CHASING HOPE by Kathryn Cushman

Sabrina thought she knew what course her life would take. But she's had to give up her dreams and her plans. Along comes Brandy, a young woman full of trouble, attitude - and potential. As Sabrina reluctantly starts to train Brandy, she must confront all she's lost and figure out where God and calling fit in the life she has, which is so different from the life she dreamed.

This was lovely. I read this after trudging through two other books for a whole week. Before I knew it, I was half way through this one in an evening, and I hardly noticed time had passed. I would have stayed up the rest of the night to finish if I hadn't had plans. As it was, I carried it around with me all the next day, reading in any spare minutes I found until I was finished. The story is told from both Sabrina's perspective and Brandy's. I enjoyed both of these characters and getting insights into both of them with the changing perspective. Honest, realistic questions about dreams and calling. Loyalty grows between the two women/girls in an authentic way that was satisfying. The epilogue brings the story full circle, which I found delightful. As soon as I finished this, I was sharing it with friends. If you enjoy fiction with strong female characters, check this out. The Christian message is not heavy-handed. I think readers who aren't looking for specifically Christian fiction could still really enjoy this story.

4.5 out of 5 stars

*I received this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

MADE TO LAST by Melissa Tagg

Miranda Woodruff is the host of a TV home-improvement show. In each show she talks about the impact her husband has made on her design and building ideas. But in reality, Miranda doesn't have a husband. She was supposed to. They were engaged when she started the show, and it was easier to say they were married since they were already living together. But then Robbie left. In her heartbreak, Miranda didn't have the courage to clear up the situation. And deep down, she always hoped Robbie would return. But now, as she's filming the fourth season of her show, the ratings are in trouble and the network wants to build publicity by introducing the mystery husband to the world. So they hire a guy to play the role. And he's a great guy. But at the same time a reporter starts shadowing Miranda for a daily blog and with that much access, there's a good chance he's going to discover Miranda's secret.

This was a nice romance story with Christian overtones. As Miranda struggles with her lies and the betrayals in her life, she wonders if she can ever get back to God. The fake husband and the reporter are also wondering about issues of faith. (The author only hints at the fake husband's backstory. I wonder if his story will be told in another book in the future.) The characters are likable. I could understand how Miranda got into this "pickle" and why she keeps it up as long as she does even though she is pained by the deceit. I tend to be skeptical when it comes to Christian fiction. Sometimes the faith portion is too heavy handed or feels forced, but this was a nicely balanced story.

3.5 out of 5 stars
Thanks to the folks at Bethany House for providing a review copy of this book.

* I received this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

DANIKA'S TOTALLY TERRIBLE TOSS by Dannah Gresh

A moment of frustration in the school lunch room lands Danika in detention and puts her shot at the Miss Teeny Pop crown at risk. Detention turns out to be a blessing in disguise as Danika learns what it means to have true friends and how to be a true friend.

This cute story kicks off the Secret Keeper Girl Club series. The book highlights Christian values with an emphasis on friendship and character. Looks like there is one book for each girl in the club. I was disappointed to see that this didn't have an AR quiz. It's hard to find Christian books for the range of readers I serve that also have AR quizzes. I will be hounding the folks at AR for a quiz on the books in this series.

3 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at this time.

RULES OF MURDER by Julianna Deering

I received an electronic review copy of this from the publisher, Bethany House.

Drew and his friend Nick are visiting Drew's mother and step-father. Soon they are caught up in a murder investigation. A loathsome man, rumored to be sleeping with Drew's mother, is dead - and before the night is over, Drew's mother is too. There are more bodies and more twists and turns to come before the mastermind is unveiled.

I don't usually read historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this mystery. The three main characters - Drew, Nick, and Drew's love-interest, Madeline - are excellent and they hooked me into the story and the twisting plot propelled me on to the end. I was able to figure out some of the mystery, but had to stay up past my bedtime in order to finish the story so I could know how all of it fit together in the end. There's a faith component to the story that sits on the fringes of the mystery. It feels organic as it comes from the characters as they get to know one another. I was afraid it would feel forced, but it didn't. There were multiple suspects, hidden passageways, unsolved murders and more. A great story!

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for mystery fans, readers looking for quality Christian fiction.

FRIDAY: Deep Trouble by Mary Connealy

Summary
Shannon's father believed in the city of gold until his dying day. And Shannon is determined to prove him right. So, she leaves her high-society city life in St. Louis to travel west with some hired guides. But her hired guides decide they'd rather steal her map and leave her for dead. Gabe, traveling alone on his way to visit family, hears the gunfire and Shannon's scream and rescues her. Shannon insists on finishing her quest and Gabe feels obligated to go along to keep her safe. But nothing about this journey is going to be safe.

Review
I received a review copy of this book from the author. It's been sitting on my shelf for awhile. Frankly, at first glance I thought it wasn't my kind of book. I am more of a sci-fi/fantasy reader. But Deep Trouble was one of the books I committed to reading this year, and I was pleasantly surprised. Shannon and Gabe are likeable characters and the villains are truly creepy, making the reader want to hang with the story to find out how Gabe and Shannon will survive to the end. It's a fun love story with great supporting characters. Good faith message also, without being preachy.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of western romances and/or Christian fiction

Cautions: None.

BLOG TOUR: Imagination Station Series

Summary
Beth and her cousin Patrick visit Whit's End - the best place in town for ice cream. While there, Mr. Whittaker is trying to fix the Imagination Station. To test it, he sends the kids on a mission to the Vikings. They are on a quest to find a Viking Sunstone to save someone named Albert.

