Personal Reading
When Hope Springs New
Beyond the Gathering Storm
When Tomorrow Comes
by Janette Oke
These are books 4-6 of the "Canadian West" series, continuing the story of Elizabeth & Wynn Delaney and their family in Alberta, Canada. You can read my review of the first three books from July 2024. I REALLY enjoyed these stories, the characters, the author. Again, these books present the gospel and Christian living clearly and naturally in the course of conversations, the characters are realistic and honorable, and the stories are satisfying.
Where Courage Calls
Where Trust Lies
Where Hope Prevails
by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
These stories comprise the "Return to the Canadian West" series. They follow the life of another Elizabeth Thatcher (supposedly the niece, but really a cousin of the Elizabeth Thatcher from the original Canadian West series). Like the original, these are well-written, with well-developed and realistic characters with a strong (not sappy) Christian faith. I infer that these were written to go along with the Hallmark Channel's TV series "When Calls the Heart." I tried to watch the shows, but they are simply awful. Totally twist and butcher the characters and their relationships. I could not get through more than about 10 minutes of the shows. Skip the movies and just read these wonderful books!
Unveiled Hope
by Scotty Smith and Michael Card
Sort of a commentary on the book of Revelation, with corresponding songs from Michael Card's album of the same name. Rather than a detailed explanation of all the symbols and timelines described in Revelation, this book focuses on finding the eternal encouragement that the first readers, who were enduring much tribulation and persecution, might have found and that modern-day believers can also find in the here-and-now (not just at the end of time when "Jesus wins").
Highland Collie
by Albert Payson Terhune
Another love story that barely involves the dog of the title, except that it's because of the dog that the man and woman meet. This one is not quite as ludicrous as some of Terhune's other love stories, but it does require some suspension of disbelief.
Lion Warrior (Lightraider Academy Book 3)
by James R. Hannibal
The third and last book of the Lightraider trilogy. See my review of the first two books. The same thoughts apply here. It's kind of an interesting story, but kind of confusing. I found myself continually counting pages to see how much farther I had to go to finish it and go on to something else.
Who Was That Masked Man Anyway?
by Avi
In the early forties when nearly everyone else is thinking about World War II, sixth-grader Frankie Wattleson gets in trouble at home and at school because of his preoccupation with his favorite radio programs. The story is told entirely through dialog and old radio shows. That format worked great as an audiobook, which is how I experienced it. I think it would be very difficult to read it in print. It has some hilarious moments, but it is marred by repeated uses of God's name in vain, some mild swear words, and a couple of comments that could be innuendo. For those reasons, I wouldn't recommend it.
by Anna Rose Johnson
Library description: When fourteen-year-old Norvia moves from Beaver Island to Boyne City in 1914, she has to contend with a new school, a first crush, and a blended family, but she also must keep secret her parents' divorce and her Ojibwe heritage. Based on the author's great-grandmother. I'll admit that I was almost turned off by "first crush" aspect, but it turned out to be a really sweet story. The girl finds out that her pre-conceived ideas about her new stepfather are wrong, and both he and her stepbrother give her encouragement and counsel from Scripture and a personal relationship with Jesus. The narrator of the audiobook was good. I heard about this author from an interview with Sarah Mackenzie on Read-Aloud Revival.
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry
by Anna Rose Johnson
Library description: Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers-and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking. I didn't find this one quite as engaging as The Star That Always Stays. The main character annoyed me most of the time. The narrator of the audiobook was ok.
Newbery Medal Books
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. Then the village's head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum and the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck. But when he includes the cat in the painting the priest is angered and demands that the painting be destroyed. It seems the artist's life is ruined -- until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.
It's a very short book, but I stopped halfway through since I really am not interested in all the Buddhist legends, myths, and beliefs.
Genre: Fable. 1931 Newbery Medal winner.
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
by Elizabeth Lewis
Library description: In the 1920's, a Chinese youth from the country comes to Chungking with his mother where the bustling city offers adventure and his apprenticeship to a coppersmith brings good fortune. It took a little while to get into the story, but it turned out to be enjoyable. Content consideration: the mother offers money and incense to her various gods to keep her son safe. But the son repeatedly disregards the traditional taboos and finds out that the "dragons" (gods) aren't as powerful as the older generation fears.
Read Aloud
A Night Divided
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Library description: When the Berlin Wall went up, Gerta, her mother, and her brother Fritz are trapped on the eastern side where they were living, while her father, and her other brother Dominic are in the West--four years later, now twelve, Gerta sees her father on a viewing platform on the western side and realizes he wants her to risk her life trying to tunnel to freedom. Another excellent, suspenseful story by this author! A wonderful glimpse into life in East Berlin during the Cold War. Highly recommended. Audiobook was well done.
