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ChristianVolume X, No.4December 2005LibraryJ O U R N A LJ O U R N A L

Christian Library Journal isshed quarterly January throughmber by Christian Libraryices. Subscriptions $20 per yeare. Back issues included. Indexedhristian Periodical Index.ess correspondence to@ChristianLibraryJ.org, or tostian Library Services, 1225son Street, Wenatchee, WA1-3109. Copyright 2005 bystian Library Services.Volume X, No.4December, 2005ISSN 1097-1262ChristianLibraryJ O U R N A Lwww.christianlibraryj.orgpurpose of the Christian Librarynal is to provide readers withws from a Christian point of viewoth Christian and secular libraryrials for the Christian reader.rials reviewed may reflect ad range of Christian doctrinalions and do not necessarily reflectiews of the staff of the Christianary Journal.T A B L E O F C O N T E N T SNew Christmas Books Worth Keeping Kim Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Learning Native American Culture Jane Mouttet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Nancy HeschDr. Ray Leggary McKinneyMaxine Cambramarie DiCristoylvia StopforthKaren BrehmerEditor & PublisherEditor: NonfictionEditor: FictionYA NonfictionEditor: YA FictionEditor:Children’s NonfictionEditor: Children’s FictionEditor: Picture BooksJack — Who Built the Land of Narnia Donna Bowling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Key to Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Picture Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Children’s Fiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Children’s Nonfiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14YA Fiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18YA Nonfiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21er: God in the Flesh, by Don Everts.Varsity Press, 2005. Used with permission.ished in the U.S.A. ©2004, Christianary Journal.Adult Fiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Adult Nonfiction Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 5

New ChristmasBooks WorthKeepingby Kim HarrisApple tree Christmas / written by TrinkaHakes Noble. LCCN 2005017679.Chelsea, Mich. : Sleeping Bear Press,2005.HBB, 1585362700, list price: $16.95.E. Trees--Fiction; Apples--Fiction; Christmas--Fiction; Blizzards--Fiction; Farm life--Fiction. 1 v.(unpaged) : ill., mostly col. ; 29 cm..Grades PS and up. Rating : 5.In Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka HakesNoble, Katrina, sister Josie, Mama, and Papalive in an old barn next to an ancient apple treewith a grape vine swing. The family picks andprepares the apples for winter, Josie enjoys theswing, and Katrina has her own branch to sit onthat, because of its vantage point and nice flatsurface for drawing on, is the perfect drawingstudio.Just before the Christmas of 1881, an ice stormfells the old apple tree and the family mourns itsloss. Christmas, however, brings many funsurprises. The joy of the apple tree isresurrected in the form of sweet smelling appleshung on the Christmas tree; a vine swing forJosie hung from the beams of the barn; adrawing board for Katrina made from apple treewood, stocked with drawing paper and willowstick charcoals. Illustrations warmly depictpioneer farm life, nature, and the familyholiday. Noble is the award winning author ofseveral books, including the Jimmy’s Boaseries.Apple Tree Christmas reminds the reader of asimpler life, in which holidays are warm, sweetsmelling, cozy, and sparse. Stark white snow issoftened with gray shading and brightened withred, green, and blue to produce a simple, LittleHouse on the Prairie feel.Josie’s gift / Kathleen Long Bostrom ;illustrated by Frank Ordaz. Nashville :Broadman & Holman, 2005.HBB, 0805430202, list price: $16.99.E. Christmas--Fiction; Giving--Fiction; Christianlife--Fiction. 35 p. : col. ill. ; 26 x 29 cm..Grades PS and up. Rating : 5.In contrast to the lights and brights of AppleTree Christmas, Josie’s Gift by KathleenLong Bostrom; illustrated by Frank Ordaz,emanates a warm, golden glow. Althoughthe story is set during the Great DepressionEra, warmth and love still radiate from thepages. The story begins: Papa used to say“Christmas is not about what we want. It’sabout what we have.” The first Christmasafter he died of the fever is tough for Josie,Mama, and little brother Bobby Joe. Eventhough Mama tells her they can’t affordmuch this year, with Papa gone and Mamanow the family’s breadwinner, Josie has herheart set on receiving the soft blue sweaterfrom the window of the elegant clothingstore for her Christmas gift. Josie lamentsover special Christmases past, when Papacarved Nativity pieces and the familyattended Christmas Eve services together.When she receives the sweater forChristmas she is happy, but continues togrieve over the loss of her Papa. In theevening, wearing her new sweater, Josiewalks out to the barn to check on theanimals and finds a homeless couple withtheir newborn child who have sought shelterin the barn. Deeply moved by the scene,Josie gives them her sweater to wrap thebaby in and, in giving, discovers the truejoy of Christmas. Illustrations appropriatelydepict the family closeness and scarcity ofpossessions of farm life during the GreatDepression Era.Good King Wenceslas / John M. Neale,Tim Ladwig. LCCN 2004010237. GrandRapids : Eerdmans Books for YoungReaders, 2005.HBB, 0802852092, list price: $16.00.782.28/1723. Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, ca. 907-929 --Juvenile literature; Wenceslas, Duke ofBohemia, ca. 907-929; Carols, English--Texts;Christmas music--Texts; Carols; Christmas music. 1v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 28 cm..Grades PS and up. Rating : 5.Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale andTim Ladwig, is a story that starts in the moderndayCzech Republic city of Prague. Singers inthe square surround the statue of Good KingWenceslas, the country’s patron saint, and singof days past. One day the King looks out ontothe courtyard and sees a poor man gatheringwood. He orders his page to purchase wood fora hearty fire and food for a feast. Accompaniedby their faithful hound, both King and page setout through a blizzard to present these gifts tothe poor man and his family. Reaching beyondrank and status, they share the blessings ofChristmas together. Text was written by JohnM. Neale, an Anglican priest in 1853, toencourage sharing with those less fortunate onSaint Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26th).Tim Ladwig’s illustrations, consisting ofwatercolor, liquid acrylic, and oil on paper,have been added to the original Christmas carolabout the compassion of Wenceslas, duke ofBohemia. In contrast to the brights and starksof Apple Tree Christmas and the warm glow ofJosie’s Gift, Good King Wenceslas vibrates anevening light that is both stormy and frosted insoft purples and blues.Sacred songs of Christmas : a familytreasury / illustrations by AndreaEberbach, Paine Proffitt, Nicole Wong.St. Louis, Mo. : Concordia, 2005.HBB, 0758607210, list price: $19.99.808.81/933. Christmas music; Carols. 59 p. : col. ill.; 29 cm. ; incl. CD-ROM..Grades PS and up. Rating : 5.Sacred Songs of Christmas: A Family Treasury,includes a CD of Christmas carols sung by achildren‘s choir, entitled “Voices of Children.”Illustrations by Andrea Eberbach, PaineProffitt, and Nicole Wong are reminiscent of anAdvent Calendar in theme and short-takes style.While Apple Tree Christmas, Josie’s Gift, andGood King Wenceslas each reflect the spirit ofgiving, they are single tales. This treasuryincludes poems, music and lyrics, recipes,crafts, activities, and single-page stories thatcan easily be broken up into segmentsappealing even to young children with limitedattention spans. Scripture referencesthroughout are taken from the NIV Bible.Themes include the Legend of Santa Claus; thestory of Jesus’ mother, Mary; the tale of MartinLuther; religious traditions; descriptions ofangels; instructions for making Christmas craftsand activities; and ideas on how to refocus theholiday on sharing and giving, rather thancommercial hype. Colorful illustrations arerendered by Andrea Eberbach, Paine Proffitt,and Nicole Wong.Each story is unique in its theme andillustrations, yet all remind the reader of the realfocus of the season…Jesus. All four bookshighly recommended for all Christmascollections.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 2 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

Learning Native American CultureThrough Booksby Jane MouttetIn the last column in this series, these books include informationabout more than one tribe of people and would be useful only forbasic introductory information. Finally are a few books aboutspecific tribes which were not included in the column on that regionof the country.GENERAL BOOKS*Atlas of Indians of North America / writtenand illustrated by Gilbert Legay. LCCN95013019. Hauppauge, N.Y. : Barron’sEducational, 1995.HBB, 0812065158, list price: $18.95.970.004/97. Indians of North America--Social life andcustoms--Handbooks, manuals, etc.; Indians of NorthAmerica--History--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 95 p. :ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 32 cm.Grades 6-9. Rating : *5.This atlas is a good starting point for thoseresearching Native American tribes. The book isdivided into geographical regions. Within thechapters there is general information about theregion and boxes of information on individualtribes. Students could use this book as aspringboard for deciding which tribe to furtherresearch. Gilbert Legay avoided stereotypes inboth his text and his full-color illustrations. Thebook is well-researched and accurate. The tableof contents and the index increase the book’susefulness as a reference book. If you can onlyhave one general reference book about NativeAmericans, give this one first consideration.Buffalo / written and illustrated by BeverlyBrodsky. LCCN 2002009639. New York :Marshall Cavendish, 2003.HBB, 0761451331, list price: $18.95.599.64/3/0978. Indians of North America--GreatPlains--Juvenile literature; American bison--Juvenileliterature; Indians of North America--Great Plains. 32p. : ill. ; 26 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.Using selections from Native American songsand poems as well as her own words, BeverlyBrodsky tells the story of the buffalo. From theEuropean wisent, a cousin of the buffalo, to thenear destruction of the American buffalo and itsrestoration, Brodsky tells how the animals wereportrayed in cave paintings (including how thepaint was made) and how they were used by theNative Americans. Some information aboutnative culture is included, both in the text byBrodsky and the included Native Americansongs and poetry. From the illustrations inBuffalo it is evident that Brodsky has studied theNative American style.The great change / text by White Deer ofAutumn ; illustrations by Carol Grigg.LCCN 92014501. Hillsboro, Ore. : BeyondWords Publishing, 1992.HBB, 0941831795, list price: $14.95.Fic. Death--Fiction; Indians of North America--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 30 cm.Grades K-3. Rating : 3.The Great Change is a story of death. Wanba’sgrandfather has just died. Grandmother findstalking about the death difficult. She finallyexplains it comparing death to a caterpillarchanging into a butterfly. Death is not part of theCircle of Life—instead it is the Great Change.There are not illustrations on every page. CarolGrigg used watercolors to illustrate the text.Native crafts : inspired by NorthAmerica’s First Peoples / Maxine Trottier ;illustrated by Esperanca Melo. (Kids cando it.) Toronto : Kids Can, 2000.PAP, 1550745498, list price: $5.95.745.5089/97. Indian craft--Juvenile literature. 40 p. :ill. ; 26 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.Native Crafts contains sixteen craft projectsrelated to different Native peoples groups. Abrief description of the projects relationship toNative Americans is given with each project.Mazine Trottier’s instructions are clear andEsperanca Melo’s illustrations contribute to theunderstanding of them. Used alone, readers willnot learn much about Native Americans, but thebook could be used as a supplement to a study ofNative Americans giving students some handsonactivities.The people shall continue / written bySimon Ortiz ; illustrated by Sharol Graves.LCCN 88018929. Emeryville, Calif. :Children’s Book Press, 1994.HBB, 0892391251, list price: $14.95.973.04/97. Indians of North America--History. 23 p. :col. ill. ; 25 cm.Grades 1-3. Rating : 3.The People Shall Continue is the general story ofall Native Americans from creation on. SimonOrtiz recounts the differences and similarities ofthe Native People. The coming of the Anglosbrought trouble to the Native Americans. Theylost their lands; they were treated as slaves; theirchildren were taken away and sent to school.The book ends with a call for all peopleregardless of skin color to come together andshare their struggles. Simon Ortiz is Acoma, hisbook portrays frustrations and some bitterness atthe way Native Americans have been treated.The People Shall Continue accurately shows theNative American perspective. Sharol Graves’brightly colored illustrations show NativeAmerican history from creation to the present.Pilgrims and native Americans : hands-onprojects about life in early America /Jennifer Quasha. (Great social studiesprojects.) LCCN 00028008. New York :PowerKids Press, 2001.HBB, 0823957004, list price: $19.95.974.4/8202. Handicraft; Indians of North America--Massachusetts; Indians of North America--Massachusetts--History--17th century--Study andteaching--Activity programs--Juvenile literature;Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony)--Study andC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

