Middle Grade Fantasy, Juvenile Historical, Christian Parenting x 2!
Reading habits are changing
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In this article:
Everblaze by Shannon Messenger
Little Town at the Crossroads by Maria D. Wilkes
Giving Your Words by Clay and Sally Clarkson
The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities #3) by Shannon Messenger
3 STARS, Middle Grade Fantasy, My format: hard cover
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Sophie’s adventure in the elf world continues as she discovers secrets and joins with her friends to find answers to some mysteries.
Personal Review:
There is nothing really wrong with this installment of the series, but I just found myself getting bored. I really like Keefe's arc and would love to see more of his growth and maturity. Sophie is starting to get a little annoying, especially in the way she treats Dex. Dex is one of my favorite characters - he learns to accept himself and use his talents the best way he knows how. I wish he had a stronger part in the books.
I do like that the 5 friends have come together as more of one unit instead of trying to compete with each other to be on Team Foster. I'm hoping those relationships continue to strengthen throughout the series.
I don't plan to continue reading the series at this point, but I'm not opposed to reading more if I get the itch to do so in the future.
Content Warnings:
some flirting and blushing, fantasy-world violence
Little Town at the Crossroads (The Caroline Years #2) by Maria D. Wilkes
4 STARS, Juvenile Historical Fiction, My format: Read-aloud to 8-, 7-, 4-, and 2-year-old girls
Caroline’s story continues with her siblings and mother in this sweet next installment of The Caroline Years.
Personal Review:
These stories about Caroline as a child are so sweet. My daughters really relate to the way Caroline feels about things - her fears, excitements, and curiosities could have been written by my girls!
We especially liked the scenes of Caroline seeing the circus passing by and then the misunderstanding that happens later on related to that. We were all laughing out loud! This is a great feat since one of the animals involved is one that we have a general phobia of in our house. It really helped us in real time reduce the fear of that animal because the story was so funny. Bonus for us!
Content Warnings:
some moments with animals but everything works out okay
Giving Your Words by Sally and Clay Clarkson
4 STARS, Christian Parenting, My format: a beautiful hard cover
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Sally and Clay give ample inspiration to parent with your words and fill your homes with the right kind of words.
Personal Review:
I really love all of the Clarksons' books. This one reminds me some of Awaking Wonder (which I liked more than this one) in that it is more inspirational in nature than it is practical. I did find myself feeling inadequate in many ways because speaking words like Sally did with her children definitely does not come naturally to me. But she mentioned her book Ministry of Motherhood is more practical, so I'll be picking that one up next!
My favorite section was when the Clarksons discussed the blessings they would speak over their children. I dog-eared that page and hope to implement some of that in the future. I also love the reminder that reading aloud and sharing stories together is a wonderful way to connect with your children - you all know I agree with that!
I really loved the notes from the children in the epilogue. Nathan's recounting of his mother's kind and encouraging words in a moment where he expected disappointment and discipline was really eye-opening for me. I am hungry for more of this style of parenting.
The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ’s Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children
4 STARS, Christian Parenting, My format: paperback
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Sally uses a personal study she did on how Christ discipled his followers and translated that into our modern parenting.
Personal Review:
I love Sally's writing and I also love that her focus is always on relationships. Most Christian parenting books focus on discipline and Sally shows us a different perspective on Christian parenting that I soak up.
This was my second time reading this and this time the personal anecdotes got a little old after a while. I understand her parenting expertise comes from those experiences, but I started skimming the personal stories towards the end. Overall, I needed a refresher on the priorities I want to have in raising my children, and this book is very helpful for that!
Have you read any of these books? Do any of them look interesting to you?