The Last Christian

by David Gregory
illustrated by

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Religious/Secular Content	:	-Christian, secular setting
Adult Content	:	-Yes
Mature Topics	:	-Yes
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	-No
Magic/Witchcraft	:	-No
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	-No (although this is iffy)
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	-Yes
Violence/Abuse	:	-Yes
Educational Value	:	-
Positive/Negative Message	:	-

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This may contain spoilers- if you don't want to know what actually happens... well, you've been forewarned *wink*

From the back cover: 

In the future, it's possible to live forever -but at what cost?

A.D. 2088. Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter the insurmountable odds. 

But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether -but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance -the spiritual future of all humanity. 

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding "what-if?" novel. 

And that sets the stage for this book. What attracted me to the book was the title: The Last Christian. Christianity can't 'go away', we think. Christians who've read their Bible for any length of time would find this a very improbable scenario. 

This book is definitely fiction; science fiction at that. Let me start at the beginning with this book. I won't be really telling you what the book is about but will tear it apart for things you'll find in it. I'm sure I will miss some that others will find when/if they were to read it. You will probably get glimpses of what I thought of the book as you read.

It begins with what appears to be a surgical procedure about to be completed. But it's obvious the patient does not want the procedure done. Personally, I think this is the first instance of Mature Topics because it completely disregards another person's ability to choose. Some others may not feel the same way. In the category of Mature Topics I do place ethical decisions such as prolonging life beyond the natural years, or more profoundly, downloading the human brain to a silicon form! The book covers so many technological advances that were absorbed, fictionally of course, into the medical field but all, in my opinion, are a way of playing God. 

The story continues with Abby, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that ravaged her village, seeking help from the outside. Here is where some may find first instance of Mature Topics- all the people die, even the children. It isn't graphic, thankfully. The 'disease' simply makes those affected get dizzy, become forgetful and then finally fall into a coma that leads to death. As we go through the book, there is more death: Abby's grandfather is thought to be dead at the start, Creighton Daniel's father appears to have committed suicide and a few other people suspiciously die.

I think in terms of Mature Topics, death is the most pronounced -besides man trying to play God. Those who begin to try to piece together the mystery that surrounds Abby, her grandfather and some messages that have tried to be hidden, sometimes meet an untimely end. Abby's grandfather is not dead as we are initially made to believe but he is killed by the end of the book. Along with almost all of the 'main characters'. A lot of death but fortunately, not graphic.

Abby eventually travels to the United States where she has a cousin living. Here is where I think may be some Disrespect. Lauren, the cousin, is so cold and just rude, in my opinion, that I might label it disrespect. Abby is subjected to the same attitude a few times throughout the book. One instance, where Abby is having dinner with 'important' people (senators? and if not, they are politically affiliated with Lauren in some way) who are condescending but use  the phrase, "I mean no offense," before or after each derogatory statement or question. The general attitude of a multitude of characters I found to be just rude. 

Adult Content is found a few places throughout the book. The first mention of it is, I believe when Abby is getting the tour of the house of her cousin's "life partner" (they don't marry any longer but instead have 'life contracts' that are renewable- more on that in a bit). There is a teenager lying on a couch, apparently sleeping. Fortunately -again- there isn't much in the way of description here but we do learn that she was having s** with her boyfriend in virtual reality. The teenagers of this fictional reality are allowed virtual reality privileges such as that when they reach the age of thirteen! We thought Facebook was bad... 

Other instances include references to Creighton's possible previous virtual reality 'jaunts', if you will, of the same nature. As the book progresses, Creighton and Abby become close and there are scenes of kissing and description of strong feelings -nothing beyond kissing. They do have a conversation in which Abby tells Creighton that she will not have s** with him and he accepts that. 

We also are given a brief description of a strip club where two of the characters meet at a point or two in the book. Other instances of Adult Content could include the rocky relationship that many of the characters have currently or had in the past. Lauren and her life partner, Sabin, are one such couple. The writing just exudes tension when they are together. And many of the people of the time have kids with their life partners but when their contract runs out, they leave and have no relationship with their children. It is equivalent to divorce for me.

