What does it take for a person to get to the place where they ultimately accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Author Lori A. Moore takes the reader through her personal journey to salvation in Jesus Christ in her book “From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years.” This book is a beautiful testimony of how Lori eventually found herself in need of a relationship with Jesus, even after being previously uninterested in anything to do with church or religion. Lori explains what life was like after her decision and how she began to grow in her faith. This story is designed to be an encouragement to all of…

What if you were left all alone and abandoned? Where would you go? Who would you turn to? The little puppy Buddy finds himself all alone after all the rest of his family had been adopted by other families as pets. Buddy sets out in search of his own home and family in “Buddy Finds a Home” by Rachel Edmiston. This is a great book that I really enjoyed. There is lots of description throughout the book and since it’s written from the puppy’s perspective, it’s easy to feel connected and attached to Buddy and to really hope with him and feel sadness with him. This book is excellent to…

Action, adventure, romance, and of course murder. These are the ingredients for Ursula Gorman’s newest thriller, “The Best of Us.” Carly had a crush on Daniel Wayne as long as she had known him, but to him he was always his little sister Jenna’s best friend. After many years apart pursuing their own individual dreams, they’re thrown back together following Jenna’s tragic murder. Ursula crafts an exciting story with several twists and turns in the plot. She adds in the character Detective Stone from her first book “Old Acquaintences” (which is also fabulous!!) to help piece together the clues and work to bring the killer to justice, before he strikes…

Have you ever been so mad you just wanted to scream? Absolutely! Every person can get to that point and for kids, it can be difficult to know how to express that feeling or what to do with it. “Grammy Dee Solves the Case of the Red-Hot Screamies” by Diane Head tackles this difficult subject. This book is designed to help older elementary school and middle school children understand their anger, know what is behind the angry feelings, and learn some practical tips on how to deal with their anger. This book has some story elements, but is written as a guide, not a exactly a story. Diane offers some…

Having an imagination is a great thing, but for young Thomas, it kicks into overdrive when he hears the statement “Til the Cows Come Home.” In this book by Judy Perry Drewett, young Thomas starts seeing cows everywhere when he hears that phrase. What if he was still in bed until the cows came home? Would there be cows in his room and all over this bed? This book is a great use of imagination and an example of how some of the phrases that we use don’t always sound like we intend them. The fabulous illustrations in the book really bring it to life and help the reader to…

Sometimes the best thing to do in a situation is to laugh. However, that is often not the easiest. In Mary Lee’s new book, “When Grandma’s False Teeth Fly,” she explores that idea as Katie, a six year old child, experiences some teasing from the other kids at school for having a chipped tooth. Katie goes home and shares her sadness and embarrassment with her Grandma. Grandma then shares her own story of a situation that happened to her several years ago, and how she learned to laugh and to keep a sense of humor about everything. It is often easy to get embarrassed about lots of things and no…

If you’ll recall, a couple of weeks back we looked at the new children’s book Hannah the Hedgehog goes to Heaven by Lori A. Moore. Well, that wasn’t her first published children’s book. She also has this cute little story of Grady the Gray Cat.This beautiful book tells the story of how Grady came to be a part of his adopted home. The story begins with Grady at the shelter and he is selected by his “parents” and brought home and introduced to his two “sister.” Grady learns to adapt to his new home and the story shares how they learn to live together and love each other.Just like Hannah…

If I’m honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received a copy of Zeke Lam’s book subMISSION. I was contacted by his agent who asked if I’d be willing to take a look at it. Never one to turn down an opportunity to read a book, I accepted.The book is a nonfiction book about how to move into a deeper relationship with God through the concept of submission. In fact, He would argue that being submissive to God is in fact our greatest mission in life. He presents the arguments easily throughout the book and incorporates lots of his own personal experiences which demonstrate how he has lived…

As a child, lots of situations can seem scary. In Gailya Len Keller’s book The Secret of Smiley’s Woods, little Sarah finds herself in the woods with only her dog after her older brother and their cousin run off and leave her. Certainly, that situation would be scary enough, but add to that the fact that the two boys had been telling her stories about the scary old man named Ben who lived in the woods and comes out at night, and Sarah is terrified as she tries to find her way home. Gailya’s book is a beautifully illustrated book that shares Sarah’s journey through the woods, her encounter with…

The loss of a pet is often be a child’s first real experience with death. It’s hard to know how to cope and as a parent, it can be hard to know what to say or how to explain what’s going on to a child. Lori A. Moore’s new book Hannah the Hedgehog Goes to Heaven/Lilly Loses her Best Friend is designed to help. This is a beautiful little book that is full of color as it describes the friendship between a little girl and her pet Hedgehog. When Hannah the Hedgehog gets sick and eventually dies, the little girl Lilly is trying to understand what is happening and why. For…