teaching--Activity programs--Juvenile literature;Massachusetts--History--New Plymouth, 1620-1691--Study and teaching--Activity programs--Juvenileliterature. 24 p. : col. ill. ; 22 x 26 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 4.The story of the Pilgrims and the NativeAmericans they met are expertly woven into thisbook of hands-on projects. Pilgrims and NativeAmericans is part of the Great Social StudiesProjects series. The book is illustrated withphotographs depicting the craft projects. Thebook would be useful for teachers and homeschooling parents who are looking forThanksgiving craft projects.Ten little rabbits / by Virginia Grossman ;illustrated by Sylvia Long. LCCN90002011. San Francisco : ChronicleBooks, 1991.PAP, 0811810577, list price: $6.95.E or 394/.08997. Indians of North America--Sociallife and customs--Juvenile literature; Counting-outrhymes--Juvenile literature; Indians of North America--Social life and customs; Counting. 1 v. (unpaged) :col. ill. ; 24 cm.Grades PS-1. Rating : 3.Ten Little Rabbits is a counting book usingcultural information from ten different NativeAmerican tribes. Each two-page spreadcontains something to count, illustrated withdetails from the native tribe. Author VirginiaGrossman includes back matter which explainsthe portion of the tribal culture shown.Illustrator Sylvia Long chose to use rabbits inplace of people as Native Americans; someNatives are offended by this. For the numbertwo, Tewa rain dancers are portrayed; Christiannatives have objected to these illustrations. It isa cute book, but I wouldn’t consider purchasingit unless you have no Native Americans amongyour patrons.Touching the distance : Native Americanriddle-poems / Brian Swann ; illustratedby Maria Rendon. LCCN 96039354. SanDiego : Browndeer Press, 1998.HBB, 0152008047, list price: $16.811/.54. Indian riddles--Juvenile poetry; Children’spoetry, American; American poetry; Indian riddles;Riddles. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 27 cm.Grades 1-3. Rating : 3.Touching the Distance is a book of NativeAmerican riddles. Written in free verse form,each page is a description. Answers andindication of which tribe the riddle is associatedwith are found in the back of the book. MariaRendon illustrated the book using mixed-mediaconstructions. The book would have been moreeffective if more information had been includedabout the tribes.Wolf stories : myths and true-life talesfrom around the world / Susan Strauss,storyteller ; Gary Lund, illustrator.LCCN 93018382. Hillsboro, Ore. :Beyond Words Publishing, 1993.HBB, 0941831841, list price: $11.95.398.24/52974442. Wolves--Folklore; Tales. 64 p. :col. ill. ; 20 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 3.In Wolf Stories, Susan Strauss has collectedstories about wolves from around the world.Folktales from Japan, Persia, Norway, andRussia are included, as are real-life stories aboutwolves. One of the myths included is from theLakota Sioux and another is from the SkidiPawnee. These two myths tell a little of thosetribes beliefs about wolves. The black and whitesketches of Gary Lund are accented with purpleLAKOTA SIOUXShota and the star quilt / written byMargaret Bateson-Hill ; illustrated byChristine Fowler ; Lakota text byPhilomine Lakota. LCCN 98026678. NewYork : Zero to Ten, 2001.PAP, 1840890231, list price: $7.95.497/.5. Lakota dialect--Texts. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill.; 30 cm.Grades 2-4. Rating : 4.Shota and the Star Quilt is a bi-lingual book.Philomine Lakota translated the text intoLakota. Shota is a Lakota girl whose family hasmoved to the city. The man who owns theapartment building where she lives wants to teardown the building. While Shota and her bestfriend Esther are visiting Shota’s grandmotheron the reservation, they work on a traditionalStar Quilt. After they return home, the girlsdecide to give the quilt to the landowner, a movewhich causes the man to change his mind.When he was young, his mother had sung to hima song with the words, “Find the star that’s a giftfrom the skies. In its patchwork of light truehappiness lies.” The full color illustrations ofChristine Fowler are done in an Early AmericanPrimitive style.NAVAJOAshkii’s journey / written and illustratedby Verna Clinton ; Navajo editing, ElavinaPerkins ; English editing, Jerrold T.Johnson. LCCN 2001006345. Flagstaff,Ariz. : Salina’s Bookshelf, 2001.HBB, 1893354318, list price: $17.95.Fic. Navajo Indians--Juvenile fiction; Navajo Indians--Fiction; Indians of North America--Southwest, New--Fiction; Coming of age--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col.ill. ; 30 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.Ashkii’s Journey is the story of an orphanNavajo boy’s life as he lives near his demandingaunt and evil cousins. While this is not a storyof the Navajo Long Walk, Ashkii does recall hisgrandfather’s stories of that period. Most, butnot all, Navajo words are defined within the text.Navajo culture and history are shown in thestory.Ashkii’s Journey is a picture storybook writtenand illustrated by Navajo Vera Clinton. There isa lot of text on each page which is why Idesignated this for older elementary students. Afull page color illustration is opposite almostevery page of text. The illustrations are similarto that of other Navajo artists, while they dohave some perspective (farther items aresmaller) the pictures seem to lack depth.OJIBEWAA portrait of Spotted Deer’s grandfather /Amy Littlesugar ; illustrated by MarlowedeChristopher. LCCN 96002704. MortonGrove, Ill. : Albert Whitman, 1997.HBB, 0807566225, list price: $15.95.Fic. Catlin, George, 1796-1872--Juvenile fiction;Catlin, George, 1796-1872--Fiction; Indians of NorthAmerica--Juvenile fiction; Indians of North America--Fiction; Artists--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 26cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 4.In the 1800’s, George Catlin traveled theAmerican West painting and drawing portraitsand pictures. Author Amy Littlesugar based thisstory on one of his visits to a Chippewa village.One of the elders of the village is not sure abouthaving his face put on a canvas. His grandsonconvinces him that it is a good idea. MarlowedeChristopher used oils to illustrate the text. Hisillustrations complement the text and accuratelyportray Native American life.Jane Mouttet worked for twenty years as a schoollibrarian on the Navajo Reservation. She wouldenjoy hearing from you on how these columnshave helped you and on how you use children’sliterature to teach Native American Culture.Jane can be reached atjane@nativeamericanchildrenslit.com.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 4 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

Jack – Who Built the Land of Narniaby Donna W. BowlingMany consider Clive Staples Lewis one ofthe most influential religious writers of thetwentieth century. In their book, 100Christian Books That Changed the Century,William and Randy Petersen included threevery different titles by C.S. Lewis. Onlyone other author [Catherine Marshall] had asmany as two separate books listed. One titleby C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia(1950-1956), has been discussed in previousissues of Christian Library Journal.Like the Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis’s TheScrewtape Letters (1942) is also included inChristianity Today’s listing of “Books of theCentury.” This perceptive satire features theadvice of a senior demon, Screwtape, as hecounsels his nephew Wormwood, on waysthe young demon could profitably tempt his“patient” away from their Enemy and Hiswill. After many requests for a sequel,Lewis wrote his short “Screwtape Proposesa Toast” (1959), set at an imaginary “annualdinner of the Tempters’ Training College foryoung Devils.”The third Lewis title in the Petersen list,Mere Christianity (1952), appears at the topof the Christianity Today list and also in theWorld list of “The Century’s Top 100Books,” compiled by Veith and Olasky.Mere Christianity brings together a slightlyedited version of his four series of radioaddresses on religious topics that werebroadcast on BBC during World War II.These were originally published in threeseparate collections: Broadcast Talks (1942),Christian Behaviour (1943), and BeyondPersonality (1944). By “mere Christianity”Lewis means key elements of the Christianfaith that all believers agree on. Hedeliberately avoids areas of partisan“denominational” disagreement. He seeks todispel false concepts about the nature ofGod, while at the same time indicating theappropriate response that believers shouldmake in their daily lives.By 1949, C.S. Lewis had already made suchsignificant contributions on the religiousscene that Chad Walsh published the firstbook about the impact of C.S. Lewis:Apostle to the Skeptics. (Much of Lewis’simaginative and scholarly work was still inthe planning stage at that time.) Lewisreceived many requests inquiring intofactors that had contributed to hisconversion from atheism to Christianity.Although his fictional The Pilgrim’s Regress,originally published in 1933, was largely anautobiographical allegory, Lewis began workon an additional book in response to thoserequests.*Surprised by joy : the shape of my earlylife / C.S. Lewis. LCCN 56005329. NewYork : Harcourt Brace, 1995, c1955.HBB, 0151001855, list price: $17.00.B or 823/.912. Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963--Childhood and youth; Christian biography--England; Anglican converts--England--Biography;Authors, English--20th century--Biography. x, 230 p.; 21 cm.Adult. Rating : *5.C.S. Lewis states in the preface to Surprised byJoy that the book “aims at telling the story of myconversion and is not a general autobiography.”In the first chapter he describes a recurringexperience; “it is that of an unsatisfied desirewhich is itself more desirable than any othersatisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here atechnical term and must be sharplydistinguished both from Happiness and fromPleasure.” This experience of a stab, a pang, oflonging is sometimes referred to as “sehnsucht.”Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, innorthern Ireland, in 1898. His father was anattorney and his mother the university-educateddaughter of a clergyman. Their home was filledwith books of all kinds. From early childhood,C.S. Lewis preferred to be called “Jack.” Hehad one brother, Warren, (or “Warnie”), aboutthree years older than he. The brothers werealways close, but especially so after thedevastating death of their mother by cancer in1908. They spent much time together, ofteninventing imaginary worlds—writing histories,and drawing maps and related illustrations. Itwas a small imaginary garden made by Warrenthat first prompted a response of “Joy” in theyounger brother.After learning to read and write at home, withsome grounding in French and Latin from hismother, C.S. Lewis was sent to boarding schoolin England, an experience that he likened to aconcentration camp. He missed his privacy, andhe detested the mandatory sports and thesometimes brutal class system. (Some readersmight be concerned by his discussion of moralproblems in the boarding school situation.) Butduring that time he also learned to appreciate theatmosphere of the legends of the North. In histeen years, both his study of world mythologies,and his disappointment in his own earlierreligious attempts, contributed to his great reliefin adopting atheism with its lack of rigidrestraints. After several unhappy schoolexperiences he was sent to study with a personaltutor where he thrived. When one day herandomly picked up a copy of GeorgeMacdonald’s Phantastes (1858), its impact onhim was to “baptize” his imagination.Young Lewis had a few months in OxfordUniversity before he became eligible for servicein World War I. He served for some time as ajunior officer in the trenches in France before hewas wounded by friendly fire and hospitalizedfor months. Even in wartime he continued toread and write, mostly poetry, as circumstancesallowed. After his recovery and discharge fromthe army, he returned to Oxford, where he tookdegrees in Classics, then in “Greats” and finallyin English. He served as a tutor for one year inPhilosophy, but then he was elected to afellowship in English in Oxford’s MagdalenCollege, a position he held for many years.There he became friends with J.R.R. Tolkienand other Christians whose influencecontributed to his conversion, initially to theismonly. Driven by his intellectual honesty toacknowledge God, he then described himself as“the most dejected and reluctant convert in allEngland.” As he learned more about God in thefollowing months he finally recognized theclaims of Jesus Christ and became a committedChristian. During this time Lewis realized thatto focus on looking for Joy is not only futile, butalso counterproductive. This experience oflonging occurs only as a by-product of a focuson something “other, outside.” In fact, thefunction of Joy is primarily to point seekers tothe only real and lasting source of satisfaction inGod Himself.Although this narrative ends with the conversionof C.S. Lewis in 1931, more than thirty yearsbefore his death, it is a key resource for librarieswith scholarly, theological, or fictional works byLewis. For the same reason, this book is alsofrequently cited in the titles discussed below.Very readable and easily accessible to highschool readers, it is highly recommended forchurch, school, public, and home libraries.C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 5 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

--Jack’s life : the life story of C.S. Lewis /Douglas Gresham. Nashville : Broadman& Holman, 2005.HBB, 0805432469, list price: $16.99.B or 823/.912. Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963; Authors, English--20th century--Biography;Chronicles of Narnia; Narnia (Imaginary place);Christian biography--England. viii, 107 p. : photos. ;21 cm.Adult. Rating : 5.Jack’s Life, by C.S. Lewis’s stepson DouglasGresham, is unlike other biographies that focusprimarily on Lewis as a scholar, or populartheologian, or writer of fantasy. Gresham ismore concerned with Lewis’s daily life and howhe dealt with his often “exceedingly demandingdomestic existence.” Gresham reports in somedetail on the life-changing impact of a promiseJack Lewis made to his army buddy PaddyMoore during World War I, to take care ofPaddy’s mother and sister if the latter died inbattle. In spite of many challenges, Jack stayedfaithful to that commitment until Mrs. Moore’sdeath in 1951. A few years later author JoyDavidman Gresham traveled from the UnitedStates to England and arranged to meet thefamous writer who had been influential in herconversion to Christianity. Her son tells of thefriendship that led through cancer to marriageand a few happy years together. During thattime, Jack accepted the offer of a Chair ofMedieval and Renaissance English Literature atCambridge University, and arranged tocommute from Cambridge to his home inOxford for weekends and during vacations.After Joy’s death, Jack continued to care for histwo stepsons until his own death on November22, 1963.Douglas Gresham had read every biography ofhis famous stepfather, but none merely told “thestory of Jack’s life” as he lived it. So in Jack’sLife, Gresham writes a biography that he wouldhave liked to read. He includes a few pages withblack and white photographs of family andfriends. Douglas Gresham was eight years oldwhen he first met Lewis in 1953, and he wassurprised to find that the stout, slightly balding,professor looked nothing like a character out ofthe Narnia Lewis had created. From living inthe home for several years with Jack and hisbachelor brother Warnie Lewis, Greshamlearned much about Jack’s life in the past andhad opportunity to observe first-handcontemporary situations as they transpired.Gresham recommends and gives credit to twofine biographies of Lewis written by personalfriends of Lewis, George Sayer’s Jack (1994),and Green and Hooper’s C.S. Lewis (1974), aswell as to Hooper’s Companion and Guide (seebelow). In his own earlier autobiography,Lenten Lands, Gresham told the story of themarriage of his mother, Joy Davidman Greshamto C.S. Lewis, and the ten years he shared witha man who was the best Christian he had everknown. In this perceptive portrayal of Jack’slife, Gresham retains his sense of deepappreciation for Lewis as a very human butgodly man. In the accompanying half-hour longDVD “A Conversation with Douglas Gresham,”Gresham describes Lewis as a jovial man, full oflaughter. He also explains his own involvementwith the producers of the 2005 movie of TheLion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to maintain itsintegrity to the original book. Gresham’s style ispersonal and very readable, and is accessible tohigh school as well as adult readers. Highlyrecommended for public, school, church, andhome libraries.--The Narnian : the life and imagination ofC.S. Lewis / by Alan Jacobs. LCCN2005046151. San Francisco :HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.HBB, 0060766905, list price: $25.95.B or 823/.912. Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963; Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963--Religion; Authors, English--20th century--Biography;Chronicles of Narnia; Narnia (Imaginary place);Christian biography--England; Christian fiction,English--History and criticism; Christianity andliterature--England--History--20th century. xxvi, 342p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Alan Jacobs is a professor of English atWheaton College where he has access to theresources of the Marion E. Wade Center. TheWade Center houses a major research collectionof materials related to C.S. Lewis and otherrelated British authors. Jacobs refers to morethan fifty sources, including the eleven volumesof unpublished Lewis Papers compiled by C.S.Lewis’s older brother Major Warren HamiltonLewis. (After the death of their father, Warniemoved in with Jack and spent years inorganizing and typing up the documents theirfather had accumulated. He later compiled thefirst published collection of the Letters of C.S.Lewis.) In his The Narnian, Jacobs narrates thelife of Lewis, bringing out details of the variedsources that had influence on Lewis’s writings.Through each chapter of Lewis’s life, Jacobsincludes significant quotations that illuminatefor the reader their contribution to Lewis’s ownwriting, either explaining a source or pointingout a resulting passage that C.S. Lewis wrotelater. The endnotes section giving references forthese quotations is a particularly useful resource.For example, readers who might be puzzled bycertain passages in Lewis’s Surprised by Joymay find helpful explanations in this wellindexedvolume. In one chapter particularly,Jacobs points out the interaction between Lewisand other literary figures. He especially focuseson the Inklings, the small informal group of likemindedwriters in Oxford that met regularly tohear each other’s writing in progress. Thatgroup included J.R.R. Tolkien, CharlesWilliams, his brother Warren Lewis, and a fewothers that varied from time to time. In hisAfterword, Jacobs discusses the enduring futureof Narnia and high fantasy from a Christianperspective in a modern culture that rejects thevalues of authors like Tolkien and Lewis.The eight pages of plates offer well-chosenblack and white photographs that span the life ofC.S. Lewis. The book includes an index. Thisexcellent book is highly recommended for alllibraries where there is interest in thisspecialized perspective on Lewis.--C.S. Lewis: a complete guide to his life andworks / by Walter Hooper. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.PAP, 006063880X, list price: $19.95.B or 823/.912. Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963; Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963--Religion; Authors, English--20th century--Biography;Chronicles of Narnia; Narnia (Imaginary place);Christian biography--England; Christian fiction,English--History and criticism; Christianity andliterature--England--History--20th century. xvi, 940 p.; 24 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Walter Hooper’s C.S. Lewis : a Complete Guideto His Life and Works was originally publishedin a hardbound edition under the title of C.S.Lewis : a Companion and Guide. This volumeof over nine hundred pages begins with a “Lifeof C.S. Lewis” and a six-page chronology of hislife. Lewis’s writings are grouped by juvenilia(Boxen), poetry, autobiographical, novels,theological fantasies, theology, Chronicles ofNarnia, and literary criticism. For each title ineach category, Hooper provides several pageswith date of publication, the background and asummary of the work, followed by excerptsfrom representative reviews. Next, threeparticularly useful sections are each arrangedalphabetically, with frequent cross-references:key ideas, who’s who, and what’s what. Entriesvary in length from a single paragraph to severalpages. Then a comprehensive bibliography ofthe writings of C.S. Lewis includes: books; shortstories; books edited or with prefaces by C.S.Lewis; essays, pamphlets and miscellaneouspieces; single short poems; book reviews;published letters. Many of the single shorterpieces are also included in posthumouslypublished collections, edited primarily byHooper. The extensive index does not includethe bibliography.Walter Hooper first came to England to meetC.S. Lewis in June 1963. After reading hisbooks and some years of correspondence,Hooper hoped to write about Lewis. Lewisbefriended the young American and soon askedhim to meet his need for a secretary. AfterLewis resigned from Cambridge because ofpoor health, his books and other belongings inhis rooms there were brought to Oxford, andHooper began to organize them. He left inSeptember to fulfill his commitment to teach acourse at the University of Kentucky, intendingto return to England in January 1964 to continuehis work with the Lewis papers. After C.S.Lewis’s death in November 1963, the LewisD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 6 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

