The King’s Christmas List by Eldon Johnson, Illustrated by Bonnie Leick

The King’s Christmas List tells of a little girl named Emma and her dog, Shu-Shu, who are invited to a royal Christmas celebration—the king’s birthday party! After Emma and Shu-Shu receive the royal invitation to the party, they encounter a problem: What can they take to give the king as a birthday present? Emma and her dog finally decide to take the cake Emma had baked and are soon off to the party in the King’s royal carriage. On the way, however, these royal partygoers meet some travelers who will test their spirit of generosity and change the way they view Christmas. 

For me, this book was a pleasant surprise. I half expected it to point out self-righteously that, since Christmas is “Christ’s birthday,” we should be giving gifts to Him instead of to each other. In fact, it did point that out, although it managed to avoid sounding self-righteous. I was surprised, however, when the book went on to show us how we can give gifts to Christ. As it says in Matthew 25:37-40, we give gifts to Christ when we serve others. Obviously, this book has a Christian message, which is not likely to be appreciated by people who want to “de-Christianize” Christmas. For Christians, however, this book would make an excellent tool for teaching children the biblical reason for giving. Both the story and the illustrations have a slightly whimsical, fairy tale-ish feel to them. For instance, Shu-Shu is a talking dog. I would recommend this book to parents of 4-8 year olds.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expresses are my own.

Where Hearts Are Free, by Golden Keyes Parsons

The third novel in the series "A Darkness to Light" resulted from inspiration found in the author's genealogy. That background was intriguing, as well as its setting in the 1600s. Bridget Barrington fell in love with her family's indentured servant, Philippe Clavell. As soon as she reached marriageable age, her parents arranged for her to meet and marry a rake named Edward Moorehead. Only then did Bridget inform them of her longtime love for Philippe. Prospects were very bleak, in view of the fact that his term of indenture did not end for a few weeks yet. The evening after Bridget told Philippe of her love for him, Mr. Barrington ended the term of his service in exchange for his never again contacting his daughter. Philippe Clavell returned to his family in the Schuylkill Valley. He did not even open the one letter he received from Bridget. Meanwhile, his younger brother Charles remained behind and helped to rescue Bridget just in time.

Even though the main characters were Christian, Where Hearts Are Free contains multiple accounts of violent actions committed by others. The descriptions given were entirely unnecessary to the storyline and ruined an otherwise harmless book. For this reason, I would not recommend Where Hearts Are Free or any other book by Golden Keyes Parsons to careful, Christian readers.

Outlive Your Life, by Max Lucado

The message that "you were made to make a difference" is one of utmost importance in today's culture. Christians must recognize the opportunities that come to ordinary people and act upon them. Max Lucado presents a passionate appeal for action through his modern interpretations of Biblical stories and the lives of Christian workers.

Outlive Your Life presents suggestions for living better lives everyday, but it does not seem to live up to its title. Real-life stories are not backed up with practical suggestions and action plans for the Christian who wants to know how to make a difference. Even though Lucado mentioned several opportunities related to his own interests, he did not make it clear how others should seek for opportunities related to their interests. Young adults reading this book are left with the plaguing question, "How can I make a difference without previous experience or extensive funds?" The book is written in language that appeals to an inexperienced audience, but it does not give them the solutions necessary to make a difference. Outlive Your Life would appeal to a wider group of Christian adults if it addressed such questions or were written in a higher style. I would recommend this book to young adults who tend to miss opportunities for doing good for those closest to them every day.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Love's First Bloom, by Delia Parr

Ruth Livingstone is sent away from her home and her father after he is falsely accused of murder. Taking the name of Widow Malloy and the young child belonging to the murdered woman, Ruth moved to live with Elias and Phanaby Garner. Her time in the village is far from peaceful due to its division among three difficulties: taking care of a young child, avoiding reporters, and anxiously awaiting news of her father's trial. Losing her father and finding a new relation turns Miss Livingstone's life upside down. Depite the difficulties and tragedies, Ruth finds love in the unexpected person of an undercover newspaper spy.

Love's First Bloom is an intriguing story of the courage that honest love requires. Ruth Livingstone and Jake Spencer discover that true love is always honest, and that truthfulness breaks down the barriers between people. The unfortunate relationship between Reverend Livingstone and fallen angel Rosalie Peale adds an elemest of suspense to the romance of Parr's book, while the mysterious Captain Grant takes an unaccounted for interest in everything surrounding their case. I would recommend Love's First Bloom, by Delia Parr, to anyone who is looking for a clean and entertaining Christian novel that validates moral truths.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

You Were Made to Make a Difference, by Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado Bishop

You Were Made to Make a Difference, by Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado Bishop, is an inspiring book for preteens or teens. It urges teens to use their God-given talents in the world around them. Each chapter includes the story of a young person who has made a difference and gives tips on how the reader can become the next one to make a difference. I would recommend the teen version especially to Christians who are striving to make a difference in their public schools because they might have the opportunity to share this book with one of their friends after reading it themselves.

You Were Made to Made a Difference is not recommended for adults because it uses only the vocabulary of today's teen culture. In fact, teens who are striving to have high expectations for themselves may also want to read the adult version, Outlive Your Life.

One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado, Illustrated by Gaby Hansen

Join a fun-loving little girl and her animated stuffed animals as they learn about the hands God gave them and the ways He wants them to use their hands.  This lively group explores the many things our hands have been designed to do, finally realizing that we make the best use of our hands when we serve others.

This is a cute, little story told in fun rhyme and illustrated by cheerful watercolors.  It does not have much of a plot, and its main character is not even named; but children ages 2-6 are sure to detect the valuable lesson this story teaches.  As I read this book, I imagined hand motions going along with it.  Creative parents could easily come up with their own hand motions to get their child really involved in the story.  In addition, activities involving the use of “helping hands,” “kind hands,” and “loving hands” are listed in the back of the book along with a suggestion to “Think of ways your hands can be helping hands!”

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller

Berta Schumacher is a flighty, young girl who loves to wear hot pink.  How will she ever manage to survive in the Plain village of Amana?!  But survive she must.  Her parents have made their decision, and they are not backing down; but Berta refuses to conform herself to this radically different culture.  In the meantime, Johanna Ilg, who has always lived in Amana, is struggling with her desire to get away and see the world.  Will these girls become friends in spite of their extreme differences?  And will they ever resolve their inner conflict?

This book was slow to catch my interest and failed to capture it completely.  I was looking forward to a story about a Christian community resembling those of the Amish or the Mennonites, but I was disappointed to find that Amana more closely resembles a full-fledged commune.  This point outweighed the good points for me, but I realize many others will love this book in spite of this possible drawback.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.