time travel, or some weird futuristic story. I tend to greatly prefer realism, and I don’t think Young Adults need romance. When I read the description of Emeline—A Journey, I was attracted to it because it sounded different. I was not disappointed by the content!

Emeline loved to spend time with her teacher, who reminded her of her mother, who had passed away in childbirth two years ago. Talking about her mother helped so much! Then, one morning, Emeline woke up to find her father dying. His final words to her sent her on a journey across ten states, from Missouri to Boston, to find her grandfather. How could a 13-year-old travel that far alone?

Emeline learned survival skills from Ole Mr. Thompson, and then took off on her horse. When one man after another tried to rob her, and someone finally succeeded in knocking her out, she found herself in the home of the Witherspoons in Indiana. She lived with them for a time to earn money for a train ride to Boston, learning the skills of woodturning, and then finished her journey. Once in Boston, she learned about lithography from her father’s family. Then, where should she go? Should she stay in Boston, or return to the wide-open spaces of the West, where her heart was? All along the way, Emeline spent time reading her Bible, and journaling her thoughts. She learned to depend on God to care for her.

I really liked the content of Emeline—A Journey. It describes life in a simpler time, and shows a girl who has been left alone in the world making the best of what she had, learning to make her own decisions. On the other hand, the writing style could definitely be improved; it felt a bit amateurish. Also, it did not feel realistic that she hardly showed any grief when her father died. She was sad, but quickly got up and going again, never crying much at all. I did appreciate that this book doesn’t portray a girl who can do everything; she knows she needs help from adults, and readily accepts help and advice. I also really liked that there is no romance, other than a few hints that Emeline liked the apprentice at the Witherspoons. I can highly recommend this book for those in the 12-16-year-old group, and I may end up reading it aloud to my children sometime.

I did not get to see the journal, so I can’t comment on it. Have a look at some of the other blogs on this tour if you want to know what people have to say about it.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

After the passing of my parents, I evaluated at what I was doing with my life and my contribution to others. I’ve always had a heart for teaching kids. I’ve been a classroom teacher, a homeschool mom, a tutor, and a substitute for many years. I’ve written, illustrated, and published the Bandana Acres series of Early Reader Chapter Books with solid moral lessons that fill a genre gap between picture and chapter books. Fellow teachers say, “Great! Keep it up. We need more of these.”

As a twelve-year-old, I identified with a fictional orphaned girl and was so impressed with her cleverness and honesty that I wanted to be like her. It was this story that inspired me to write Emeline – A Journey — a story that will educate, encourage, and inspire your tween or teen to find their way as a confident young adult.

A companion book, a consumable guided journal entitled My Journey, will challenge your young adult to important questions and give them lots of room to process their thoughts, hopes, and dreams.

More From Kathy:

Research for Emeline’s story gave me such joy. It amazed me how much I learned about life in 1890 from internet searches, YouTube videos, and library books. Some topics, however, were more difficult than others. I purchased a book about 1800s printing for lithography details. I later gifted this beautiful book to my printer brother-in-law.

With new technology bursting at the seams of the fabric of our lives, could your young adult have an interest in such a time as 1890? Fantasies and futuristic books claim attention and provide an escape from our time and place. But the 1890s was a fascinating time, too, with inventions that would change how we live forever — inventions that we take for granted today. Regardless of the external factors, people then had the same personal issues. People remain people, no matter when or where they live.

I hope that from reading or listening to this book, your tweens and teens will internalize the important character qualities vital for confident, successful adulthood. The companion book, My Journey, follows the same values shown in Emeline’s book and provides a place for personal evaluation and self-discovery.

To purchase your copy, click here.

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Book Review—Prairie

June 10, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 2 Comments

About the Book

Book: Prairie
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fantasy
Release date: February 13, 2013

What if you could literally wish your life away?

My name is Jessa Davidson, and I awoke one day in the place of every dream I’ve ever had—the prairie. I don’t know how I got here or where here even is, but I know one thing for certain. I can’t go home again. Ever.

If I’ve learned one thing being in this beautiful place, it’s that no matter how perfect it and its people seem, sin lives in the hearts of men and women in Prairie, too. The differences between Prairie and Pittsburgh? There are too many to count.

I grew up hearing the words of the Apostle Paul. “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

Here in Prairie, they’re not a lesson. They’re a warning.

I’ve been given a gift—the greatest desire of my heart. A life in the place of my dreams, a chance at love and family, a sense of real belonging.

Can I hold onto it? Time will tell—time I may not have if I can’t learn to be content.

Prairie is the first book in the Journey of Dreams, a series of related but stand-alone contemporary Christian fantasy novels exploring truths in a whole new way.