estate encouraged Hooper to proceed asplanned. To make them more accessible to thepublic, Hooper compiled and publishedposthumously several collections of Lewis’sessays and other works. Certain scholars,including Lindskoog, have questioned theauthenticity of some of these posthumouslypublished works. Although there are occasionalnoticeable omissions (e. g. Although severalreferences appear, the groundbreaking criticalwork, The Allegory of Love, has no individualcritique like the other books.), Hooper’s sectionon writings gives more detail than the morerestrictive earlier Kilby book. His guide bringstogether in one place much information ofinterest to the curious reader of C.S. Lewis thatis not easily found elsewhere. In spite of someunresolved concerns, this book is definitelyrecommended for all libraries where there isinterest in the writings of C.S. Lewis.--Companion to Narnia : a complete guideto the magical world of C.S. Lewis’s Thechronicles of Narnia / Paul F. Ford ;foreword by Madeleine L’Engle ;illustrated by Lorinda Bryan Cauley. 5thed. San Francisco : HarperSanFrancisco,2005.PAP, 0060791276, list price: $16.95.823/.912. Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963.Chronicles of Narnia--Dictionaries; Narnia (Imaginaryplace); Children’s stories, English--Dictionaries;Fantasy fiction, English--Dictionaries. xxvi, 530 p. ;21 cm.Adult. Rating : 5.Pocket companion to Narnia : a guide tothe magical world of C.S. Lewis / Paul F.Ford ; illustrated by Lorinda BryanCauley. Rev. ed. of: Companion toNarnia. LCCN 2005048349. SanFrancisco : HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.PAP, 0060791284, list price: $9.95.823/.912. Lewis, C.S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963.Chronicles of Narnia--Dictionaries; Narnia (Imaginaryplace); Children’s stories, English--Dictionaries;Fantasy fiction, English--Dictionaries. xiv, 368 p. :ill., maps ; 16 cm.Adult. Rating : 3.The major body of Paul Ford’s Companion toNarnia is an alphabetically arranged referencetool of more than four hundred pages, withentries varying in length from one sentence toseveral pages. Each entry for a person, place,thing, or idea is followed by a citation in one ormore of the Chronicles of Narnia. Referenceswithin individual entries to other entries in thevolume are indicated by all capital letters. Manynotes at the ends of entries also cite other worksby C.S. Lewis that shed additional light on theitem. Among the longer entries are: Aslan (overten thousand words), Biblical Allusions, andKnowledge. The introduction includes, amongother things, background on Lewis’s writing ofthe Chronicles, major characters and places, anda guide to the most important entries. Appendixone provides an instructive chart that illustratesthe chronology of the composition andpublication of the Chronicles of Narnia.Appendix six is A Narnian Atlas, by StephenYandell, with several pages of text, a lengthychart of journeys, and eleven diagrams fromseveral perspectives. Over twenty sensitive fullpageblack-and-white drawings, plus additionalmaps, by Lorinda Bryan Cauley are scatteredthroughout the volume. The caption with eachillustration includes a citation to the relatedlocation in the Chronicles. This work includesindexes to biblical references and to real personsmentioned within entries.Paul Ford is a professor of theology who hasstudied the work of C.S. Lewis for more thanforty years. He wrote both his master’s and hisdoctoral theses on various aspects of the work ofLewis. His Companion to Narnia is in its fifthedition. The preface to this edition itemizes themajor additions and improvements he madewith each successive edition. He provides at theend of the book a website for updates and “otherNarnian helps.” This comprehensivecompanion contains a wealth of information ofinterest to fans of Narnia. At therecommendation of the publisher, Fordselectively reduced some less crucial content,including nearly three hundred entries, toproduce the Pocket Companion to Narnia. (TheAslan entry is down to 538 words.) Most of theillustrations are retained in the smaller volume.This Pocket Companion was tested with youngpeople who appreciated its more convenientsize. Ford is very knowledgeable and hisCompanion is accessible to middle and highschool students. The Companion is highlyrecommended for all libraries that have theChronicles of Narnia in their collections. ThePocket Companion also has much valuableinformation, and could be useful in librarycirculating collections.References:Lewis, C.S. The Complete Chronicles ofNarnia. New York: HarperCollins, 2000.[CLJ 10, 3:2-5 (Sep. 2005); cf. CLJ 9,3:24-25 (Aug. 2004)]Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. SanFrancisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. [CLJ7,1:72 (Winter 2002)]Lewis, C.S. The Pilgrim’s Regress: anAllegorical Apology for Christianity,Reason, and Romanticism. Grand Rapids,Mich.: Eerdmans, 1992.Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters; withScrewtape Proposes a Toast. San Francisco:HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. [CLJ 7,1:72(Winter 2002)]Lewis, C.S. Letters of C.S. Lewis, ed. byW. H. Lewis and Walter Hooper, revised ed.New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,1993.“Books of the Century.” Christianity Today44,5:92-92 (Apr. 24, 2000). [CLJ 9, 3:8-11(Nov. 2004)]Green, Roger Lancelyn & Hooper, Walter.C.S. Lewis: a Biography. New York:Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974.Gresham, Douglas H. Lenten Lands. NewYork: Macmillan, 1988.Kilby, Clyde S. The Christian World of C.S.Lewis. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans,1964.Lindskoog, Kathryn Ann. Sleuthing C.S.Lewis : More Light in the Shadowlands.Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2001.MacDonald, George. Phantastes: a FaerieRomance. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans,1981.Petersen, William J. & Petersen, Randy.100 Christian Books That Changed theCentury. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Revell,2000. [CLJ 9, 3:8-11 (Nov. 2004)]Sayer, George. Jack: a Life of C.S. Lewis,2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books,1994. [CLJ 3, 1:81 (Sep. 1997)]Veith, Gene Edward & Olasky, Marvin.“The Century’s Top 100 Books.” World14,47:15-20 (Dec.4, 1999). [CLJ 9, 3:8-11(Nov. 2004)]Walsh, Chad. C.S. Lewis: Apostle to theSkeptics. New York: Macmillan, 1949.C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 7 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

BOOK REVIEWSPICTURE BOOKSA was once an apple pie / adapted by SuseMacDonald from the poem by EdwardLear. LCCN 2004025683. New York :Orchard Books, 2005.HBB, 0439660564, list price: $12.99.E. Alphabet; Nonsense verses; English poetry;Children’s poetry, American; Alphabet rhymes. 1 v.(unpaged) : col. ill. ; 26 cm.Ages 2-6. Rating : 5.Do you know a young child who loves animals?Consider AWas Once an Apple Pie as a gift.Almost every page includes an animal — a bear,a fish, a green eel, several birds, and even askunk! A friendly-looking yak carries a packageon its back.Y was once a little yak,Yacky, wacky, tacky, yacky,Backy-packy, little yak!A large, blue whale graces two pages.W was once a whale,Whaly, scaly, shaly, whaly,Tumbly taily, mighty whale!The author, Edward Lear, first published hiswhimsical alphabet rhymes in 1871. SuseMacDonald recently adapted and illustratedLear’s work. Most letters of the alphabet includelarge drawings. Tiny details add interest,without distracting from the main focus. Steamfrom the apple pie indicates freshness. A mouseeats cheese, and flowers intertwine on a vine.Although the rhymes may appear silly, eachcatchy phrase teaches facts. For instance, theowl is a “browny fowly.” The kite is “flighty,kity, out of sighty, little kity.” This fun methodof learning allows little ones to easily absorbfacts. Those rhymes are an excellent teachingtool. More information is onwww.scholastic.com.Roberta Lou JonesBethlehem night / written by JulieStiegemeyer ; illustrated by Gina Capaldi.St. Louis, Mo. : Concordia, 2005.HBB, 0758609078, list price: $12.99.R A T I N G S Y S T E M* Outstanding quality5 Excellent quality4 Very good quality3 Good qualityRecommended with caution - note reservations within the reviewNot recommended - note problems stated within the reviewCommonly Used Abbreviations in CLJ ReviewsLCCN Library of CongressCataloging NumberC Canadian Library CatalogingNumberISBN International Standard BookNumberHBB Hardbound bookPAP Paperbound bookLIB Library editionLGP Large print bookPBB Paper board bookCAS AudiocassetteCDR CD-ROMDVD VideodiscVID VideocassetteLLB Loose-leaf bindingC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 8 J U N E 2 0 0 5

