Search & Rescue Review

Cara here: Two of my writing friends have come together for a series for middle-grade readers. Set in Rock Harbor, Michigan, the setting for one of Colleen's series, this books brings back characters moms have grown to love in a book that is perfect for 10-14 year olds.  Here's my daughter's take:

In Search & Rescue, 8th grader Emily O'Reilly is accused of stealing a necklace. Even her dad believes she did it. Determined to clear her name, Emily begins a search for the truth.

I loved this book (4 out of 5 stars). It's one I'll re-read, especially when the next one releases. I'd read the adult Rock Harbor books and enjoyed seeing all the charcters from those books again.

Emily's deepest desire is for a puppy of her own that she can train to be a search and rescue dog. Her stepmom works with Bree training search and rescue dogs, and Emily can't wait to join their team. But her dad won't let her get a puppy because he thinks she stole the necklace. He forces her to give that money to the woman who lost the necklace. The only way to reserrect her dream is to prove she didn't steal the necklace.

Even though I figured out the mystery, I kept reading because I needed to know that I was right. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Giveaway happening on my other blog...

Over on my other blog, I'm giving away this collection of YA nonfiction titles. Come on over and participate!

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Three Christmas Books I love to Read with My Kids

I know Thanksgiving is next week, but I'm thinking about the Christmas books I want to read to my kids this year. It's always fun trying to decide which ones we'll enjoy together as a family. Here are a few of our favorites, and I want to know which ones you love, too.

The Velveteen Rabbit: I realized the other day when I picked up a copy at Kohl's that I hadn't introduced my younger two to the story. And the older two didn't remember it. Time to remedy that. The story begins with Christmas, but is really a story of so much more including the power of love. How a stuffed animal becomes real through the love of a little boy. I get sentimental just thinking about the story.

Courageous For Teens

Raising godly teens and tweens is a challenge. Whether you're a young person who wants to grow in your faith or a parent trying to lead your young person as they mature, it can be tricky to find books that will help in that process. Courageous for Teens is one of those books.

The book intertwines scenes from the movie Courageous with scripture and profiles of Bible characters who lived with courage. Abraham movign to a new land. Ruth moving to a foreign land. Add many of your favorite Bible stories to the list. Each chapter then ends with five application questions and each section ends with a page of recap. For example "Joshua found courage through...", "Gideon gained strength by..." When the teen finishes this book, they will have examined courageous faith, leadership, priorities, and influence.

It's a book the teen can tackle alone, in a group, or with their parents. It's easy to read and grasp the concepts. Then the challenge begins of applying those to your life.

Beginner Bible iPad app

While this is a bit younger than the target audience for most items I review, my kids have enjoyed this app so much, I had to share it with you. If you've got an iPad and kids, then you're probably like me and looking for new games that they can enjoy but teach something of value at the same time. This app does that. 

The Beginner's Bible app lets your kids interact with Bible stories, bringing them to life with the fun stylized illustrations. There are six stories on the initial download: Creation, Adam & Eve, The Snake, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babylon, and Abraham finds a New Home. The app will read the stories to your child. Kids and interact with the pictures, adding elements like flowers. Then there's the play feature that allows kids to color pictures, build puzzles, etc. There's even a fruit ninja style game. 

My kids enjoy it. I like the content, so it's a win-win.



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For Parents: Hot Buttons

Parents, aren't there some conversations you dread...maybe because you're just not sure how to start them. Or how to plant the right seeds and information for your kids to make the right decisions. Or maybe you're overwhelmed by all the land mines we have to navigate with our kids. 

In the Hot Buttons series, Nicole O'Dell has written a series of books that address the big issues with scriptural wisdom and the information to equip us with the information to have those conversations. Avoidance isn't the recipe for success. So let's open these books and get started with parenting our tweens and teens. 

Children of Angels Review

As a homeschool mom, I am always looking for books that will engage my children's imaginations and be something we can enjoy together. Children of Angels builds from the what if question of what if there were still children of angels on earth? What would those children be like? How would being half-angel impact them? Because of the themes of spiritual warfare, bullying, and fights in the heavenlies, this is a good book for parents and kids to read and discuss together. Some plot threads reminded me of another popular tween series with the half-angel kids going to a special school. This is a book that may also intrigue that hard to reach tween boy population.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Not my iPod!” Jeremy Lapoint’s day plunges to record lows when Sid Lundahl and his crew stomp the only nice thing he owns-and Jeremy gets in trouble for fighting. With Dad in prison and Mom struggling to scrape by, Jeremy’s life seems hopeless.

Until he has this urge to … fly.

One leap and Jeremy soars through the air. With this and his other new-found powers, life is suddenly amazing, wonderful. Until a real-live demon chases him through the school hallways, terrifying him and making him a freak to his schoolmates. He’s the only one who can see the monster. Jeremy wonders if the flying thing’s worth it.

But during the chase, Asiel, Jeremy’s guardian angel, wields his sword and battles off the demon. Later Asiel explains that Jeremy’s a Nephilim: half human and half angel. Jeremy’s shocked. His quest to uncover how he got like this sends him to the Higher Humanity Institute where he meets other Nephilim like him along with a slew of enemies-both human and … not.

In the midst of his strange and dangerous struggles, Jeremy also receives the peace and love he’s always longed for but never knew. When called to lead an angelic battle for the truth, will Jeremy cling to the One who can win the war or let his old doubts and fears overtake him?

Fun, danger, friendship, mystery, and faith-along with awesome angels and demons-fill the pages of this exciting book. A must-read for kids (and grownups) craving adventure with a life-changing message.

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