Children’s curiosity leads them to ask a lot of deep, theological questions. “What is God’s Name” is definitely one of those questions. Having never read author Matt Goselin before, I was interested to see how he brought the answer down to a child’s level.

The art is very whimsical and childish—something that I think children would greatly enjoy. There are a lot of colors and some “sparkly” hints which I really liked. 

We meet Mo, who is a very relatable little girl—she wakes up grumpy, doesn’t like to be reminded of her chores, and snaps back at her mama. In her anger, Mo exclaims, “Lordy, Lordy, Lordy” to which her mom says, “Go to your room right now until you can remember the name of God who loves you so much.” Which then leads Mo on a quest to finding God’s Name. 

Up to this point in the story, it was one that, if I read to my sister, I’d read with discussion. “Was that right for Mo to do? What should she have done? Why was her attitude wrong?” I wouldn’t exactly have given the book to her to read on her own. But I would have read it to her until this point.

The book proceeded to something that I personally disagree with theologically, where God answer Mo’s prayer in a dream (which, I believe that now that we have all of God’s Word, He doesn’t answer our prayers by coming to us in a dream but through His revealed Word). Yes, there were Scriptural examples in the dream (example of answer Moses by saying “I am that I am.”) but then there is the phrase, “The first breath of a baby and the last breath of an old man are speaking my name.” The last half of the book was just… confusing to me. And I’m an adult who was raised on the Bible and its teachings. It is very abstract in its teachings. I couldn’t put my finger on what was so “weird” to me about this, so I handed it to my mom, and she came away with the same conclusion as I did, but without any concise way to put how it was weird without really knowing why.

Because of the theology, it’s not a book that I can personally recommend.

*I received this book from Book Crash and happily provided my honest review*

What would it be like to lose your mother quickly, unexpectedly, and tragically to cancer? Then, what if your dad left on top of that? These are the issues that Olive faces as she stays the summer with her grandma and younger sister in Hawaii—except, Olive isn’t planning on staying in Hawaii. She’s determined to earn money for a ticket to Boston to join her dad and prevent him from throwing out all their memories of her mom.

Olive was a very believable, hurting girl. Yet, she also took the believable journey to healing as time progressed. She is surrounded by people that she really hasn’t asked for—Gramma, sister Macie, and new friends Jazz and Brander. Each of these characters play an important role in Olive’s life, and help her to step out of her misery and selfishness.

The Christian thread in this book was more of a contemporary perspective with youth groups, Jesus freaks, Christian rock, and being on close terms (or not) with God. There was a strong emphasis on seeking God, praying, and of being in church. A few verses were quoted, but I realized after I finished, that there didn’t really seem to be an emphasis on God’s Word in personal life. That is probably just me being nit-picky, but it is a danger that I’ve seen personally in the modern church movement, so maybe that is why it stood out to me as missing here.

With this being a teen book, I wasn’t expecting much romance. But Olive is sixteen. Given the contemporary nature of the book, as the story progressed, it didn’t really surprise me when she begins to notice a guy and have feelings toward him. Apart from my personal conviction that sixteen is really young to begin serious dating, the romance was handled fairly well and was clean. The guy was clearly trying to follow God before pursuing a girl, and he was determined to only date a girl who was serious about God. The only kisses were those on the cheek and forehead. But there was an underlying thread of emotional longing and attention toward the guy.

Olive did have a lot of attitude issues. They were all very understandable, and for the most part, they were resolved in this book. Her disrespect toward her dad was not resolved, but I understand there is another book in the series, so this could be something the author is planning on developing with Olive’s future life.

Would I hand this to a teen? If they are your typical, public school-going teen or if they’re your modern, less conservative Christian, then yes. There are no drugs or explicit moral issues displayed. However, if it’s a conservative teen, I would hesitate to do so. Had I read this when I was a teen, it probably would have fed my romantic fantasies of boyfriends and probably would have made me discontent in some areas. There also seemed to be very loose standards for dressing (shorts, tank-tops, off-the-shoulders), which some conservatives would have an issue with.