PICTURE BOOKSE. Christmas; Jesus Christ--Nativity. 1 v. (unpaged) :col. ill. ; 26 cm.Grades PS-1. Rating : 3.The story surrounding the birth of Jesus is toldin poetic form using short, simple words foreasy reading by young children. Written byJulie Stiegemeyer, Bethlehem Night takes thereader on the journey to Bethlehem with Maryand Joseph and their search for a place for theimminent birth of their baby, the Baby Jesus.The reader follows the angels as they visit theshepherds and then spread the word about thebirth of the Christ child for whom they’vewaited so long. Bright, rich colorful illustrationsby Gina Capaldi capture and hold a youngchild’s attention, while the rhythmic cadence ofthe story will have youngsters eagerly turningthe pages. The illustrations show Mary andJoseph being much older than the ages presentedin the Bible, a small detail which young childrenprobably won’t even notice or care about.Sherri MyersBuzby : the misbehaving bee / story byTroy Schmidt ; illustrations byGlueWorks Animation. (Max Lucado’sHermie & friends.) LCCN 2004020827.Nashville : Tommy Nelson, 2005.DVD, 1400304830, list price: $14.99.E. Behavior--Fiction; Rules (Philosophy)--Fiction;Conduct of life--Fiction; Bees--Fiction; Insects--Fiction; Frogs--Fiction. 1 videodisc (60 min.) ; sd.,col. ; 4 3/4 in.Ages 2-8. Rating : 4.Buzby The Misbehaving Bee is a fun story aboutrules and the consequences of breaking them.Writer Troy Schmidt has set the story in agarden; the characters include inchworms,ladybugs, a fly, a snail, and an ant colony. Theinsects talk to God and God talks back to them.Using colorful animation and an Elvisimpersonating bee, this Hermie and FriendsDVD will grab children’s attention, helpingthem to learn about rules and the importance ofkeeping them. Buzby is one cool bee who doesnot like keeping rules. What he likes is spellingand having fun. During one of his escapades inthe garden, his hive falls and breaks. An antcolony finds it and decides to show kindness andfix the hive. After Buzby breaks an importantrule and puts the whole garden in danger, hefinds his repaired home and has a change ofheart. He rescues the garden residents andpromises to follow the rules. Buzby learns thatGod’s rules are made to keep everyone safe.MaxLucado makes an appearance and talks withHermie the Inchworm to reinforce the lesson inthe story.Pam HalterElla takes the cake / by Carmelo D’Amico; illustrated by Steven D’Amico. LCCN2004023432. New York : Arthur A.Levine, 2005.HBB, 043962794X, list price: $16.99.E. Bakers and bakeries--Fiction; Elephants--Fiction.1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 26 cm.Ages 3-6. Rating : 4.Carmela D’Amico promotes good charactertraits in Ella Takes the Cake. Ella Elephant iscute, well intentioned, friendly, and patient.Most of all, petite Ella wants to help in MotherElephant’s bakery by the sea. Poor Ella! Thesharp knife and the hot oven are too dangerousfor her little hands.Mother eventually allows Ella to deliver a threetieredcake to Captain Kernel. With her bicycle,small wagon, and lucky hat, Ella escapes manynear-disasters. Finally, Ella delivers the cake.She is so happy, “…because more than anythingelse, Ella loved to help.” Mother Elephantrewards Ella by letting her help bake a Zanzibarcake. (Ella Takes the Cake does not discuss thelocation of Zanzibar, but that exotic place is anisland in the Indian Ocean.)Steven D’Amico’s gorgeous artwork presentsdeep sea blues, terracotta, brown, and shades ofgreen. His rendering of Little Village shows acomfortable, friendly seaside town. Buildingsin Little Village include many minarets. Onecovers a tollbooth, others adorn generalbuildings. (Minarets are often, but not always,associated with Islamic mosques. No religion ismentioned, however.)Sturdy binding and quality paper make thisselection a good choice for any hard-usesituation. For more information, checkwww.arthuralevinebooks.com. Also, considerthe companion book, Ella the Elegant Elephant.Roberta Lou JonesThe nineteenth of Maquerk : based onProverbs 13:4 / written by AaronReynolds ; illustrated by Peter Whitehead.LCCN 2004012260. Grand Rapids :Zonderkidz, 2005.HBB, 0310709547, list price: $12.99.E. Bible. O.T. Proverbs--Fiction; Stories in rhyme;Caterpillars--Fiction; Work ethic--Juvenile fiction. 1v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 24 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 3.Breaking out of the bungle bird : based onProverbs 13:10 / written by AaronReynolds ; illustrated by Peter Whitehead.LCCN 2004012357. Grand Rapids :Zonderkidz, 2005.HBB, 0310709563, list price: $12.99.E. Bible. O.T. Proverbs--Fiction; Stories in rhyme;Escapes--Fiction; Insects--Fiction; Conduct of life--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 24 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 3.The Willow Creek Children’s Series books byAaron Reynolds are based on a Proverbs verseper book. These books are done in a stylesimilar to Dr. Seuss, with the story written inrhyme. Peter Whitehead’s illustrations arecartoonish and zany. Each book has a questionand challenge page after the story.The Nineteenth of Maquerk is based on Proverbs13:4 and is a story about two bugs who muststart building cocoons in the month of Maquerk.They must be finished by Day 17. One bugbuilds his cocoon and the other bug does not. Atthe end of the 19th Day of Maquerk, the bugwho built his cocoon turns into a butterfly. Thenext day the lazy bug discovers what happenedto his friend and he gets angry and makesexcuses for not doing what he was supposed todo. It is a good lesson for children who thinkthey can get something for nothing. The lastpage of the book asks readers a question andgives them a biblical challenge.Breaking Out of the Bungle Bird is based onProverbs 13:10 and is story about two bugs, Sueand Fleeya, who are best friends. Theirfriendship is tested after they are swallowed bya Bungle Bird. They argue about how to get out.Sue refuses to listen to Fleeya’s suggestions.After a time, Fleeya escapes, leaving Sue in thestomach of the bird. The moral is to listen toyour friend’s advice. Some younger childrenmay feel upset that Sue doesn’t get out of thebird’s stomach and is probably digested. Thisbook also has a biblical challenge at the end.Pam HalterThe numbers dance : a counting comedy /by Josephine Nobisso ; illustrated byDasha Ziborova. LCCN 2005000199.Westhampton Beach, N.Y. : GingerbreadHouse, 2005.HBB, 0940112116, list price: $16.95.E. Counting; Stories in rhyme; Dance--Fiction. 1 v.(unpaged) : col. ill. ; 31 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 5.“And-a-1, and-a-2, and-a-3, and–a-4” beginsthe dancing and prancing, and swirling andcurling numbers in Josephine Nobisso’s TheNumbers Dance. Numerals one through six takethe reader through elegant waltzes, flutteringjitterbugs, and swinging sambas and congas.Then enter seven through ten in western gear,“leaping and hoofing and tramping…kicking upheels in a wild Line Dance!” Their stampedegets out of control until they get lassoed andbronco-busted by their light-footed friends. Inthe end, all ten “shimmy and boogie and twistand reel” together as they learn to appreciateeach other’s individual styles. Nobisso, authorof over two dozen children’s books, provides inthis story a good example of how differentpeople can learn to get along happily while notstifling one another’s uniqueness.Using digital and mixed media, Russian-bornillustrator Dasha Ziborova has created a visualdelight with colors and patterns thatcomplement the rhyme and movement of thelyrics. Attractive borders list the numbersvertically with corresponding dots that helpC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 9 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

PICTURE BOOKSchildren learn to count. Combining fun topronounce words and visually appealingillustrations, The Numbers Dance will give lotsof enjoyment to five to seven-year-old readers.Floss CraigThe shepherd’s Christmas story / byDandi Daley Mackall ; illustrations byDominic Catalano. St. Louis, Mo. :Concordia, 2005.HBB, 0758609043, list price: $12.99.E. Christmas--Fiction; Shepherds--Fiction; Angels--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 26 cm.Grades PS-2. Rating : 4.The story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus istold through the eyes of a young shepherd boy inThe Shepherd’s Christmas Story. The amazingchoice God made to have the angels visit thelowly shepherds with such an importantmessage at the birth of his son is truly a sign ofhis love for all mankind. As the story points out,while God could have chosen more importantpeople to first hear the message of the BabyJesus’ birth, he instead chose the lowliest ofhumans to be the first to hear the announcementthe world waited thousands of years to hear.Written by the prolific children’s author DandiDaley Mackall, The Shepherd’s Christmas Storywill delight young children with its wonderfulmessage written in a rhyming style. Soft, chalktypeillustrations by Gina Capaldi help bring thestory to life, describing the visit of the angels tothe shepherds and the scenes surrounding Jesus’birth at the stable. This delightful book willsurely be a children’s Christmas favorite formany years to come.Sherri MyersThe Something Wonderful : a Christmasstory / Karen Hill ; illustrated by SusanReagon. LCCN 2005010507. Wheaton,Ill. : Crossway Books, 2005.HBB, 1581347324, list price: $15.99.E. Jesus Christ--Nativity--Juvenile fiction; JesusChrist--Nativity--Fiction; Animals--Fiction; Christianlife--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. : 27 cm.Grades PS-3. Rating : 3.“Long, long ago in Bethlehem,” somethingwonderful was about to happen. The animals inthe stable didn’t know what it would be, onlythat God was sending it to them. So they beganmaking wonderful… or maybe not sowonderful… plans to prepare for it.Donkey insisted there be a parade and a party, soall the animals began extensive arrangements.“But it wasn’t wonderful. Not yet.” Eachanimal soon had a very vocal complaint to makeabout how the plans were proceeding. Then thecomplaining turned to actual arguing. It tookLamb and Cow to explain that if they simplywatched and waited for The SomethingWonderful, God would show them what it was.The Something Wonderful is Karen Hill’s look atone aspect of the Christmas story. Although onthe surface it’s about a group of animalspreparing for an unknown event, deep withinHill’s smoothly-written text are subtle parallelsto the true meaning of Jesus’ birth. For instance,the animals stress that no fancy preparations arenecessary: “God will give us The SomethingWonderful just because he loves us.” Also partof the message: the importance of being kindto—and loving—one another. The story endswith Jesus’ birth and the statement “and thistime it was wonderful” with no otherexplanation, although Luke 2:1-20 immediatelyfollows.Hill’s prose is dialog-rich and filled with vividdescriptions (dusty old camel; Rooster had afuss), yet it’s simple enough for youngstersreading on their own. Susan Reagan’sillustrations are delightful. Done in muted earthtones, they exquisitely depict the animals andtheir expressive facial features.In a genre that is saturated with titles, TheSomething Wonderful offers an importantmessage. It is different enough to make it aworthy choice for the picture book audience.Rosemarie DiCristoThe surprise doll / story by MorrellGipson ;illustrations by Steffie Lerch.LCCN 2004110398. Cynthiana, Ky. :Purple House Press, 2004.HBB, 193090018X, list price: $15.00.Fic. Dolls--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 21 cm.Grades PS-2. Rating : 3.Purple House Press, a reprint publisherspecializing in “bringing back the finest booksfor children,” has recently reprinted, in itsoriginal forty-six page format, Morrell Gipson’sThe Surprise Doll (first published by WonderBooks in 1949).The story is simply told, but manages to touchon the fascination little girls have for their dolls.Mary, the heroine, owns six dolls, each broughtback from a voyage her sea captain father hastaken. Mary loves all her dolls, but once sherealizes she has a doll for every day of the weekbut Sunday, she begs her father for one moredoll from his travels. When he refuses (“Sixdolls are enough for any little girl”), Mary asksthe town doll maker to make her a Sunday doll.He agrees, and ends up making a very specialdoll.Steffie Lerch’s dreamy yet colorful illustrationssuit the story, lending a special charm to Maryand her dolls (each of which shares onecharacteristic with Mary herself). The book isproduced in a nicely bound, hardcover formatthat should stand up to repeated use. While thestory isn’t exactly electrifying, it is supremelycharming, and would definitely capture theinterest of young readers. A nice choice forhome use, or for school and church libraries.Rosemarie DiCristoThe visit / Reeve Lindbergh ; pictures byWendy Anderson Halperin. LCCN2002013245. New York : Dial Books forYoung Readers, 2005.HBB, 0803711891, list price: $16.99.E. Sisters--Fiction; Country life--Fiction; Stories inrhyme. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 29 cm.Grades K-3. Rating : 4.Reeve Lindbergh, youngest child of CharlesLindbergh, has written a mood poem about twosisters’ and their visit to an aunt and uncle’shome in the country. She writes four line versesin couplet form, repeating the first line as the lastline in the stanza. Short sister Jill and tall sisterBeth share adventures with big sister lookingafter little. Rural sounds, sights, and smellsbound in the verse. Wendy Halperin has createdpencil and watercolor illustrations in archshaped windows anchored by a four-pane friezealong the bottom.This gentle title reminds me of trips to thecountry to visit aunts and uncles. Halperin’sdelicate, realistic, detailed pictures are likeviewing a scrapbook from the forties or fifties,except the pastel pictures are in color, not blackand white. Between the main arched picture andthe small strip along the bottom, each of thewords in Lindbergh’s verses is depicted. Thetitle is a pretty book which many fifty-and-sixtysomethingswill enjoy. Share with small groups,or one-on-one, for the bottom pictures are toosmall and detailed for a larger group.Marion MuellerWhen an elephant comes to school / JanOrmerod. LCCN 2004019797. New York: Orchard Books, 2005.HBB, 0439739675, list price: $16.95.E. First day of school--Fiction; Schools--Fiction;Elephants--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 28 cm.Grades PS-3. Rating : 4.Many children are anxious about starting schoolfor the first time, and Jan Ormerod’s When anElephant Comes to School is a great way tointroduce children to the routine and activitiesthey’ll encounter. A new friend shows Elephantsome important things like where to hang hislunch box and where the bathroom is. He enjoyscraft projects and playing in the sandbox.Elephant experiments with bubbles and to hisdelight, discovers that his trunk works betterthan a straw. Lunchtime is also fun, butElephant does not like to share—he prefershaving the ball all to himself. This bad behavioris not corrected. Like young children, Elephantneeds quiet time with a book and cozy nap, thenhe’s revived to dance and march to music beforeheading home with his mommy.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 1 0 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

PICTURE BOOKSOmerod’s lively watercolor illustrations willhold the attention of little eyes as they watchElephant’s interaction with his teacher andclassmates throughout the story. They conveythe enjoyment, fun, and emotions of the youngstudent in a new environment. This awardwinningauthor and illustrator has publishedover fifty books including Miss Mouse Takes Offand I Am Not Going to School Today.Floss CraigWith a little help from daddy / by DanAndreasen. LCCN 2002002694. NewYork : M.K. McElderry Books, 2003.HBB, 0689845650, list price: $15.95.E. Individuality--Fiction; Fathers and sons--Fiction. 1v. (unpaged) : col. Ill. ; 29 cm.Preschool. Rating : 4.In this amusing and encouraging picture book,With a Little Help From Daddy, preschoolerslearn from a little blue elephant and his fatherhow to be best in several ways—just to name afew: tallest, strongest, cleanest, cutest, silliest,noisiest, safest, happiest.Popular illustrator and author Dan Andreasendraws on his experience as a son with a finefather and as a father with a wonderful son.Each two page acrylic illustration, full of color,fun, and activity, highlights the brief sentencedescribing the action. Little listeners will enjoy‘reading’ the pictures. Older siblings will enjoyreading the words to the little ones. If you are inthe market for a new picture book, consider thisone.Donna EggettC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 1 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