A problem with the people of this book -this fictional future- is that they are amoral. They have not right or wrong any longer.

The  Alcohol use is referenced quite a few times throughout the book: people have beer or wine with their meals. It mentions a bar and a dance club with the characters ordering and drinking. I think that the virtual reality in this book can be considered a 'drug' because there are places that have been designated as safe places for those who have lost their jobs, families, everything because they are addicted to the virtual reality. They stay in virtual reality and have nothing else because of it.

The Religious/ Secular Content is evident from the start to finish. It is written as a secular world with Christianity underlying everything that is to happen in the book. It makes reference to a few other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewish, and some others that I can't recall off the top of my head- but the main character (Abby) refutes them all as false religions. 

I personally had a problem with the Christian message trying to be put forth here but not all will, I understand. Basically, the message states that we need to let Jesus live in us and through us, more importantly than realizing that we are sinners in need of salvation. It was stressed that we cannot attain what God wants us to attain because we are imperfect -agreed. But it gave the impression that we should really stop trying so hard. Almost like a meditate and you'll get that 'peace' you need- and all will be great! 

It just didn't appeal to my beliefs as accurate or appropriate. 

Finally, the Violence. It is throughout the book but in spurts. It might be near the beginning but we don't see it consistently; it's strategically placed perhaps. When things feel calm and moving along nicely then bam! Some violence- generally with guns or a fist fight. There are only three accounts that I recall without looking, which means there are more. 

I didn't mark Educational Value or Positive/Negative Message because I think both of those are going to be up to the parent (or reader if not a child). The scenarios in terms of technology and the laws of the future are indeed thought provoking! Some of the references in the book to 'history' (which would still be our future in reality), I can see being a possibility -if things continue the way they are. The initial feel of the book could be either positive or negative, depending on how one looks at technology's role in life. The same with the view of Christianity -first is it 'extinct' but it has a chance of living on in a small group of people touched (not physically) by Abby, the woman from the jungle. 

I will tell you that I read this through in one day. I was captivated by the book. I didn't feel the characters were well done -not developed completely. And as I stated, I don't necessarily agree with the Christian message put forth by the end. But, I found it to be a very interesting read. Surprisingly, I don't recall any Strong/ Inappropriate Topics. (I will mention there is supposedly the Tolerance Act of 2036 that makes it illegal to say anything against another person's religion- you'll be thrown in jail if you do- how's that for tolerance!)

A Hero for WondLa

by Tony DiTerlizzi
illustrated by

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Religious/Secular Content	:	Both
Adult Content	:	No
Mature Topics	:	Yes
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	No
Magic/Witchcraft	:	No
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	Yes
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	Yes
Violence/Abuse	:	Yes
Educational Value	:	No
Positive/Negative Message	:	-

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The boy pilot of a battered airship flies twelve-year-old Eva Nine to the human city, New Attica. Eva is certain that this will be the perfect start to a new life with her good friend, the Caerulean alien named Rovender Kitt -especially after the tragic loss of her robotic caretaker, Muthr. However, like many things on planet Orbona, appearances can be deceiving.

Eva encounters many new people in New Attica, including a long-lost relative she was unaware of. And she uncovers the secrets of the Sanctuaries, the HRP, and the history of her planet's past. But then new questions arise, and the delicate spirit of life is threatened once again. Was coming to New Attica the right decision? 

A Hero for WondLa continues Eva Nine's adventures in the series... I posted about the first book, In Search of WondLa, in July of 2011. I am trying to not compare the two books but it might happen anyway. I will warn that there may be some 'spoilers' in this post, unintentionally, in order to let you know what to expect from this book. 

The author does have a note at the end of the book saying that his character, Eva Nine, had grown (in many ways- transformed and matured, he says) since the first book and that he, too, had grown. I think that it is quite evident in this book that there is a change. It still has the same feel (?) to it as the first but it is different. It takes a different path than I thought it would in terms of character development.

