About the book:  Claire Trowling is on a quest.  After receiving news of her sister Becca’s abrupt disapperance, Claire must piece together the shadowy remnants of a past she’s long forgotten in order to find her.

      A cryptic note scrawled in Becca’s handwriting leaves more questions than it answers.  When a stack of mysterious letters along with a rare necklace is found, Claire races to discover the secrets that hold her family captive.

      My review:  This story has an interesting plot and great setting – I love both England and North Carolina!  I liked how she went back and forth telling relevant parts of the story from the past and then bringing us back up to the mystery of the present.   The family drama is intriguing and lightly suspenseful.  I have to admit – I love stories about families and stories about families with secrets/secret pasts are all the better! 

      I found it a little hard to believe that a woman would leave her family so abruptly with no real explanation other than some vague clues.  Also this novel is very much about the story and I felt that some deeper character development would have added nicely to the book.

      Overall though, a fine job of writing and a great debut for A. J. Kiesling.  I look forward to what else she has for us!

When a young girl dances with her mother to a Louis Armstrong record, she wonders about the nonsense words she hears him singing. “Scat?” she asks. “What’s that?” The answer comes to her in her dreams, when the great Satchmo himself arrives to teach her how to sing about any old thing, even bubble gum! Coupled with colorful and explosive illustrations that perfectly capture the exuberance of jazz, this beautiful story is sure to inspire readers to sing out loud.

My Review:  My class and I giggled and swayed as I read this book to them today.  They LOVED the nonsense words, and much to my surprise and delight these eight year old children had heard of Louis Armstrong and even knew a little about him.  The book is colorful, fun, and teaches children about this form of music.  This book is Accelerated Reader book level 3.5 (third grade 5th month), which makes it perfect for grades 2-5.  We enjoy this type of book, and it is especially appropriate for February, which is African-American history month.

Where did you get the idea for the book?
We write about issues that face women today—issues we have experienced: for example, working with men and learning to work through conflict and personal attacks. Our new book Leading Women Who Wound came out of excruciating experiences that we learned happen to many women when they work with other women. We could not find a book out there that really addressed these issues from a women’s perspective, so we wrote one.

What are the major themes of the book?
Personal attacks, difficult people, and conflict are inevitable in ministry. Whether you volunteer a few hours a week or work on full time staff, you won’t be the exception! But men and women perceive and process conflict differently. Finally, a book for women by women who have been there. Are you particularly vulnerable? Can you differentiate between constructive criticism and destructive attacks? Have you mastered the process Jesus taught his disciples? A practical comprehensive guide book, Women Who Wound and How to Lead Them will prepare you to thrive in conflict as you learn to disarm and love women who hurt you.

What kind of research did you have to do for the book?
I read everything I could find on the topic, drew on my own experiences, and interviewed women who had stories to share. I expected to look hard to find these women but when women asked what I was working on and I told them, many said, “Let me tell you what happened to me!”

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
We hope they will prepare for personal attacks and conflict, becoming more direct in their communication styles and following Matthew 18 in their personal and ministry lives. Peacemaker ministry says there are 19,000 conflicts in churches every year and one in four ministers will either be fired or asked to leave their positions. Our goal is to lessen those stats as well as the heartache that results from managing conflict badly.

Learn more about the book by visiting Kelley and Sue’s website. You can buy the book on Amazon here.

Greed. Lust. Ambition. Betrayal.  Blood.
The dramatic life of Elizabeth of York.
New research has raised many questions–.
THE KING’S DAUGHTER has found the answers

Beautiful Elizabeth of York is the only English Queen to have been a wife, daughter, sister, niece and mother to English Kings, yet she remains a strangely mysterious figure. Sister to the Princes in the Tower and mother of Henry VIII, this first Tudor queen lived at the epicenter of momentous events. So why does she hover invisible and barely noted at the edge of history?

In fact, so little was known about her that her biographer, by her own admission, had to resort to novelistic techniques in order to fill in the gaps of Elizabeth’s life–the first time this was ever done!

Tudor propaganda has always claimed that Richard III murdered her brothers, the Princes in the Tower—but did he? And why is Elizabeth a mysterious figure virtually lost to history when so much is known about her husband, Henry VII, her son Henry VIII, and even her mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort? Did the Tudors keep her captive, and why should she be a threat to them? Did she believe the Pretender, Perkin Warbeck, was really her lost brother, Richard, Duke of York–and was her husband in love with the Pretender’s wife?

In my novel, The King’s Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen, which was crafted in long discussions with a Ph.D. medievalist and based in part on cutting-edge research on the life of the Pretender who challenged Henry VII for the throne, new details emerge as Elizabeth reveals her shocking story, from her turbulent childhood during the Wars of the Roses to her reluctant—but courageous—marriage to Henry Tudor that ended the bloodshed between York and Lancaster, and made the Tudor dynasty.