BOOK REVIEWSCHILDREN’S FICTION*Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys / byPatricia Lee Gauch ; pictures by MargotTomes. LCCN 70169246. Honesdale, Pa.: Boyds Mills, 2005.HBB, 1590783352, list price: $16.95.Fic. United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Fiction. 62 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Grades K-3. Rating : *5.Nine-year-old Aaron Robinson thinks the wholeWar of Independence is passing him by. Hewants to go help the Green Mountain Boys fightthe British, but everyone from his father to hisgrandfather to General John Stark himself tellshim to stay home and help chop wood and bakebread. Aaron can’t conceive of how hisloathsome chores are in any way helpful orglorious. He soon learns a lesson about how anarmy really travels and what it needs to help itwin.Set in 1777 Vermont, this wonderful story byPatricia Lee Gauch hearkens back to a day whenschoolchildren were taught to admire patriotsand their causes. Aaron and the GreenMountain Boys shows even the youngest childthat his or her actions can make a big differencein a time of trial. It provides a great opportunityto teach obedience, diligence, and perseverance,but through a well-crafted story.I wasn’t sure the illustrations would hold upagainst the fancy color prints children see today,but my kindergartners through second graderswere enchanted with Margot Tomes’ pen and inkline drawings and crowded around to study themin detail. They all wanted to check the book outas it is a “chapter book” but readable for all ofthem. This is an excellent companion book toSam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley. Itwould be a fun book to use along with a scienceactivity of baking fresh bread!Kelley Westenhoffbarthpenn@heaven.org : the story ofyoung Jordon Mink and the email he gotfrom Heaven / Kevin Scott Collier. (ATweener fable ; 1.) Winona Lake, Ind. :Tweener Press, 2004.PAP, 0975288024, list price: $10.95.Fic. Fables; Heaven--Fiction; Angels--Fiction. 159 p.; 23 cm.Grades 4-6. Rating : 4.Bartholomew Pennington—better known asBart Penn—is an Angel, 2nd Order, on CloudNine in Heaven. He’s very good at his job butdoesn’t quite understand Heaven’s new emailsystem. One day he accidentally sends an emailmeant for a recently-deceased man namedJordan Mink to a ten-year-old boy with the samename. This is bad enough, but the boy, initiallyintrigued by the possibility of emailing Heaven,threatens to forward Heaven’s email address toeveryone he knows when Bart doesn’t respondto his questions quickly or thoroughly enough.barthpenn@heaven.org is a funny, well-writtenbook that is designed to resemble a series ofemails between the heavenly Bart and the alltoo-human(and all-too-rambunctious) Jordan.It’s a clever concept that author Kevin ScottCollier pulls off beautifully. Despite therestrictions of “only” writing in emails, he fullydevelops the characters of Bart and Jordan aswell as several secondary characters. Collieralso manages to inject a sense of poignancy aswell as humor when, after a rocky start, Bart andJordan grow to truly care for each other. Bothcharacters mature as a result of their friendship,and both become much better people.Some cautions: Jordan is initially an insecure,angry boy, who uses words like ‘loser’ and‘spaz’ in his emails to Bart. (He also tells Bartto ‘drop dead’ in an early email). Also, Bart, likeall angels in this depiction of Heaven, was oncean ordinary human on Earth; he advanced to hisposition on Cloud Nine through successfullycompleting various Heavenly assignments, andcan now help people (and influence events) onEarth. Finally, the fact that the emails haveactual dates (from 2003) might date the book insome readers’ eyes. But these are minorcomplaints; the story is wonderful, and shouldhave great appeal.Rosemarie DiCristoBest little wingman / by Janet Allen ;illustrated by Jim Postier. LCCN2005297923. Honesdale, Pa. : Boyds Mills,2005.HBB, 159078197X, list price: $15.95.F. Fathers and daughters—Fiction; Snow removal—Fiction; Snowplows—Fiction; Night—Fiction. 1 v.(unpaged) : col. ill. ; 29 cm.Grades K-5. Rating : 5.Best Little Wingman is the story of a girl whohelps her father with his snowplow. Her job aswingman is explained in the story, which alsodescribes some of the people they help onesnowy night.This heart-warming and fun book will delightboth boys and girls as they learn about Jannyand her job as wingman for her father. Therealistic illustrations by Jim Postier add depth tothe story, and readers will enjoy both as theytravel through the winter night on the snowplow.This book is well-suited for independent readingand would also make a wonderful winterbedtime story. Even children living where thereis no snow may be able to imagine what it is liketo ride through the snow and enjoy hot chocolateand warm biscuits. A nostalgic andheartwarming ending is provided by authorJanet Allen. This book will be enjoyed over andover again by children of all ages.Pam HalterRoanoke : the lost colony : an unsolvedmystery from history / by Jane Yolen andHeidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple ; illustratedby Roger Roth. LCCN 2001020729. NewYork : Simon & Schuster Books for YoungReaders, 2003.HBB, 0689823215, list price: $16.95.Fic. Roanoke Colony--Fiction; Roanoke Island(N.C.)--History--16th century--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged): col. ill. ; 27 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 5.Another in the acclaimed picture book Mysteryfrom History series, Roanoke: The Lost Colonyis narrated by an elementary school studentintrigued with unsolved historical mysteries. Ina lively, truthful, imagination-catching fashionshe presents all the history known aboutRoanoke plus several theories.Additional information inset on relevant pagesincludes definitions and extra, appropriate data.A concluding time line ties all the facts together.Award-winning poet, novelist, and storytellerJane Yolen and her parole officer-becomeauthordaughter Heidi Semple catch theiraudience’s interest from the first page of thisabsorbing history. They also aptly explain howa history detective works.Noted artist and illustrator Roger Roth hascreated classic pencil and watercolor two-pagepictures that breathe with life and color. Full ofimportant detail, the illustrations enhance thischronicle.Roanoke: The Lost Colony will be appreciatedby both the history and art class. Recommendedfor all schools, libraries, and interestedindividuals.Donna EggettC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 2 J U N E 2 0 0 5

CHILDREN’S FICTIONSchoolroom in the parlor / RebeccaCaudill. LCCN 2005925056. Bathgate,N.D. : Bethlehem Books, 2005. Seriesinfo?PAP, 1883937825, list price: $11.95.Fic. Schools--Fiction. 145 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.The fourth of four books in Rebecca Caudill’sFairchild Family series, Schoolroom in theParlor finds main character Bonnie Fairchild,six years of age, and going on seven, spendingthe winter months—when the snow is too deepfor anyone to get to the town school—beingtaught by her fourteen-year-old sister Althy inthe Fairchild parlor. Also attending this“school” are the other Fairchild siblings Debby,Emmy, and Chris. Chris, the only boy, isinitially rebellious; he’d expected to spend thewinter doing “man stuff”—trapping rabbits andchopping wood. But school is only for half theday, and Chris and the others have everyafternoon free.Schoolroom in the Parlor is a charming book.Not much happens, other than the day-to-daydescriptions of what the children learn or whatthey do in their spare time, but the bookprovides a vivid look at life in the Kentucky hillsof early 20th century America. Readers canvicariously experience the simple pleasures ofice skating on a brisk winter’s day, beingsnowbound during a big blizzard, or waking uplate at night merely to see the Northern Lights.Through it all, readers also learn about a warm,nurturing family where parents and childrentruly love each other… and work together in aspirit of cooperation.Caudill’s series is reminiscent of the LittleHouse books, or Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy novels. They may not appeal to childrenaccustomed to the fast-paced modern world, butthey surely make lovely historical novels, andare terrific books for young girls who enjoythoroughly immersing themselves in abeautifully-depicted fictional world.Rosemarie DiCristoTell me the story / by Max Lucado;illustrated by Ron DiCianni. 2nd ed.LCCN 92026963. Wheaton, Ill. :Crossway Books, 2005.HBB, 1581345232, list price: $16.99.Fic. Children’s stories, American; Christian life--Fiction; Short stories. 50 p. : col. ill. ; 27 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.In his typical, gentle fashion, Max Lucadobrings alive several essential truths of the Biblein Tell Me the Story. He begins with Creation,with the Archangel Michael an eyewitness to thedelight God has in His work. The Fall is retoldthrough the story of a naughty child who seeksescape from confinement, then is dismayed andfrightened when he achieves his escape. ARoman soldier named Claudius gives us a viewof the Resurrection that is unforgettable.Forgiveness, spiritual warfare, and the prodigalson are similarly covered through “think-aboutit”stories. The final entry, an altar call set in avaguely science fiction-type setting, isprovocative.The stories are delicately crafted to convey thetruth, but also to allow the reader to draw his orher own conclusions. Scripture references arefootnoted when necessary, and each topic beginswith a passage from scripture and the verse thestory illustrates. For example, the story aboutforgiveness begins with, “Blessed are the pure inheart, for they will see God,” Matthew 5:8(NIV). Since these stories are appropriatelyframed, they become more than just interestingdialogues between characters. Instead, theytransform to become character-builders for theobservant reader or listener.While this is an easily-read book, and thebeautiful paintings by Ron DiCianni enrich eachpassage, the librarian or teacher will get themost use out of the volume as a read-aloud tostudents. It is styled a gift book, and the gift isin sharing it with others.Kelley WestenhoffThe whipping boy / by Sid Fleischman ;illustrations by Peter Sis. LCCN85017555. New York : GreenwillowBooks, 1986.HBB, 0688062164, list price: $16.99.Fic. Adventure and adventurers--Fiction; Robbers andoutlaws--Fiction; Newbery Medal. 90 p. ; 23 cm.Grades 5-7. Rating : 5.This suspense-filled, mythical adventureexposes the reader to cheeky Prince Brat and hiswhipping boy, Jemmy-Of-The-Streets. Thearrogant prince keeps the castle in constantturmoil with his ornery pranks that overwhelmtheir stately guests. The King then shouts,“Fetch the whipping boy.” Because, you see, itis “forbidden to spank, thrash, cuff, smack orwhip a prince.”The royal heir enjoys seeing his whipping boyshowl like stuck pigs, but Jemmy endures thediscipline with impassive contempt. This angersthe prince and causes him to threaten eviction.That suits Jemmy; he wants to leave the castle.He loathes wearing velvet breeches and silkstockings. He longs to return to the germinfestedgutters to work as a rat-catcher like hisPa. One night, while dreaming of being backhome, he is awakened by the royal prince whowants to run away and needs his manservant toaccompany him.The boys leave, get lost, and are captured by twoterrifying villains, Hold-Your-Nose Billy andCutwater. When they discover the prince’scrown, the villains decide to hold the boys forransom. In the way of good fiction, this journeyinto unknown territory, thick with suspense,manages to change both boys’ lives.Sid Fleischman won the 1987 Newbery Medalfor this enchanting middle-reader novel. Thecover of this book tells us that in past centuries,royal households did exploit a whipping boysuch as Jemmy, as occurs in Mark Twains’novel, The Prince and the Pauper.The Whipping Boy has an intriguing, fast-pacedplot that rushes through the pages amidstbrilliant dialogue and humor. All characters arewritten with a magnificent charm that will excitemiddle readers, and could be introduced tosecond through fourth graders with discretion.Peter Sis’s uncanny full-page black-and-whiteillustrations expand and enhance this eventfilledstory. A recommended read.Maxine CambraC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

BOOK REVIEWSCHILDREN’S NONFICTIONNirv kids’ quest study bible / [edited by]Catherine DeVries. Rev. ed. LCCN2004107906. Grand Rapids : Zonderkidz,2005.HBB, 0310708788, list price: $27.99.220.5/20814. Bible--Study and teaching. xi, 1680 p. :ill. ; 23 cm.Grades 1-6. Rating : 5.The NIRV Kids’ Quest Study Bible is anexceptionally innovative Bible for children ages6-12 and is well worth the $27.99 asking price.The complete biblical text is presented in NewInternational Reader’s Version, which is asimplified version of the New InternationalVersion, making it an excellent choice foryounger readers.Special additions to this Bible include adictionary and topical index, and each chaptertells who wrote that particular book, why, when,where it was written, and why that book isspecial. Sprinkled throughout are questchallenges that encourage kids to explorefurther. Over 500 kids’ questions are answeredwith simple but complete explanations, such as‘Does God ever get tired of answering prayers?’and ‘Will I see people I love in heaven?’The use of blue for the color of the print and redfor the chapter headings and questions is quiteeye-catching, and the illustrations are cute andoften silly. Written at a third grade reading level,this Bible is an excellent choice for parentslooking for an edition of the Bible for theirchildren that is easy to understand and can beread independently.Sherri MyersScholastic first picture dictionary /[conceived and written by Genevieve de laBretesche ; illustrated by CharlotteVoake] . [et al.]. LCCN 2004052522. NewYork : Scholastic Reference, 2005.SPR, 0439719933, list price: $14.95.423’.17. English language--Dictionaries, Juvenile;Picture dictionaries, English--Juvenile literature. 107p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm.Ages 2-6. Rating : 4.The Scholastic First Picture Dictionarydescribes over 800 objects with pictures,interactive riddles, and several transparentpages. Genevieve de La Bretesche wrote thebook in French, but Jennifer R. Vetter did theEnglish translation. Charlotte Voake and 16other artists offer interesting illustrations withethnically diverse people.You’ll find something for every interest.Eighteen musical instruments entice weemusicians. Farm animals, city scenes, andcamping equipment add variety. Children willlearn about computers, a DVD player,microwaves, and a stylish bike helmet. Seewhat is in a garage, a broom closet, or a garden.I especially liked the “We go to school”transparency, linked with “In the classroom.”The “We go shopping” transparency and thefood section offer universal appeal. Thedrawings possess a slight European flair.Spiral bound books are often associated withtorn pages and a short shelf life. I predict abetter future for this picture dictionary. A sturdyouter cover protects the spiral binding, and thepages are extra heavy. Moreover, the spiralbinding allows easy page turning. Children canenjoy the bright pictures all by themselves. Adda supervising adult, and you’ll promote gooddiscussion about everything from accordion tozucchini.Roberta Lou JonesSeven wonders of the modern world /Doreen Gonzales. (Seven wonders of theworld.) LCCN 2004015255. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2005.HBB, 0766052923, list price: $25.26.620. Engineering--Juvenile literature; Seven Wondersof the World--Juvenile literature; Architecture--Juvenile literature. 48 p. : col. ill. ; 24 cm.Seven natural wonders of the UnitedStates and Canada / Cheryl L. DeFries.(Seven wonders of the world.) LCCN2004010072. Berkeley Heights, N.J. :Enslow Publishers, 2005.HBB, 0766052915, list price: $25.26.333.78/3/0973. National parks and reserves--UnitedStates--Juvenile literature; Natural monuments--UnitedStates--Juvenile literature; National parks andreserves--Canada--Juvenile literature; Naturalmonuments--Canada--Juvenile literature. 48 p. : col.ill. ; 24 cm.Seven wonders of the natural world / AmyGraham. (Seven wonders of the world.)LCCN 2004009085. Berkeley Heights,N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2005.HBB, 0766052907, list price: $25.26.910/.02. Landforms--Juvenile literature; Naturalmonuments--Juvenile literature. 48 p. : col. ill. ; 24cm.Grades 4-9. Rating : 4.The author for each title in the Seven Wondersof the World Series has selected her particularseven wonders using a variety of criteria. Thewonders enumerated in the United States andCanada volume were selected because they“seemed to be the most famous and moststudied,” and include the Everglades, YosemiteNational Park, the Grand Canyon, theMississippi River, Mount McKinley, NiagaraFalls, and the Redwood Forest. Selections forModern World volume were determined by theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers, and areengineering accomplishments from around theworld such as the Panama Canal, the North SeaProtection Works, the Empire State Building,the Golden Gate Bridge, the CN Tower, theItaipu Dam, and the Channel Tunnel. Choicesfor Natural World volume include MountEverest, Victoria Falls, the Grand Canyon, theGreat Barrier Reef, the Northern Lights,Paricutin Volcano, and the Harbor of Rio deJaneiro, and were chosen because they are “themost magnificent views nature has to offer” and“remaining astonishing sights of nature.” Eachbook is complemented with colored photos andweb shots of sites recommended in the book.Bibliographic reference materials are appendedfor websites, chapter notes, and further reading.A glossary is also appended.This series is a school report series. Even thetitle announces that use. However, the series isa cut above most series titles, for the writing,while factual, is at times literary, notencyclopedic. Each “wonder” is not presentedin a template format, which is both a positiveand a negative feature, for readers won’tnecessarily find the same types of facts for each“wonder,” but will find what is most interestingabout the “wonder.” Bold headings in red add tothe usefulness for research. The feature whichmakes the series unique is the selection of andconnection to websites via the publisher’s site.While the choices are excellent, a questionremains about the long-term viability of eachsite and even the publisher’s site. Be aware alsothat there are geologic references to millions ofyears. Very useful for school and home schoolreaders doing reports.Marion MuellerGalen and the gateway to medicine / byJeanne Bendick ; pictures by the author.(Living history library.) LCCN2002108552. Bathgate, N.D. : BethlehemBooks, 2002.PAP, 1883937752, list price: $13.95.610/.937. Medicine--Philosophy--Juvenile literature;Medicine, Ancient--Juvenile literature; Medicine,Greek and Roman--Juvenile literature. xi, 131 p. : ill.; 22 cm.Grades 4-7. Rating : 4.C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 4 J U N E 2 0 0 5