In the first book, I marked that there was neither religious/secular content and I suppose that is true but if a book is not religious, or makes no mention of God at all, wouldn't it be secular content? I chose to say "Both" in this case. It is about 'worldly things', not Godly things. It does have a few references to spirits and an afterlife but doesn't go into details. It reminded me (vaguely) of Native American beliefs (the spirits of the plants and animals somehow having a connection with humans- that is a generalized description) and/or the reincarnation religions. It doesn't actually say that the characters believe the spirit will return as another form but that it just travels on...to where? There aren't specifics given. 

Near the end of the book, when Eva and her companions are searching for the 'generator' that the creator of New Attica is after, and they reach the center of the Wandering Forest, it gets ...weird. I don't know how else to put it but that. Basically there is an 'entity' in the center of the forest that is the Mother of All Nature; the Spark of Life. It takes one of the characters and 'evolves' her into a tree-girl. Also we learn that the Mother is really an evolved machine. But it evolved on its own, over time. 

There isn't any 'love' in this book but the love of friendship and siblings. No kissing, hugging, or any real displays of affection of that sort. So no adult content in that regards.

As with the other book, there is mature content. The book starts right where the first one left off (there'd been quite a battle and Eva's Muthr was destroyed). There are creatures that can only be contrived by the imagination that are capable of snapping people and machinery in half quite easily. There are instances where someone is hurt by a creature and they bleed, another time when a new friend sacrifices their life to save the group (we are only given the description of an explosion where the character had been). Also there is the topic of families being separated, torn apart. 

After Eva is registered in New Attica, she finds out that there are no aliens in the city- because they are used for experimentation by the leader and 'reprogrammed'. I gathered that they are actually tortured but we aren't given details on that, thankfully. 

I didn't find any strong or inappropriate language in the book, in terms of how we speak. There was a scene where three girls are making fun of another girls hair and I'm sure the words they use are intended to be insulting. Pretty much the words were made up. And as for the witchcraft/magic, I put no but Eva can communicate with many of the creatures (including plant-life) on the planet. I don't know if that would classify or not.

There is disrespect/rebellion on the part of Eva, Eva Eight, and the pilot, Hailey. For the first two, it is rebellion against corrupt authority. They sneak around after curfew and Eight removes the identification chip that is in Eva so that they cannot be tracked. Disrespect is evident from Eight when she is presented before the leader of the city. Hailey is disrespectful to his grandfather in one scene; calls him crazy. 

Rovee (Rovender) drinks some sort of alcoholic drink a few times in the book. It specifically says it is a fermented drink that dulls the senses. 

Violence and abuse are frequent throughout the book. The descriptions range from just a mention to somewhat descriptive. 

I found no educational value in this book but perhaps for 'creative writing'. 

I had said that the other book had what could be called a positive message: don't give up. This book at first seems to focus on following ones heart but toward the end, I felt more along the lines of doing what's right and best for all, not just oneself, was the message.

I didn't like this book as much as the first. It is 437 pages of actual story but the font is large and the words-per-page is perhaps a few hundred. There are illustrations throughout, which I did like for the most part. One of the last ones though, shows Eva Nine in a fetal position, naked (it doesn't show anything) with translucent skin -like an xray. That was my least favorite image. 

I would consider this book 'twaddle' based on CM's words:

“What manner of book will find its way with upheaving effect into the mind of an intelligent boy or girl? We need not ask what the girl or boy likes. She very often likes the twaddle of goody-goody story books, he likes condiments, highly-spiced tales of adventure. We are all capable of liking mental food of a poor quality and a titillating nature” (Vol. 3, p. 168).

