Little Star by Anthony DeStefano

by Anthony DeStefano
illustrated by Mark Elliott

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Religious/Secular Content	:	- Religions
Adult Content	:	- None
Mature Topics	:	- None
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	- None
Magic/Witchcraft	:	- None
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	- None
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	- None
Violence/Abuse	:	- None
Educational Value	:	- Teaches the story of Jesus
Positive/Negative Message	:	- Teaches that Jesus came to save all

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Publisher: Multnomah Books
Hardback, 40 pages
Recommended Ages: 4 - 8
ISBN 978-0-307-45805-6
Retail Price: $12.9

This is a childrens book that tells the story of Jesus in a way that I have never even thought of - from that of the little shining star.

There are two parts to this story - the story of the star and the story of Jesus.

The story of the star talks about how no one likes him, how he is too small and how everyone ignores him.

The second part of the story is about Jesus, about how He came to serve and save "the little people".

Although I think the author was trying to tie the story of the star to how Jesus came to save the ones no one likes - I didn't really like how it was tied together (or wasn't really tied together).  I did appreciate  the part of the little star story where even though he was the littlest - he was the only one who saw Jesus as the King through the poverty and circumstances.

If you are looking for a book that tells the story of Jesus in an entirely new way...this is the book for you!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Blogging 4 Books in exchange for my honest review. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

31 Days of Drawing Near to God

by Ruth Myers
illustrated by N/A

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Religious/Secular Content	:	- Christian
Adult Content	:	- References to dating and/or courtship
Mature Topics	:	- Death, cancer, dying
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	- No
Magic/Witchcraft	:	- No
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	- No
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	- No
Violence/Abuse	:	- No
Educational Value	:	- --
Positive/Negative Message	:	- Positive

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Paperback
184pages
Published by WaterBrook Multnomah 


Devotional, 31 days.
Each day has commentary followed by scriptures. 


This book includes many of the authors own experiences that may be compared to the readers circumstances. Myers' first husband died from an aggressive cancer and her second (at the writing of the book) was diagnosed and undergoing treatment for cancer.


I would say this is more suited to a high school student and older. Some of the references may be confusing to those younger.

The Search

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

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Religious/Secular Content	:	- Religious
Adult Content	:	- None
Mature Topics	:	- None
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	- None
Magic/Witchcraft	:	- None
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	- Very little; not inappropriately shared
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	- None
Violence/Abuse	:	- Very little; not inappropriately shared
Educational Value	:	- None
Positive/Negative Message	:	- Positive message

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The SearchAuthor: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Paperback, 295 pages
Retail: $14.99

This book was absolutely AMAZING!  Once I got started, I couldn’t put it down!  Every time you think the story has as many curves as it can get, Mrs Fisher throws in another one!  This story is engaging and very well written.

It is about an Amish community and many of the people that live within (and a few that live without) that community.  It is mainly about one family, that has been “torn” apart by an accident involving a drunk driver and the death of the son’s wife.  When he couldn’t take the pain of living there any longer, he moved himself and his little girl to another state.  The son’s mother, called “Mammy”, requests that her grandaughter come spend the summer with her.  Although nervous, she decides to go (mostly to avoid being home when her father gets her Algebra grade).  Not long after arriving, she learns that Mammy is an incredible person.  With in the next couple months, she also learns about teenage crushes (and their pain), death, the REAL meaning of family, Biblical sacrifice and what it means to have faith in the Lord.

About the Author

In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook…the latter two with sporadic results.

Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.

After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn’t even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. “That’s why there’s no food in this house!” said her slightly insensitive sons.

Undaunted…Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple awards). With help from an agent, she now has numerous  books under contract with Revell. Also look for Suzanne’s Amish non-fiction, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, as well as Amish Proverbs, and coming in Spring of 2011, look for Amish Values for Your Family. The Choice and The Waiting are the previous books in the Lancaster County Secrets Collection.

Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Blind Hope

by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher

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Religious/Secular Content	:	- Both but mostly religious
Adult Content	:	- None that would be inappropriate
Mature Topics	:	- Nothing that would be inappropriate
Strong/Inappropriate Language	:	- None
Magic/Witchcraft	:	- None
Disrespect/Rebellion	:	- None
Drug/Alcohol Use	:	- None
Violence/Abuse	:	- None
Educational Value	:	- None
Positive/Negative Message	:	- Positive message about trusting the Lord

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Blind HopeAuthor: Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Paperback, 178 pages
ISBN 9781601422804
Retail Price: $13.99

This book was wonderfully refreshing and was not at all boring! It is easy to read and moves quickly. Being an animal lover and dog trainer, I can completely relate to a lot of the thoughts and feelings shared within.

This story reminds me of a parrable being told – using the life of a dog to explain the ways of life with God in your life. The story is about a woman who rescues a dog – but in reality the dog rescues the woman. Laurie was raise in a Christian home but never really put God first in her life. She made a lot of bad choices and didn’t believe in true love, peace or contentment.

Through watching her dog cheerfully bound thru lifes hardships, she learned many important lessons about how she had been pushing God away and trying to do things on her own. This TRUE STORY shows just how God does meet us right where we are.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!