CHILDREN’S NONFICTIONIn Galen and the Gateway to Medicine, JeanneBendick presents a clearly written, easy tounderstand, and delightful look at the life andwork of the Roman physician and philosopher.The culture Galen lived in and the basic detailsof his life are given, as well as thoroughdiscussions of his many theories anddiscoveries. In areas where modern thought hassurpassed Galen’s medical discoveries, thereasons why Galen’s ideas are incorrect areshown, and the correct theories are fullydescribed (although, occasionally, theseexplanations could be a bit more clear). Thefinal chapter explains why Renaissance and laterscientists turned away from much of Galen’swork.Bendick writes in a way that would capture theattention of even a reluctant child reader. Forinstance, the descriptions of Roman life containa detailed, exciting look at the world of thegladiator, yet the more violent aspects ofgladiatorial combat are played down. (Thedescriptions of surgical instruments of the time,including a description of vivisection, are a bitmore grisly).Roman gods and goddesses are mentioned, butonly briefly. Bendick writes that Galen believedGod created a “perfect design” for the body andthe working of each of its parts.Galen and the Gateway to Medicine is geared toboth the school and home school audience.Eight “essay questions for student writers” areprovided. The pronunciation of Roman namesis included in the text. There is also a shortbibliography. Bendick has written a similarbook on the life of Archimedes, entitledArchimedes and the Door of Science (Watts,1962).Rosemarie DiCristoReading Roll of thunder, hear my cry /Stacy Glenn Tibbets. (The engagedreader.) LCCN 2005009525. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2005.LIB, 0791088324, list price: $25.00.813/.54. Taylor, Mildred D.--Roll of thunder, hear mycry--Juvenile literature; African American families inliterature--Juvenile literature; Racism in literature--Juvenile literature; Mississippi--In literature--Juvenileliterature. 88 p. ; 25 cm.Grades 4-6 (teacher resource). Rating : 3.A new series by Chelsea House, “EngagedReaders,” strives to turn readers of classicnovels into just that. One of the first six booksin the series is Reading Roll of Thunder, HearMy Cry. Stacy Tibbetts begins exploration ofthe Newbery Medal winner with the front coverand proceeds idea by idea to establish aframework for the book. Narrative techniquesillustrate viewpoints and voice, followed byChapter Three summarizing the plot. Thischapter also contains a photo of author MildredD. Taylor and marvelous color photos of scenestypical of those described in the novel. ChapterFour describes the characters. Chapters Fiveand Six address the function of setting andunderstanding themes and symbols. The finalchapter is the most useful, discussing thecontroversies surrounding the book includingthe role of Christianity during the time ofslavery, as well as the use of the “n” word. Abibliography and index conclude the volume.Although this book is well written, it strugglesbetween being a book for the children wantingto know more about the story, and an aide forteachers. For example, sprinkled throughout thebook are sidebars called “on your ownactivities.” For an individual student they arethought-provoking questions but for a class theyare excellent discussion questions. I offered thisbook to two 11-year olds who had read, andloved, Taylor’s masterpiece. One loved usingthis volume to more fully experience Thunder’sworld. The other thought it detracted from herappreciation of the novel by over-analyzingwhat she had richly enjoyed on her own. Hercomment was, “it changes the pictures I made inmy mind.” I think I would err on the side ofusing this as a teacher resource to teach thisgreat American novel.Kelley Westenhoffenergy and action, reflecting accuratecontemporary street and domestic scenes.Teedie always looks the same, from earlychildhood to teenager: a large caricature youngadult head on a skinny child’s body. A fun read,but not a research tool.Marion MuellerAristotle : philosopher and scientist /Margaret J. Anderson and Karen F.Stephenson. (Great minds of science.)LCCN 2003002270. Berkeley Heights,N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2004.HBB, 0766020967, list price: $19.95.B or 185. Aristotle; Philosophers; Scientists. 128 p. :ill. ; 24 cm.Archimedes : mathematical genius of theancient world / Mary Gow. (Great mindsof science.) LCCN 2004028480. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2005.HBB, 0766025020, list price: $19.95.B or 510/.92. Archimedes; Mathematics;Mathematicians. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Copernicus : founder of modernastronomy / Catherine M. Andronik.(Great minds of science.) LCCN2001001815. Berkeley Heights, N.J. :Enslow Publishers, 2002.HBB, 0766017559, list price: $19.95.B or 520/.92. Copernicus, Nicolaus, 1473-1543;Astronomers. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Edwin Hubble : discoverer of galaxies /Claire L. Datnow. (Great minds ofscience.) LCCN 96037095. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 1997.PAP, 0766018695, list price: $9.99.B or 520/.92. Hubble, Edwin Powell, 1889-1953;Astronomers. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Johannes Kepler : discovering the laws ofplanetary motion / Mary Gow. (Greatminds of science.) LCCN 2002014588.Berkeley Heights, N.J. : EnslowPublishers, 2003.HBB, 0766020983, list price: $19.95.B or 520/.92. Kepler, Johannes, 1571-1630;Astronomers. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Tycho Brahe : astronomer / by Mary Gow.(Great minds of science.) LCCN2001003269. Berkeley Heights, N.J. :Enslow Publishers, 2002.HBB, 0766017575, list price: $19.95.B or 520/.92. Brahe, Tycho, 1546-1601; Astronomers.128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Niels Bohr : physicist and humanitarian /Naomi Pasachoff. (Great minds ofscience.) LCCN 2002003887. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2003.HBB, 0766019977, list price: $19.95.B or 530/.092. Bohr, Niels Henrik David, 1885-1962;Nobel Prizes--Biography; Physicists. 128 p. : ill. ; 24cm.Ernest Rutherford : father of nuclearscience / Naomi Pasachoff. (Great mindsof science.) LCCN 2004013402. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2005.HBB, 0766024415, list price: $19.95.B or 539.7/092. Rutherford, Ernest, 1871-1937;Nuclear physics--History; Physicists; Nuclearphysicists. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Lise Meitner : pioneer of nuclear fission /Janet Hamilton. (Great minds of science.)LCCN 2001002119. Berkeley Heights,N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2002.HBB, 0766017567, list price: $19.95.B or 539/.092. Meitner, Lise, 1878-1968; Women--Biography; Physicists; Nuclear fission. 128 p. : ill. ;24 cm.Antoine Lavoisier : founder of modernchemistry / Lisa Yount. (Great minds ofscience.) LCCN 96041296. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 1997.PAP, 0766018652, list price: $9.95.B or 540/.92. Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent, 1743-1794;Chemists. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Carl Linnaeus : father of classification /Margaret J. Anderson. (Great minds ofscience.) LCCN 96048900. BerkeleyHeights, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 1997.HBB, 0894907867, list price: $19.95.B or 580/.92. Linnâe, Carl von, 1707-1778;Naturalists. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Jonas Salk : creator of the polio vaccine /Salvatore Tocci. (Great minds of science.)LCCN 2002003888. Berkeley Heights,N.J. : Enslow Publishers, 2002.HBB, 0766020975, list price: $19.95.C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 5 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

CHILDREN’S NONFICTIONB or 610/.92. Salk, Jonas, 1914-1995; Poliomyelitisvaccine; Scientists. 128 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Alexander Fleming : the man whodiscovered penicillin / Salvatore Tocci.(Great minds of science.) LCCN2001003072. Berkeley Heights, N.J. :Enslow Publishers, 2002.HBB, 0766019985, list price: $19.95.B or 616/.014/092. Fleming, Alexander, 1881-1955;Penicillin--History; Scientists; Bacteriologists--GreatBritain--Biography--Juvenile literature. 128 p. : ill. ;24 cm.Grades 4-6. Rating : 5.The Great Minds of Science series, published byEnslow, is consistently well-written and wellorganized.Each book covers the biographicaland scientific accomplishments of the featuredindividual in age-appropriate detail. The seriesbrilliantly places each scientist’s work and life inthe context of his or her times. Each book alsoincludes a chronology, chapter notes, glossary, asection for further reading (bibliography), andinternet addresses. A section on activities thatdemonstrate some of the essential principles theprofiled scientist either discovered or exploredfollows the biographical material. Written innarrative form, these latter sections areadequate, but without illustrations. A studentmight not realize they are actually experiments.Illustrations throughout each book vary frommaps to drawings to photographs, depending onthe subject of the biography. The importance ofreligious life is covered in a respectful mannerwherever it influenced a particular scientist.The impact of war upon men and women ofscience is also clear. The volumes authored byMary Gow stand out as the best of the series,elucidating even the most difficult subjectmatter.Astronomers are profiled in four books in theseries. The great minds and work ofCopernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, andEdwin Hubble are interwoven in four separatevolumes. They are interesting to read togetherthough, as so much of their work overlapped.The thread which connects all four of these menwas a drive to understand things that were yetunexplained. For the student using thesevolumes, it will be illuminating to discover thatthe work started nearly five hundred years agoby Copernicus led to predictions by Brahe andKepler during the Renaissance that were onlyconfirmed by sight centuries later, throughHubble’s work. An astute student will draw theconnection between the quests of theseindividuals to explain the universe in a way thathonors the Creator.Archimedes appears in his biography as anaturally gifted mathematician. His observationof his world, curiosity about why things were so,and propensity to leave records gave us thefoundation for geometry as well as many simplemachine experiments. Even someone whodoesn’t like math can appreciate his impact afterreading this well-written biography. Stayingwith the ancients, a book on Aristotle, who livednearly 2500 years ago, and his impact on thepresent day world is illuminating. His work onclassifications of animals led many centurieslater to Carl Linnaeus, profiled in yet anothervolume in this series. Originally sent to studyfor the pastorate, Linnaeus was a miserableseminary student. Upon the advice of hisprofessor he began studying plants anddeveloped the system of classification that westill use today.Of the three books on nuclear scientists, twonames are very familiar (Rutherford and Bohr)and one less so (Meitner). Lise Meitner was abrilliant scientist in Germany prior to World WarII. A non-religious Jew in Germany, shebelieved her status as a scientist would preserveher, only to have to be smuggled out later to saveher life. One of the scientists behind thesmuggling was Neils Bohr. His biographyexplains his own complex work as well as hislife of blessing others. Ernest Rutherford’s leapsforward in nuclear science are also explained forthe layman. Interestingly, he too was personallyinvolved in the effort to rescue scholars andscientists from Nazi Germany. It’s a fascinatingtie between these three that will give the studenta clear example of God’s providence workingthrough His people.The best of the books is a fantastic biography ofRobert Boyle by Mary Gow. An early pioneerof chemistry, Boyle’s faith in Christ was aspowerful as his curiosity. Gow respectfullyportrays this powerful faith, something you areunlikely to find in most biographies written forthis age group. Following Boyle’s era wasAntoine Lavoisier, whose inquisitive mindformed the basis for modern chemistry, butwhose life was cut short by the FrenchRevolution. Moving into the modern era, bookson Jonas Salk and Alexander Fleming willeducate students on how one scientist set a goalof getting rid of a horrible disease and the otherturned a serendipitous accident into anopportunity to explore more of God’s creation,eventually leading to the discovery of lifesavingpenicillin.Kelley WestenhoffArchimedes and the door of science / byJeanne Bendick ; pictures by the author.(Living history library.) LCCN 95078182.Bathgate, N.D. : Bethlehem Books, 1995.PAP, 1883937124, list price: $13.95.B or 510.’092. Archimedes--Juvenile literature. x,142 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.Grades 4-7. Rating : 4.Simply written and engaging, Archimedes andthe Door of Science can be used as a biographyof Archimedes, as a guide to his scientific andmathematical ideas, and as an overview ofancient Greek culture.Early chapters discuss Archimedes’ life as wellas the times he lived in. Succeeding chaptersdiscuss his discoveries, from his experimentswith levers and why an object displaces its ownweight in water, to his ideas concerning shapesand numbers. Also discussed is his work inastronomy.Jeanne Bendick, author and illustrator of manyscience books, shows a remarkable ability towrite about tough concepts in easy-tounderstandlanguage. Children will get a clearpicture of who Archimedes was and how vastlyhe influenced modern thought. They will alsoget a clear understanding of the principlesbehind his ideas. Bendick’s illustrations anddiagrams further clarify the book’s concepts.Included are simple experiments readers can doin a school or home school setting (theintroduction contains a special note for homeeducators). Interesting facts (that a page inArchimedes’ day was ten times longer than theaverage room; why the Leaning Tower of Pisadoesn’t fall) are recounted in ways likely to stickin a reader’s mind.Bendick once remarks that Archimedes’ successwas due to Greek gods having “looked kindly”on him. A passing comment that ancient Greeksconsidered Africans “gorillas” may offend somereaders. And Bendick tends to mention theGreek worldview (including that humanitybegan “in the sea”) without mentioning ideasabout God and creation. But those are the onlypossibly questionable aspects in an otherwisewonderful book.Rosemarie DiCristoYou’re on your way, Teddy Roosevelt / byJudith St. George ; illustrated by MattFaulkner. LCCN 2003021534. New York: Philomel, 2004.HBB, 0399238883, list price: $16.99.B or 973.91/1/092. Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 --Childhood and youth--Juvenile literature; Roosevelt,Theodore, 1858-1919 --Childhood and youth;Presidents--United States--Biography--Juvenileliterature; Presidents. 1 v. (unpaged) : ill. ; 29 cm.Grades K-3. Rating : 4.Judith St. George begins a new presidents’ series“Turning Point” with You’re On Your Way,Teddy Roosevelt, a title about the youngTheodore “Teedie” Roosevelt. In six briefchapters, Teedie is introduced as a sickly, puny,pale child, but a youngster with greatdetermination and tenacity. Father Roosevelt“took charge,” attempting to find cures for avariety of ailments from asthma to poor eyesightto lack of body strength. The wealthy Rooseveltfamily makes yearlong trips to Europe andEgypt where doctors are also consulted.Meanwhile, Teedie is interested in naturalsciences, is a voracious reader, an inquisitivechild, and is learning to be a “take charge”person, too. An author’s note about TheodoreRoosevelt’s adult life is appended, as is aD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 1 6 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