I think there will be one more book in this series but I'm not sure if I will read it. The first book is, in my opinion, better than this one, which makes me wonder how the third book will be. Maybe I will read it after all.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jacqueline Kelly
illustrated by NA

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Religious/Secular Content	:	It talks about Darwin's theory of evolution and makes no arguments about it; mentions religion, church, Bible but not God. Fairly secular.
Adult Content	:	Does talk a bit about courting, crushes, kissing.
Mature Topics	:	Instance of referring to photographs from the Civil War, describes a bit; one girl has a brother that is 'addled', describes him briefly in one part of the book; amputation is described (the experience, not the procedure) as well as burning the appendages later. Calpurnia wonders about seeing a dead body.
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	There are a few words, 'darn' and pi**.
Magic/Witchcraft	:	No
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	Yes; Calpurnia backtalks a few times. She also meddles where she shouldn't in her brother's affairs and it causes some strife in the family.
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	Yes; Calpurnia's grandfather drinks a few times and is trying to make pecan alcohol; he gives it to Calpurnia, who is 11 at the time, as well as offers it to her again later. Calpurnia's mother also drinks a tonic that is 20% alcohol for headaches. There is wine at the holidays.
Violence/Abuse	:	The piano teacher thwacks Calpurnia's knuckles. Two brothers have a scuffle over a girl. One of Calpurnia's brothers pinches her to try to get her in trouble.
Educational Value	:	Yes; many scientific names and descriptions.
Positive/Negative Message	:	Neutral. More positive.

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This is a great book. Those who are interested in nature study will enjoy the theme throughout this book. 


It takes place in 1899 to the New Year of 1900 in a smallish Texas town. Calpurnia, or Callie Vee to most of her family and friends, is 11 3/4 years old and the only girl. Her oldest brother, Harry, dotes on her and she is his 'own pet'. He starts her love of science (and nature) by giving her a nature journal to write down all she sees. 


At first she writes down very little but through the book she progresses to more detail descriptions. We are only given a glimpse into what she wrote a few times and later it is only the questions she is pondering that we know she writes in her journal. When she comes upon a strange occurrence, she asks anyone she can what it means. No one knows and really no one seems to care. 


Someone either tells her to go as Granddaddy or she decides to ask him herself. He is someone that most of the kids are afraid of. He doesn't talk much and when he does most of the adults just humor him because he is old. Calpurnia is just afraid. When she finally does get the nerve to ask him, he tells her to figure it out. Not much help, huh? 


But it is! After that, she starts asking the real questions that will help her find the answers. When she comes to the answer herself, she tells Granddaddy- and their relationship blooms from there.


There is a lot of humor in this but some may be 'naughty' humor, I suppose. Granddaddy gives Calpurnia some pecan alcohol that he is trying to perfect and although it's a shock, I'll bet Calpurnia never drank again! He also teaches her the words to pirate and sea chanteys with 'naughty' words. 


In Calpurnia's time, women were to stay home and had to know how to cook, sew, knit, etc. Calpurnia doesn't want to do that but is torn between what is expected of her and her gender and what she actually wants to do. 


Very good book that I think kids and parents will enjoy. If it were a read-aloud it would quite easy to skip the few parts that are possibly 'objectionable'.

Peace Child

Peace Child
by Don Richardsons

by by
illustrated by

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Religious/Secular Content	:	- Religious, Christian, missionary biography
Adult Content	:	- yes
Mature Topics	:	- yes
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	- no
Magic/Witchcraft	:	- yes (real, demonic)
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	- no
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	- no
Violence/Abuse	:	- yes
Educational Value	:	- yes
Positive/Negative Message	:	- Positive

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Your text here. Don Richardson carries us deep into the jungles to the Sawi tribe and uses words to paint a clear picture of life among them. His story begins long before he even arrived. He begins with the conflict that created the atmosphere of revenge and hostility that he entered unknowingly, and how God moved to bring him there in the midst of it.

The Sawi people exalted treachery. Their highest honor was to befriend someone with what they believed to be genuine friendship only to turn on them after an extended relationship and kill and eat them. The cannibalistic rituals are described in detail in this book that obviously gets somewhat gruesome at times. Other rituals include dancing under a rotting corpse and a rarely used trick involves a woman touching a man's genitals. In reading to my kids, I intentionally skipped portions and summarized, sometimes vaguely the activities of these tribes.