My Thoughts:

Almost six years ago, I won a paperback copy of Prairie in a giveaway that Chautona Havig did. She sent it to me, and I fell in love with this story! It is so good. I don’t like fantasy, as a rule, but I loved this book. When I read it again last week in preparation for this review, I loved it again. What a gentle story, with such great lessons. I loved watching Jessa learning the way of life in Prairie, and learning to be content. What an important lesson for all of us. One paragraph especially stood out to me; when I looked back just now, I found that I quoted the same thing in my review back then! “Jessa, it’s pride. Why does anyone do anything that others have done wrong? Why don’t the consequences of other’s sin prevent people from making the same mistakes? We’re prideful people. We think we’re above consequences. We’re sinners who won’t acknowledge our frailty.”

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good story with a lot of depth to it!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

Author of the bestselling Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More From Chautona:

When Your Novel Teaches You an Important Lesson

I’ve told the story before, but I’ll tell it again. Prairie began as a dream. For several days in a row, I fell asleep and found myself lost in the sway of prairie grasses undulating to the strains of “Theme from a Summer Place.”

It’s a bad habit of mine, but despite being in the middle of a writing project, I wrote down my thoughts—my impressions. Two strange things happened.

First, the story came out in first person. Folks, I don’t write in first-person perspective. Not my novels, anyway. I don’t enjoy reading it, and I really don’t enjoy writing it.

Jessa, however, demanded I let her tell her story… her way. So I did. And it’s one of the fastest novels I’ve ever written.

There’s irony in that.

You see, I didn’t know where that story would go. My dream only replayed the scene of Jessa waking up on the prairie and not knowing how she got there—only knowing she could never go home. Beyond that, I hadn’t a clue.

And though I wanted to rush through so I could see where the story would take me, and though I wrote at breakneck speeds, the story unfolded at its own pace.

The people of Prairie live a different life from anything you’ve ever seen—and yet it is mostly very familiar. One thing, however, sets it apart.

Time.

Only in Prairie does time not work as it does here, and that changes everything. The story begins slowly and for a reason. Line by line, observation by observation, step by step through the grasses and down rutted lanes, the story draws you out of the breakneck speed of modern life and into a world that, if you aren’t careful, will whiz by faster than is even possible.

Here in our world, that is.

There… you’d better watch out.

Has anyone ever warned you not to wish your life away? It’s just a gentle reminder that if you’re always eager for today to end in hopes of a more exciting tomorrow, you may find you never lived.

In Prairie? It might actually happen.

To purchase your copy, click here.

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Product Review—Creative Word Studio

June 8, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

One thing I want my children to learn is how to write. My oldest is a prolific writer, and my third-born son can write; I keep working on the others! It’s very helpful to have resources on hand that can help spark creativity in writing. That made me immediately interested in Sparkling Bits of Writing, from Creative Word Studio. I chose to use and review Book 1, which is intended for grades 5-6. I would love to someday use Book 2, as well, but at the moment I don’t have anyone in grades 7-8, which is the left it is written for. Mr. Diligence is working part time now, so even though he would be just over that level he doesn’t have time anymore for things like this!

I have been having Mr. Sweetie (grade 6) and Mr. Imagination (grade 4) do the assignments from Sparkling Bits of Writing. Little Miss (grade 1) wants to do everything they do, but the projects are almost too hard for her. She keeps trying, though! We received the book quite late in the review period, and then had some health issues crop up that have made it hard to spend the time I wanted to with this course, but made it through the first seven lessons. I am really liking this course!

There are three basic types of lessons in this course. The first lesson is classified as a Mini Writing Exercise. These teach various things about writing. The first was an acrostic, with a line beginning with each letter of the children’s names. Esther was inspired to write one about Miss Joy—it was pretty funny! Little Miss couldn’t understand the concept, but the boys did a little better. Other lessons teach how to use the thesaurus. Our physical one is very hard to use and is stored in an outside building, so we didn’t bother going out in the rain after dark to get it—I found a thesaurus online. That lesson was fun! I see that others talk about complete sentences or autumn words, or showing instead of telling.

The next type of lesson is Free Writing. You are supposed to take a topic and run with it—write everything you think of about a particular topic. The first was about how you are feeling right now. With boys—well, I’ll just say that was challenging. What matters to you was easier.

Reading Responses are fun. We’ve done one of those so far. It included a selection from A Secret Garden, which our children haven’t heard. They loved listening to it, and then enjoyed writing what they thought happened next. I loved what one of our boys came up with; it was totally unexpected to me. I see selections from Oliver Twist and Tom Sawyer coming up soon. Those will be fun!

There are also Friends lessons, in which two children need to work together to write something. The one the boys did (pictured here) had to do with cell phones. I thought they came up with some very good pros and cons. They enjoyed working together.

Gold piece lessons are intended to be polished until they are perfect, and then given a grade. That way, there is something to put in the report card! These are marked in the book with a star.

So, what do we think about Sparkling Bits of Writing? I really like this course! It’s creative, and laid out in a way that is very easy to use. The lessons are short and simple, but make the children think. I’m not getting the groans from this course that I normally do from writing courses. The boys won’t admit that they are enjoying it, but they act like they do. I highly recommend this course for any family who wants their children to learn to write creatively. Click on the image below to see what other families have to say about this course!

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