CHILDREN’S NONFICTIONbibliography including two autobiographies.Matt Faulkner uses gouache and caricature stylefor his full-page color illustrations.When the reviewer was growing up, she read theentire, still available series, Childhood ofFamous Americans. St. George’s childhoodversion of Theodore Roosevelt and the latest inthe series about George Washington, are muchbriefer and could easily be read aloud forprimary students. The average third gradershould be able to easily read and comprehendthe text. St. George presents a positive, noncriticalview of Roosevelt’s luxuriantchildhood, hinting at the assertiveness of thefuture President. Faulkner’s pictures are full ofenergy and action, reflecting accuratecontemporary street and domestic scenes.Teedie always looks the same, from earlychildhood to teenager: a large caricature youngadult head on a skinny child’s body. A fun read,but not a research tool.Marion MuellerC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 7 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

BOOK REVIEWSYOUNG ADULT FICTIONBelle Prater’s boy / Ruth White. LCCN94043625. New York : Farrar StrausGiroux, 1996.HBB, 0374306680, list price: $17.00.Fic. Cousins--Fiction; Mother and child--Fiction;Loss (Psychology)--Fiction; Identity--Fiction;Newbery Honor Book. 196 p. ; 22 cm.Rating?The search for Belle Prater / Ruth White.LCCN 2004050600. New York : FarrarStraus Giroux, 2005.HBB, 0374308535, list price: $16.00.Fic. Abandoned children--Fiction; Cousins--Fiction;Family life--Virginia--Fiction; Virginia--History--20thcentury--Fiction. 176 p. ; 22 cm.Grades 8-12. Rating : 5.Ruth White has written two wonderful storiesfor middle grade readers about Belle Prater, herboy Woodrow, and Woodrow’s cousin, Gypsy.Belle Prater is missing and everyone in town,Coal Station, Virginia, that is, has a theory aboutwhat happened to her. Gypsy is more forthrightthan her cousin, who keeps his own counsel, andwhen he moves in next door she is determined tofind out what really happened!In The Search for Belle Prater, Gypsy andWoodrow become best friends, joined by theirlove for reading, stories, and the magiccontained in words. When some suspiciousevents occur, the cousins are certain they pointto Belle and set out to track her down. Helpedalong the way by a new friend, CassieCaulborne, a girl with second sight, Belle stillproves elusive and beyond their reach.Woodrow’s search for his mother provesfruitless, a disappointing event in itself, butharder than that is wondering why she wouldleave in the first place. White writes offriendships, different ways of finding thestrength to face the truth, and the importance offinding your own way in the midst of pain.Either book is a stand alone read but togetherthey make a great pair with readers hoping for athird that might solve the mystery of the missingBelle.Ceil CareyChopstick / by Sandra Byrd. (Friends fora season ; 2.) LCCN 2005005868.Minneapolis : Bethany House, 2005.PAP, 0764200216, list price: $9.99.Fic. Music--Competitions--Fiction; Competition(Psychology)--Fiction; Christian life--Fiction. 234 p. ;22 cm.Grades 5-8. Rating : 4.Two girls, but only one winner. Paige and Kateare brought together by a singer-songwritercontest and their love for music. For Paigewinning is about recognition from her family,whom she feels has forgotten her. While Kate,who comes from a poor family, hopes to be seenas more then a second class citizen Both girlshave promised the $400 winnings to worthycauses. A friendship blossoms as they worktogether preparing for the contest. God has ledboth girls to enter the contest. Who will be thewinner? And can their friendship survive thecompetition?Second in the Friends for a Season series bySandra Byrd Chopstick is an enjoyable read.Told in alternating chapters by Paige and Kate,both sides of the story are revealed to the reader.Although not a deep, thought provoking novel,the book does bring up important issues such asfriendship, money, family, and doing what isright. One character must make a difficultdecision on something in a very gray area.Some may agree with her choice, some may notas she consults God and follows her heart. Bothgirls struggle with God and themselves whiledeciding what they should do. Churchattendance is an important part of family life andKate’s father is a minister. If you want to learnmore about the series, the book, and thecharacters search the website atwww.friendsforaseason.com.Christine J. HornThe chronicles of Narnia : never has themagic been so real / by C.S. Lewis.Colorado Springs : Focus on the Family,2003.ABK, 1589971493, list price: $80.00.Fic. Fantasy. 19 sound discs (ca. 22 hrs.) : digital ; 43/4 in.Grades 5-8.High schoolers and adults enjoy readingthis. Rating : 5.C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia arefamiliar to nearly any English reader ofchildren’s books, but as Lewis himself said, thebest children’s books are those which can beread and re-read enjoyably even by adults. TheNarnia books certainly meet this standard.Generations of children and their parents haveloved these stories.Now Focus on the Family Radio Theater—thesame people who brought the excellent radiodrama series Adventures in Odyssey—producedthese closely faithful adaptations of each of theNarnia books in radio drama format. Thismeans that director and adapter Paul McCuskertook much of the dialog and narration verbatimfrom Lewis’ books, but that he had to adjust afew (very few) lines here and there because ofthe demands of the format.The British actors whom Focus on the Familyassembled to play the various parts are topnotch,and the original musical score and thesound design are film-quality (wait till you hearAslan’s roar, which sound designers made witha combination of lion and polar bear!). Librarieswith audio book sections could do to have morethan one copy of the 19-CD set, because thepopularity of the new Narnia movie is likely tokeep interest in Narnia high for some time.Stories may also be ordered individually, thoughthat method is substantially more expensive.Mark L. Ward, Jr.The heaven shop / Deborah Ellis.Markham, Ont. : Fitzhenry & Whiteside,2004.HBB, 1550419080, list price: $16.95.Fic. AIDS (Disease)--Fiction--Juvenile literature;Grandmothers--Fiction--Juvenile literature. 186 p. ;21 cm.Grades 8-12. Rating : 5.Binti Phiri has a good life in Malawi. She liveswith her father, older sister, and younger brother,and stars in a popular radio program. Theyaren’t wealthy, but they are better off than manyas her father (Bambo) is a skilled coffin maker.His shop is called “Heaven Shop Coffins” andthe family prides itself on sending people toheaven in a worthy coffin. But the children’slife is torn apart as Bambo dies from AIDS. Therelatives he has been supporting for yearsdescend upon the children. Taken in by cruelrelatives, Binti is no longer the child star andgood student. Instead she is treated as acontagious slave, receiving beatings for theslightest offense. After her older sisterdisappears, Binti can’t stand it anymore, andruns away to find her grandmother, Gogo. Whatshe encounters there is poverty in fact, butwealth in spirit as Gogo runs a group home fororphans. Eventually the three children arereunited with some poignant results.Deborah Ellis has written a sad yet engagingstory about the tragedy of AIDS in Malawi, astory repeated in many countries in Africa. Partof the story line portrays silence and shame asthe cause of the spread of AIDS that has allowedit to flourish in the dark. The Heaven Shop isdedicated to forcing the tragedy out in the openand all profits go to UNICEF to help AIDSorphans. The book is gritty, with AIDS openlydiscussed and the older sister resorting toprostitution to survive. Yet the children findcomfort and happiness by adjusting to what lifeC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 8 J U N E 2 0 0 5

YOUNG ADULTFICTIONhas become, and prizing what is of value. Asection at the end discusses the disease in greatdetail so this book should be reserved for maturestudents. As a parent, I would want to know mychild was reading this book.Kelley WestenhoffThe innkeeper’s son / Ken Anderson.LCCN 2004110907. Winona Lake, Ind. :Tweener Press, 2004.PAP, 0972925694, list price: $10.95.Fic. Jesus Christ--Nativity--Fiction. 96 p. ; 23 cm.Grades 6-8. Rating : Not recommended.The Innkeeper’s Son provides a fresh look at theChristmas story. Bal Nahor, the innkeeper inBethlehem, is a roaring drunkard, abusive to hiswife and his son, Elysmus. He’s also greedy, sowhen a traveler and his pregnant wife needlodging at his already-overcrowded inn, BalNahor places them in the stable and sendsElysmus to the street. Elysmus is angry at thismistreatment, but soon notices a brilliant starabove the stable, and, right after that, a chorus ofheavenly singing. The boy realizes the Messiahhas come and tries to alert the townspeople.But, aside from some shepherds, no one cares.The Innkeeper’s Son has a formal, almostbiblical tone to the writing that suits it well. Thescene where Elysmus and the shepherds first seethe baby Jesus is breathtakingly beautiful. KenAnderson’s characters are well developed.However, the book has troubling aspects.It’s a small book with large type and it has ayoung boy protagonist, making it seem perfectfor middle grade readers. Yet it’s somewhatslow moving, taking two chapters merely to setup Elysmus’s family situation, with many morechapters showing Elysmus doing little elsebesides running around seeking someone whobelieves the Messiah has come. A greatercomplication: many scenes seem inappropriatefor children. Bal Nahor’s drunkenness is shownin great detail; he steers a visitor he cannot fit inhis inn to Megira since “she shares her bed withanyone who pays the price.” The men ofBethlehem are a rambunctious lot, and evenworse drunkards than Bal Nahor. A lengthyscene finds them singing “obscene songs” abouta slave girl and a Pharisee, and simulatingobscene gestures in a dance imitating “a womanof lust and passion.” There’s also theimplication that one man wants to have gay sexwith Elysmus.Rosemarie DiCristoKatelyn’s affection : a novel / Kirsten L.Klassen. LCCN 2004004324. Scottdale,Pa. : Herald Press, 2004.PAP, 0836192818, list price: $11.99.Fic. Divorce--Fiction; Christian life--Fiction; Familylife--Fiction; Interpersonal relations--Fiction;Mennonites--Fiction. 277 p. ; 20 cm.Grades 8-12. Rating : 3.Katelyn’s life is changing fast. Her parent’sdivorce is on the horizon and her best friend haschosen to spend all of her time with a boyfriend.Also, Katelyn has not heard a word from herfriend Nathan since he left for college. Whenoutgoing Shawn asks her for a date she agrees togo. Their feelings for one another begin to growwhen suddenly Nathan returns from college andKatelyn must face how she feels about bothboys.A lot is packed into this book includingextensive discussions on divorce and its effects,what happens when family members arealcoholics, as well as the dangers of a possessiveand abusive boyfriend. The scenes involvingthis abusive boyfriend are somewhat unsettling,especially in an otherwise gentle read.Katelyn’s Mennonite upbringing and beliefsshow the reader a lesser known Christiandenomination. While we don’t often see thecharacters’ relationship with God they do attendchurch and pray at the dinner table. TheMennonite non-violent position is oftendiscussed including a conversation about achurch Halloween party where costumes weremore likely to include weapons.Although the book does not present characterswith apparent personal relationships with Jesus,overall, Katelyn’s Affection is an enjoyablebook. Perfect for a teen looking for a romancewith substance.Christine HornOperation Red Jericho / Joshua Mowll ;[illustrated by Benjamin Mowll, JulekHeller, Niroot Puttapipat]. (The guildtrilogy ; 1.) LCCN 2005045382.Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press,2005.HBB, 0763626341, list price: $15.99.Fic. Ships--Fiction; Uncles--Fiction; Brothers andsisters--Fiction; Adventure and adventurers--Fiction;Secret societies--Fiction; China--History--1920-1928--Fiction. ix, 271 p. : ill., maps ; 20 cm.Grades 9-11. Rating : 3.Becca and Doug MacKenzie are determined tofind out how their parents disappeared, but noone seems to want to help them. Their uncle’sship, the Expedient, contains more questionsthan answers and seems in constant danger.Adding to the mystery is the existence of asecret society called the Honorable Guild ofSpecialists, with which their parents, uncle, andthe whole crew seem connected. In their questfor answers, Becca and Doug find adventure onthe high seas in 1920s China.The characters and plot of this book developrather slowly. However, once the plot getsgoing, the reader becomes thoroughly engaged.It is sometimes hard to remember that OperationRed Jericho is indeed fiction, especially sincethe introduction states that the author becamethe curator of the archives of his great-aunt,Becca MacKenzie, upon her death in 2002. Thisstatement, as well as the characterization of theMacKenzies as inquisitive and sometimesmischievous teenagers draws the reader in, andthe events seem real enough to be an actual partof history. Coupling that with a constant air ofmystery and suspense, Joshua Mowll hascreated a fine work that will instill in his readersa value of perseverance and learning as essentialto survival.Elizabeth NortonThe perilous road / William O. Steele ;with an introduction by Jean Fritz.LCCN 89019843. San Diego : HarcourtBrace Jovanovich, [1990], 1958.PAP, 0152606475, list price: $6.00.Fic. Prejudices--Fiction; United States--History--CivilWar, 1861-1865--Fiction; War--Fiction. xi, 156 p. ; 20cm.Grades 5-9. Rating : 5.It is 1863 in the mountains of eastern Tennessee,and eleven-year-old Chris Brabson is full ofhatred toward the Yankee blue-bellies. Silastold him the Yanks stole the deerskin shirt hehad worked so hard on; now he watches as theytake his family’s “onliest horse” and their foodstored for the winter. Then his brother Jethrojoins the Federal army, which brings someneighbors out against the whole Brabson family.Chris secretly manages to harass the Feds, butwhen he learns that his brother might be indanger, he rushes away from home to look forJethro and warn him against a Rebel attack.After some kind Union soldiers help him searchfor his brother, Chris finds himself in the midstof a real battle scene. While his familyfrantically searches for him, Chris manages toescape and return home.Author William O. Steele has written severalcarefully researched, exciting historical novelsfor children. In The Perilous Road, his bestknown book, he portrays some of the humanimpact of the Civil War upon families and theircommunities. His dialect is faithful to theperiod, even to the point of occasionallyreflecting a negative view of American Indians.Steele includes times of family fun to balancethe intensity of Chris’s passion. The charactersare well drawn. Chris grows through histraumatic experience to understand his parents’view that people of integrity can sometimesdiffer. They prefer to follow the scripturalmaxim “blessed are the peacemakers.” Highlyrecommended for home and Christian schoollibraries. Newbery Honor book, 1959.Donna W. BowlingThe reveal / Sarah Anne Sumpolec.(Becoming Beka ; 4.) LCCN 2004028016.Chicago : Moody Press, 2005.PAP, 0802464548, list price: $12.99.C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 1 9 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