Beth and Patrick go back in time and meet Erik the Read and his son Leif Erikson. Erik wants to treat the kids as spies and prisoners, but Leif defends them, recognizing them as Christians. The children will have to stay out of Erik's reach while they try to find the Sunstone before Leif's ship sets sail with their only means home.

In the second adventure, Beth and Patrick travel to ancient Rome. They are separated soon after their arrival. Beth, dressed as a slave, is accused of being a runaway. She is returned to the emperor as one of his bird keepers. Patrick is rescued by a monk. The cousins meet up again at the arena where prisoners are put into a fight to the death - and Patrick becomes one of those prisoners.

These books are similar in style to the Magic Tree House series, but with a Christian slant.

Blog Tour
Today, Bring on the Books is part of a Blog Tour for the Imagination Station books. As part of the tour, I have a set of these two books available to giveaway to one of my readers. Post a comment here by midnight, Wednesday April 6th to be considered for the giveaway.

Here is some information, straight from the author, Marianne Hering:

Q: What inspired you to write the Imagination Station series?

A:  Paul (McCusker) had always wanted to write stories about the Imagination Station. When looking to do a kids’ series about it, we chose early elementary to introduce new readers to the Adventures in Odyssey world. We also wanted to touch on a group of kids that didn’t have many Christian books written for their level. There seemed to be a gap from picture books to later elementary readers.

Q: The Imagination Station device is well-known to fans of the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey. Why did you and Paul decide to use it in a book series?

A:  It lends itself to stand-alone adventures. It’s a fascinating device. Why wouldn’t he want to write about it? It allowed us to write about settings outside of Odyssey. We’d like some of the books to augment the history kids learn from public school textbooks or TV. The Imagination Station radio dramas are also among the most popular. We thought that kids would like them, that’s all!

Q: The first two books focus on the Vikings and ancient Rome. The next two books focus on Kublai Khan and the War of the Roses. How did you and Paul decide which historical events to write about?

A. They just seemed interesting and we thought they’d be popular with boys. I also looked through the Bennett books on core knowledge to make sure the things we write about would be taught in schools. Also, the Rome book is based on an actual Adventures in Odyssey radio drama. It is one of our favorites, and so we wanted to retell the story. The Kublai Khan book started out to be more about Marco Polo, but Kublai took the stage. He was a fascinating character. We don’t always decide with concrete objectives. Most times the story just sounds plain old fun.

Q: How true to history are the books?

A: Now, this is a spoiler. Mr. Whittaker isn’t real. Neither are Patrick and Beth. Though they are named after Paul’s children. Patrick and Beth are his children’s middle names.

Most of the events are based on sagas, legends, or some sort of historical base—except for book 4. All the characters in the War of the Roses story are fictional. For plot purposes, I sped up the storytelling. For example, the events in the Kublai Khan story took place over months, not hours. Same with the Viking book. I wanted Leif to leave for the New World shortly after he brought back the gospel from Norway. In reality, a lot of time passed between the events. I did make some vocabulary exceptions. For example, Marco Polo was Venetian, but I called him Italian—a more familiar term for the readership. But the basic events of books 1 to 3 are true, and the War of the Roses did occur in England with Lords fighting their neighbors, etc. We really just wanted to write about the jousting. Paul did a lot of great research for the jousting scene. I had to cut a lot of it, and that made me sad.

On the website TheImaginationStation.com, I’ve listed what’s true and what’s exaggerated for each book. There are also nonfiction pages for the kids to read about Leif Eriksson and the other Christian heroes.

 

Q: What do you hope kids will walk away with after reading Imagination Station?

A: A smile and a desire to learn more about history and faith in Jesus Christ.

Q: Can you give us any “sneak peeks” into what we can expect in future books?

A: Book 5 is a Bible story, a familiar Bible story. The title is “Showdown with the Shepherd.” I think that’s a fairly strong clue.

Book 6 is about Miles Standish and William Bradford and Native American relations. It centers on a certain holiday in November.

That will end the first story arc. As for the next set of 6, that may depend on sales of the first set. (That’s a strong hint to readers to buy the books so we can keep developing the series.)

Be sure to check out the click book for book 1 at TheImaginationStation.com. That way you can tell if these books will be at the right level for your kids.

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Recommended for: children in first grade and up, Christian school classrooms and libraries, church libraries

 Cautions: The books might be a little "dark" for more sensitive readers.


Okay, remember to comment on this post by midnight Wednesday, April 6th for a chance to win your own set of the first two Imagination Station chapter books. Happy reading!

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FRIDAY: Picket Fence Promises

I hate reading a series out of order, but I didn't realize this was the second book in the series until I was a few chapters in. I haven't yet gotten the first book, but I was able to move forward with this story without trouble.

Bernice is finding her place in the small town of Prichett, Wisconsin when an old flame turns up and decides to stick around. This forces Bernice to face some things about herself and about her past.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the way the community takes care of their own. The fact that everything turns out in the end (even with the secondary story lines) is pretty unrealistic but I read fiction for a reason - sometimes "realistic" is over-rated. A few weeks ago I said that I was pretty critical and cautious when it comes to Christian fiction. Sometimes it is too trite, too neat, or the story lines too overdone. I found this story and the writer's voice completely delightful and engaging; I couldn't put it down. 


Check out this series.


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