Story after story shows the depravity of these people apart from Christ. Richardson does not dwell on them, but he does not sugarcoat them either. This is a powerful book but not one I would read to children under middle school without lots of omissions. And, even in handing it to a high schooler I would want them to know what they are in for and discuss the events as they unfold.

Despite the gory nature of many of their traditions and the danger and suspense of jungle living, the powerful story of life change left me in tears. Richardson ends up using one of these unbelievable rituals to show the incredible love of Christ. Only He was the eternal Peace Child that they were seeking. It was amazing how God placed this redemptive analogy in this corrupt culture to prepare their hearts for the gospel.

Each chapter ends where you will not want to put it down. Reading a chapter a day was not nearly enough for most of my kids. Life changing and unforgettable.

The Search for WondLa

by Tony DiTerlizzi
illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi

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Religious/Secular Content	:	none
Adult Content	:	No
Mature Topics	:	Yes
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	No
Magic/Witchcraft	:	No
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	Yes
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	No
Violence/Abuse	:	Yes
Educational Value	:	No
Positive/Negative Message	:	-

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Eva Nine had never seen the actual sun before, or walked outdoors. In fact, she had never even seen another living person in all twelve years of her life. That changes when a marauding huntsman destroys her underground home and send her fleeing for her life. She is desperate to find someone else who is like her, and a single clue give her hope: a crumbling picture of a girl, a robot, an adult, and the word WondLa.
The Search for WondLa begins a trilogy whose imaginative text and breathtaking illustrations are sure to inspire dreams.

Four-hundred-sixty-six pages long, this book took just over one day for my dd (14) to read and one for myself. It is easy reading; nothing too complicated.

There isn't a slant that I could tell that would categorize this book as religious or secular.
In terms of 'adult content', there is none. There is some 'mature content': it starts with Besteel, a huntsman, destroying the 'sanctuary' (or living quarters) of Eva ("Earth in Vitro Alpha"- the main character). There is violence toward other characters in the book, mostly by Besteel. There are a few instances where Eva is trying to escape and catastrophe seems to follow- destruction of property. There are also instances of animals being hunted for eating. 

In one scene, I felt it was quite sad, Besteel has captured many creatures and we are given the details of him killing one of the creatures. It isn't extremely graphic but it was definitely 'mature content'! Another time we are witnesses to a scene of a creature being 'preserved' for display in a museum- but it is alive when they begin the procedure. The animal is paralyzed and then frozen (?) before it's skin is removed so that its internal organs can be seen. Depending on the sensitivity of the reader, that could be quite bothersome.

Eva is disrespectful to her Muthr (which stands for Multi-Utility Task Help Robot; a robot that has been Eva's 'mother' since her birth) and disobeys when she is forbidden to travel to certain parts of the sanctuary. 

I thought it was a good book. It feels like it is a different planet throughout the book. Strange creatures and languages. It is basically about a girl that is forced to survive in an unknown environment with simply her wits (because all she has been taught doesn't really come in handy). She makes friends of unlikely creatures and they all help her to overcome. I suppose it could be construed as 'positive' message- don't give up.

Timeless

by Alexandra Monir
illustrated by N/A

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Religious/Secular Content	:	- secular
Adult Content	:	- yes
Mature Topics	:	- yes
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	- no
Magic/Witchcraft	:	- yes
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	- yes
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	- yes
Violence/Abuse	:	- yes
Educational Value	:	- no
Positive/Negative Message	:	- -

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This a 'romance' but definitely not in the Harlequin Romance fashion. Written for 'young adults', this book contains scenes of kissing, dating, and if not for the morals of a 1910 gentleman tossed in, there might have been more.


Michele is the sixteen-year-old daughter of a single (never been married) mother living in California. Going into her junior year of high school, Michele has just recently been dumped by her boyfriend for a sophomore. That is the first instance of adult/mature content, in my opinion. Michele's mother dies near the beginning of the book in a car crash (another mature topic). Quite sad.