In looking at the book as a whole (the author in me is speaking), this is one of the best books I’ve read by a teen author. There is a definite goal, climax, purpose, conflict, and resolution. It is a very satisfying read.

*I received this book from the author and happily provided my honest review*

My Review

The idea behind this journal is fascinating: copy the verses and, while you’re copying them, you’re reflecting on them to journal about it on the right hand side. I cannot say how many times I’ll skim through a verse, but when I slow down enough to copy it, so much more comes out of it and it is more meaningful and I come away with something far greater than just the first skim. So I really appreciate the format of this journal.

It has a hard cover that seems like it will last for years and includes a ribbon bookmark. The right pages are reserved for copying the Scriptures (I will mention that the writer will need to have smaller penmanship to fit on the lines presented) and the left pages for thoughts. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of room for in-depth thought for people who are used to individual Bible study, but it would be a fantastic journal for believers getting into really deciphering God’s Word.

*I received this book from Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review*

About these Books

I enjoyed the diversity of ideas in this book. It goes from room décor to clothing to jewelry to artwork. While some ideas are ones that I wouldn’t enjoy, there were other ideas that I loved. There is such a great variety of styles that I think anyone could find several ideas that match their preference from this book. I found the instructions very easy to follow, the formatting light and enjoyable, the pictures appealing, and the tips useful.

This is a very trendy idea book, with ideas using washi tape, duct tape, burlap, and books (some of the popular craft ideas of today). It goes from more in-depth ideas where you have to pick up special supplies to ideas that use simple craft items that most people have on-hand.

I’m planning on giving this to my crafty thirteen-year-old sister and imagine that I will see several ideas utilized in the months to come.

*I received this book from Book Look Bloggers and happily provided my honest review*

Ready, set, create! Whether you’re an aspiring artist or a just-starting-out doodler, Create! A Girl’s Guide to DIY, Doodles, and Design is the perfect book to inspire your creative side. From coloring pages to quick-and-easy crafts—like photo frames and duct-tape bags—and everything in between, this full-color book from the trusted Faithgirlz brand provides step-by-step guides to more than 50 fun and easy projects. Learn how to make your own DIY projects, create one-of-a-kind jewelry, and draw like a pro. Perfect for individual use or for sleepovers, birthday parties, and more, Create! is sure to bring out your inner artist.

Content includes:DIY décor, photo frames, duct-tape purses, and more Pages of quotes and designs to color Easy-to-follow doodling and drawing guides Jewelry making for friendship bracelets, earrings, and more

I like to balance my reading diet with several non-fiction books. I didn’t know anything about the horse, Joey, when I picked this book to review. But by the time I finished the book, Joey was definitely no stranger. The book takes you along the journey of how Kim Tschirret began her horse ministry, Hope Reins. The first few chapters are more about Kim and Hope Reins than it is about Joey in particular. Then, there is a portion dedicated to Joey’s stable-pal, Speckles. I’d say more or less, the latter half is exclusively about Joey (and his trainers), though. For me, none of this was a problem. I enjoyed learning about Hope Reins and grew attached to Speckles.

Being that Hope Reins is a ministry for broken children, I was gearing myself up for some content that I would shudder at, but there wasn’t anything that would keep me from handing this book to a conservative teen. There was one mention of sexual abuse (and the words were used, that was the extent of the mention), but otherwise, the book focused more on where the children were at the point that they met Joey, and how he helped them in various ways. That was super sweet and amazing. If you’re one who cries easily, then this book will definitely have you in tears.

There was definitely spiritual content in this book. I’m not going to say that I agree 100% with everything, but there wasn’t anything doctrinally that concerned me in this book. It was more of a testimony book than a preaching book. And I was very interested to see how different people were affected by the ministry at Hope Reins.

I definitely recommend this book and found it easy to read for a non-fiction.

*I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers and happily provided my honest review*