When Laws Give You Lemons (Tuttle Twins Graphic Novels #1) by Tuttle Twins Authors
4 STARS (Synopsis at Tuttle Twins) Middle Grade Time-Travel Graphic Novel
Personal Review: We love what the Tuttle Twins stand for around here (liberty and critical thinking). This graphic novel series has been created from their cartoon shows. Since we don’t watch cartoons as a family, these books have been a fun treat for us. The time-travel aspect was very interesting, providing mini history lessons. And the relationship between the twins and with their mom and grandma was sweet and respectful.
I rated this for middle grade readers even though there are very few words on each page because some of the words are advanced and many of the concepts may not be understood by younger readers.
Content Warnings: mild bullying, a rude raccoon :)
Heart of a Royal (Daughters of Peverell #1) by Hannah Currie
5 STARS (Synopsis on StoryGraph) Young Adult Christian Royal Fantasy
Personal Review: This was the book that gave back to me my love of reading fiction. The romance is sweet, the secrets are jaw-dropping (in a good way), and the characters are dramatic renderings of real-life teens and young adults. I have read it 3 times and will likely read it again someday. I would let my daughters read this starting at about age 16.
The Story: This world of princes and princesses, kings and queens, castles and cottages, is juxtaposed with the modern pleasures of designer jeans, electricity, and indoor plumbing. I like that cell phones seem to be absent and the preferred transportation is horse-drawn carriage. But we also get to have dinner under tinkling strings of lights and someone knows how to predict the weather.
The main character, Kenna, has grown up with the 2 children of the king in her land. One of those children is Thoraben and this is their story. Kenna comes of age through a series of rash decisions, faulty assumptions, and a new understanding of her own feelings. Prince Thoraben is a strong and compassionate character who is willing to stand up to his own father and will protect those he loves with passion. I did not like Kenna as much this time; she was a little flighty and very blind to the things happening around her. But Thoraben charmed me more than ever. Even his weaknesses kept me cheering for him.
Content Warnings: a male character with a “reputation” (only impressions are given, no details), a very intense storm, 2 characters are married for a large part of the book and there are several awkward (but clean) moments, a forced marriage (which is due to the culture of the setting of the book)
The Farmer’s Bride (Amish Brides of Birch Creek #2) by Kathleen Fuller
5 STARS (Synopsis on StoryGraph) Amish (Christian) Romance
Personal Review: What fun! I don’t usually pick up Amish stories because they tend to be cheesy or too focused on rebellion or are terribly predictable. This story was none of those and I can’t wait to read the other books in the series. There were several characters that made the story funny and endearing. I also really appreciated the community as a whole; for example, the adult children are given space to make decisions for themselves (and maybe some mistakes along the way). This is an adult fiction but it was clean enough that I’d let my girls read it as teens.
The Story: Martha and Seth are not interested in a relationship, with each other or anyone else. One of them still feels the effects of a failed past relationship and the other is just too plain busy with a hobby. There are a lot of fun and lighthearted interactions plus some more serious situations that force true feelings of all kinds to the surface. A new family in the area also throws in a fun twist, since the family brings another single woman to Birch Creek (providing some relief for Martha from the constant attention she received from the single men).
I liked how honest Martha was with herself. She tried to overcome her weaknesses (failing a lot, but always trying). Seth’s story of finding his true passion for life and his kindness to those who seem to be disrupting his life was really well done. I LOVED the side characters and I’m having a hard time choosing my favorite. Seth’s brother Ira, Nina “the new girl”, and meddling Cevilla all added a lot to the story.
Content Warnings: chronic illness, a break-up story, an emergency scene, a kiss on the lips
Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love by Sally Clarkson
4 STARS (Synopsis on StoryGraph) Christian Nonfiction, Self-help
Personal Review: This is an overview of different areas of life that Sally is encouraging women from all stages of life and all circumstances to embrace and put forth their best efforts. This is not my favorite of Sally’s books, I think because it is so broad in what it covers, but it is still good quality and has moments of inspiration.
I plan to save this for my daughters to read. I actually found the chapter on marriage to be very good. Sally does not cast extremely specific roles for spouses like many Christian authors do, and I really appreciated her thoughts on marriage. And, of course, everything she says about parenting always gives me motivation.
Content Warnings: Sally shares a lot of personal stories, many of which include hardships, but nothing is shared in so much detail to make me uncomfortable.
Have you read any of these? What did you think?