Fast forward a bit in the book and there are more references to mature content. Michele meets Philip (who lives in 1910, and this is where the 'magic' comes in- see farther down in my post) and they instantly connect. At first it is just the feeling of 'puppy love' (butterflies, sweaty palms, blushing) but before long they do kiss. Although the author does a great job of keeping it mellow, the mind can definitely get carried away with the emotions that the characters are feeling (heart beating faster, breath catching, tingling skin, etc., -words from the book). The most 'intense' scene if you will is on page 166-167, where the chivalry from 1910 comes to the rescue of something happening that shouldn't!

One of Michele's past relatives is Clara, the illegitimate daughter of one of her great-great-great (?) grandfathers. A little later after meeting Clara (by going back in time mysteriously via a key and a diary), we learn that Clara's mother and Michele's g-g-g-grandfather had had an affair.

There isn't reference to God or religion that I can recall in this book and I've marked that it contains magic/witchcraft but in the book they would associate it more in a scientific way (think Einstein's Theory of Relativity) but it's still 'magic' to me. 

There is one or two scenes where Michele argues quite disrespectfully with her grandparents, and she on more than one occasion doesn't follow the rules that her grandparents have set. I have marked no for strong language because there is no cussing but the arguments may equate to 'strong' language for some.


At one point Michele goes back to 1925 and meets her great-grandmother, Lily. In the first scenes of this meeting they are planning for Lily to sneak out, against her parents rules, to perform at a 'speakeasy'. In another scene Lily has had some 'giggle water' and is obviously intoxicated. She is also accused of letting an older man 'practically feeling' her up.

And there is one particular scene, after Michele sees Philip for the first time in 1910, where his uncle gives him a beating. We aren't subjected to the details but Philip has a 'bruised and painfully red' cheek. When questioned about it, Philip says, "Our little dance cost me a good beating."

Although I have marked no for educational value, there are many parts of this book that include accurate historical information. Primarily of New York during the Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties and during World War II. The author's detailed descriptions of the architecture, culture and society during those times is educational, but the frequency is so little that it is almost an after thought and it would be difficult, for me personally, to justify using this as a historical reference/book.


And now what the book is 'about' (courtesy of the front flap):
When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor's family, she is forced to move from Los Angeles to New York City to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she has never met. In their historic Fifth Avenue mansion, filled with a century's worth of family secrets, Michele discovers the biggest family secret of all-an ancestor's diary that, amazingly, has the power to send her back in time to 1910, the year it was written. There, at a high-society masquerade ball, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life. And she finds herself falling for him, and into an otherworldly romance.
Soon Michele is leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves- and to complete a quest that will determine their fate.

Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile

by Gloria Houston
illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb

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Religious/Secular Content	:	-no
Adult Content	:	-no
Mature Topics	:	-no
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	-no
Magic/Witchcraft	:	-no
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	-no
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	-no
Violence/Abuse	:	-no
Educational Value	:	-yes
Positive/Negative Message	:	-Teaches the history of a library.

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Oh, another great picture book!! This one is written by the same author that wrote My Great-Aunt Arizona...look into it, it's a good one as well!!

I think I'm partial to this book because it takes place in North Carolina-our home!

The book opens and you meet Dorothy, a little girl who loves books and loves people. She loves to loan out her books to her friends so that they too can find the treasures in them. Dorothy then determines that when she grows up she will become the librarian of the fine brick library in the center of the town square in her hometown of Massachusetts.

We find out however that even after attending college; preparing herself to be the best educated librarian that she can be; her plans don't happen like she thought.

The story then takes readers to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where Miss Dorothy's librarian dreams take a route that she didn't quite expect.

Oh, this is a lovely book!! It displays how one person's love of books can permeate her surroundings and affect the lives of those she comes in contact with. It teaches that although things may not turn out exactly as we had planned that doesn't mean that our dreams won't be fulfilled. Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile also inspires a love and respect for libraries and librarians alike.

If you are a book lover-and you probably wouldn't be reading this blog if you weren't-then you need to check out this and other books by Gloria Houston. You won't be disappointed.

This book would also be a good addition to any study on libraries that you may be doing in your homeschool!