And as I wrote this book, I have to tell you– Elizabeth won my heart, too. Now I turn her over to you, with affection, admiration, and deep respect for her courage, compassion, faith and sacrifice.

Product Description
Cute and lovable Baron wants a best friend: but in an effort to get his family’s attention, Baron’s lively antics take him in the wrong direction. After being whisked away to doggie school, Baron learns important lessons about behaving himself. But will he ever find the friendship his furry heart longs for?

My Review: This is a great book, not only about pets and dogs, but also about friendship.  I’m pretty sure a child could relate to doing all of the wrong things to gain friends and then finding the one thing that gains a best friend.  The book is only 24 pages, but the story is sweet.  The illustrations are colorful and engaging.  I plan to add this to my  basket of books on the theme of friendship.

Ivy Schneider is wife to a husband that travels 10 months of the year, mother to 3 children, daughter to an ailing mother whose husband ran out on the family years ago, and sister to two siblings who don’t hesitate to let the full responsibility of caring for mom rest on her shoulders.  Can you relate?  Anyone feeling the pressure of caring for young children and aging parents at the same time?  If so, this book is for you says Lisa.

I loved, loved, loved this book.  But to be honest with you, I have loved all of Lisa’s books and when I open a new one, I am already mentally prepared to love it!  Why do I enjoy her books so much?  Well, I think because with any of her characters I can always find some aspect that I relate to.  I love that her characters are not perfect and sometimes have quite unusual flaws.  Many times I can relate to one or more of the struggles the main character is having.  It’s like Lisa gets what women are going through.  And I think all this talk of characters is what it boils down to.  Her books have a story, but they are very character oriented.  The main thing is how the character in the book changes and develops through the grace of God.  And I want that for my own life, too.  I don’t want to wallow through my struggles forever without having learned and grown from them.

Plus I like her writing style.  And she’s funny.  So if you haven’t read a Lisa Samson book yet – well, what are you waiting for?  I recommend starting with Tiger Lillie or Songbird, my personal favorites.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Product Description
“A willingness to go is all they have in common,” exclaims Beth Moore, speaking of her friends on the front lines who are spreading the gospel around the world and with whom she collaborated to create this book. This brilliant 365-day devotional features incredible stories of God’s faithfulness in the face of uncertainty and danger, written by hundreds of missionaries worldwide. 

My Review: I’ve been using this devotional as part of my quiet time for about a month now, and I love it.  The true stories from real live missionaries are truly inspiring.  Having been part of the Christian and MISSIONARY Alliance since I’ve been married, I love missionary stories.  They are just real people, who in many ways battle the same things we do, with the added aspect of being in another country.  I highly recommend this devotional.  Beth Moore compiled this book and wrote the introduction.  The missionaries are from all around the world.

Although I have not read any adult books on Lincoln (other than history text books), I have read many children’s books on him and I would like to share four of my favorites in honor of Mr. Lincoln’s 200th birthday on February 12.

My most favorite is Abe Lincoln’s Hat.  This book goes through the life of Abraham Lincoln and talks about his chronic problem of disorganization, how he kept losing his many papers; and how he hit upon the idea of keeping his important papers inside his tall hat.  He ran into problems however when the hat fell off, as you might imagine.  Children love it and I personally can relate to his situation.

A. Lincoln and Me is about a little boy who wonders what he has in common with Lincoln.  He knows they both share the same birthday, big hands, big feet, and tall skinny bodies; but he asks how else are they alike.  Lincoln did some pretty incredible things and he seems to be all around us on pennies and five dollar bills.  He wonders what it would have been like to know him and realizes that there will never be another Lincoln just as there will never be another him.

Honest Abe is a great book with wonderful illustrations.  The back cover of the book describes it well, “From a log cabin to the White House, the life of Abraham Lincoln is an inspiring saga of courage and dedication. Simple words and timeless pictures weave the important threads of Lincoln’s life into a colorful folk tapestry that illustrates a true America pioneer of justice.”  A great read and children love it.  The illustrations are unique and very colorful.

From the back cover of Abe Lincoln Remembers:

Product Description
While Little Skink hunts yummy ants for breakfast, she is suddenly attacked by a crow! But she has a trick to escape she snaps off her tail, and it keeps on wiggling! Little Skink is happy to be alive, but she misses her bright blue tail. Readers will enjoy pretending with her, trying on tail after tail. The first is too puffy-fluffy, and another too stinky! Then one day Little Skink gets a big surprise…and she doesn t have to dream of tails anymore. The For Creative Minds section has information on tail adaptations and communications and a mix-and-match tail activity.

My Review:  This is such a cute book!  The story itself is adorable, the illustrations are great, and included are a couple of extra activities for your child to do which encourage both science and math.  My second graders loved this book!  They were engaged throughout the reading.  It is an Accelerated Reading book at reading level 2.6 (which means second grade sixth month).  I would recommend this book for children pre-school through grade 2 or 3.  Little Skink’s Tail would be a great addition to a young child’s library!