YOUNG ADULTFICTIONFic. Christian life--Fiction; Schools--Fiction; Highschools--Fiction; Suicide--Fiction; Haiti--Fiction. 259p. ; 21 cm.Grades 9-12. Rating : 5.The Reveal, fourth book of the Becoming Bekaseries, is teen fiction at its best. A brief missionvisit to Haiti with her church, strengthens Beka’sfaith and upon returning home, puts it to the test.While Beka works through her senior year atschool as editor of the school newspaper, shemust fight temptation in order to maintain herpurity, watch over her younger sister, let go ofthe past and accept someone new into herfamily, forgive an old enemy and turn her into afriend, struggle against peer pressure, and learnto exercise leadership. Woven throughout theselearning experiences is an inspiring story ofboyfriends, girlfriends, school bullies, familyproblems, heartaches, joys, successes, andfailures that everyone experiences at one time oranother on the path of life.Sarah Anne Sumpolec is not afraid to confrontthe issues: peer pressure, life or death choices,romantic and sexual decisions, familyrelationships, and at the core of it all is a younggirl, seeking the heart and mind of God. Bekaasks valid questions that teens struggle toanswer, like “How are you supposed to knowwhat [God] is saying to you? How can youfollow somebody if you don’t know wherethey’re going?” (p. 34) and “What [does] it looklike to forgive someone…?” (p. 51) or “How[am] I supposed to love someone I [can’t]stand?” (p. 81) Beka is genuine, the charactersare convincing, the issues are authentic, thesolutions are valid. This reader did not want thebook to end—neither will you!Pamella A. RussellThe rose round / by Meriol Trevor. LCCN95078062. Warsaw, N.D. : BethlehemBooks, 1995.PAP, 1883937094, list price: $11.95.Fic. Christian life--Fiction; England--Fiction. 211 p. ;22 cm.Grades 6-10. Rating : 4.Originally published in 1963 and reprinted aspart of Bethlehem Books’ “Young AdultHistorical Bookshelf,” The Rose Round is abeautiful, richly-written novel, the type of bookto be savored rather than quickly read. Its oldfashionedfeel makes it reminiscent of writerslike Mary Stewart, but its strong story andunforgettable characters should make it appealto preteen and teen girls who love to read.Set in England and told from the point of viewof Matt, a thirteen-year-old orphan, the storyreally concerns the romance of his older sisterCaroline, who’s engaged to the arrogantly-richJasper Hartnoll but who becomes increasinglyfond of his homely, crippled cousin, Theo Ayres.Carolyn, a cook, lives with Matt on the Ayresestate, a crumbling old property with fewinhabitants and even fewer servants. It’s run bythe bitterly imperious Madame Ayres, who livesthere with son Theo and a wildcat of agranddaughter, 13-year-old Alix.Madame is still grieving the death of her onlydaughter, Rosario, who died while a child. She’salso grieving the wartime death of her favoredson, Julian, and despises Theo, her only livingchild, for being crippled, and for what sheperceives as weakness. Theo’s “weakness”actually is his attempt to live out his Christianfaith; the story revolves around how this faithsoftens Madame, Alix, and of course thebeautiful Carolyn.In The Rose Round, Meriol Trevor includespassing reference to Catholic doctrine, includingpurgatory, the rosary, and the Virgin Mary. Thestory puts much more emphasis on forgiveness,a person’s need to return to God before he dies,and the supreme sacrifice God made by comingto earth as the Son.Rosemarie DiCristo*The secret of the swamp king / JonathanRogers. (The wilderking trilogy ; 2.)Nashville : Broadman & Holman, 2005.HBB, 0805431322, list price: $15.99.Fic. Adventure and adventurers; Fantasy. 229 p. ; 20cm.Grades 4-9. Rating : *5.The Secret of the Swamp King is the secondbook in the Wilderking trilogy by JonathanRogers. It is an action packed adventure thatwill be cherished by young and old alike. AidanErrolson has spent the past few years living inthe castle of King Darrow as an honored guestand the best friend of the king’s son. However,all of that comes to an end when importantnoblemen sing Aidan’s praises too often. Theking begins to feel threatened and he sendsAidan on a dangerous mission deep into theheart of the Feechifen swamp.In this fantasy inspired by the adventures ofKing David there is much to enjoy. Action,adventure, and solid moral teachings abound.The strength of the story lies in its ability to beboth entertaining and thought provoking. Itraises questions about the environment, aboutwhat or who runs our lives, and even about thenature of good and evil. Portions of the plotmay be somewhat predictable for older readers,but that does not distract much from theenjoyment of this delightful story. The Secret ofthe Swamp King could provoke deep discussionin classrooms or simply be enjoyed as a “just forfun” read. Also, even though the mention of the“one true God” is noticeably Christian, it isaccessible to non-believers because it’s notoverly didactic in its tone. As such, JonathanRogers’ novel is highly recommended forchurch, school, and public libraries alike.Tinna D. MillsD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 2 0 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

BOOK REVIEWSYOUNG ADULT NONFICTIONThe case for a creator : a journalistinvestigates scientific evidence that pointstoward God / Lee Strobel with Jane Vogel.Student edition. LCCN 2004010002.Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2004.PAP, 0310249775, list price: $8.99.212/.1. God--Proof, Cosmological; Religion andscience. 103 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.Grades 12 - Adult. Rating : 5.Lee Strobel, former skeptic and Yale LawSchool graduate, offers an excellent defense ofGod as Creator. The Case for a Creator isexactly as the name implies—scientificevidence pointing toward God. An earlierdoubting Strobel plotted a careful case againstthe God who Christians believed made theworld. One by one, the presumed facts fell. Theauthor writes: “I was left with an origin-of-lifeexperiment that science has now renderedirrelevant, a tree of life that had been uprootedby the biological Big Bang of the Cambrianexplosion, doctored embryo drawings that don’treflect reality, and a fossil record that stubbornlyrefuses to reveal the proliferation of missinglinks….Doubts piled on doubts….the centralpillars of evolutionary theory quickly rottedaway....”Strobel writes in a down-to-earth fashion.You’ll not be intimidated by the Kalamargument, mention of quantum physics, Behe’smousetrap, or the Intelligent Design Movement.This student edition has an attractive greencover, some charts, and several sidebars. A fewpages of footnotes suggest further study.Stroble’s The Case for Christ, and The Case forFaith are also available in student editions.An inspiring part of the book regarded Strobel’swife. She “decided to become a follower ofJesus.” Her testimony led him to investigate theclaims of Christ. Although evangelism is notemphasized, The Case for a Creator can alsoinspire all Christians to witness more fervently!Roberta Lou JonesAt Jerusalem's gate : poems of Easter / byNikki Grimes ; with woodcuts by DavidFrampton. LCCN 2003001089. GrandRapids : Eerdmans Books for YoungReaders, 2005.HBB, 0802851835, list price: $20.00.232.96. Jesus Christ--Passion--Juvenile poetry; JesusChrist--Passion--Poetry; Easter--Juvenile poetry;Children's poetry, American; Christian poetry,American; Easter--Poetry; American poetry. 1 v.(unpaged) : col. ill. ; 32 cm.Grades 6-8. Rating : 5.Nikki Grimes has written twenty-two poemsabout the passion of Christ, beginning with Hisentrance into Jerusalem on a donkey and endingwith the ascension. In the author’s note, Grimesacknowledges that the “resurrection of JesusChrist is the central theme of Easter—and thecornerstone of the Christian faith.” She alsonotes she finds remaining questions about Easterwhich she thinks are answerable in poeticimagery, form, and imagination. Each poem isintroduced with a narrative about that particularEaster event. Appendix material includes notesand biblical references for each poem. DavidFrampton has created at least one woodcut toillustrate each poem plus other decorativeelements throughout.Grimes and Frampton have produced an elegantbanquet of poems and visuals about the Easterstory. The poems are thoughtful, imaginative,yet biblically based. Grimes forces the reader toexamine the Bible texts from a variety ofperspectives, often from the viewpoint ofparticipants in the events. A subtle evangelicalmessage enters several poems: “Evidence ofMercy,” “Simon, Father of Rufus,” and “TheHighwayman.” Frampton, however, makes thebook a special feast. Using simple woodcuts,reminiscent, in design, of early Christian orByzantine artwork, he catches the message andmood of each poem. Small detail designs reflectthe culture, as do the colors of tan, brown,yellow, and orange sparked with jewel tonesamidst the heavy black lines of the woodcuts.This reviewer will share each poem with thebiblical references with middle school studentsduring Holy Week. Praises and hosannas forthis title.Marion MuellerBeing a girl who serves : how to find yourlife by giving it away / Shannon KubiakPrimicerio. (Being a girl.) LCCN2005032387. Minneapolis : BethanyHouse, 2006.PAP, 0764200909, list price: $11.99.248.8/33. Teenage girls--Religious life; Christianteenagers--Religious life. 176 p. ; 21 cm.Grades 10-12. Rating : 4.Being a Girl Who Serves is book two in theBeing a Girl Series by Shannon KubiakPrimicerio. Teenage girls are encouraged tolook past their own needs and wants and usetheir time and talents to help others. Ms.Primicerio explains to young girls how they canbe used of God to be servants for Him, and thatit doesn’t matter who you are or where you’refrom, anyone can be used to help others. Inorder to be more like the shining example ofJesus, who came to serve man, we must humbleourselves and serve others also.Being a young woman in her early twentiesherself, Shannon Kubiak Primicerio easilyidentifies with the young teen girls for whomshe writes this book . Written in language ontheir level, these girls will read of simple waysto help others and not feel as if they are beingpreached at. In a world where many think ofthemselves first, this book instead encouragesteen girls to think of others first, much like Jesusdid. I highly recommend this book to parents ofteen girls, and for Bible study groups and youthgroups alike.Sherri MyersGod called a girl : how Mary changed herworld—and you can too / ShannonKubiak. LCCN 2004020639. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2005.PAP, 0764200291, list price: $11.99.248.8/33. Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint--Juvenileliterature; Teenage girls--Religious life--Juvenileliterature; Christian life--Juvenile literature; Conductof life--Juvenile literature; Spirituality--Juvenileliterature. 173 p. ; 21 cm.Grades 9-12. Rating : 3.One of the struggles the evangelical communityhas is with being real. Christians make badchoices all the time, but are afraid to reveal themto other Christians for fear of disclosing atarnished halo. Similarly, God Called A Girl hastrouble with transparency. One would think,reading this book, that the author never madeany bad choices. Yes, she talks about some badexperiences and pain, but not as linked to herown choices. Credibility with the target agegroup requires transparency. I give her creditfor directing the reader’s focus back toScripture, but there is a flavor of “do it this way”throughout the book. Be aware that it is writtenfrom a reformed evangelical point of view aboutMary.Kelley WestenhoffC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 2 1 J U N E 2 0 0 5

YOUNG ADULTNONFICTIONA young woman's walk with God /Elizabeth George. LCCN 2005029083.Eugene, Ore. : Harvest House, 2006.PAP, 0736916539, list price: $9.99.248.8/33. Teenage girls--Religious life; Christianteenagers--Religious life. 195 p. ; 21 cm.Grades 7-10. Rating : 3.Elizabeth George has written AYoung Woman’sWalk with God as a step-by-step journey thatyoung women can use to “take apart andinspect” each fruit of the Spirit. It’s meant tohelp them learn how the fruit can fit together intheir lives, and to help them become more likeJesus. Smoothly written and using simplelanguage, the book promises its readers how tofind peace despite school or family pressures,how to experience joy when facing difficulties,how to be positive, and how to control badhabits. It’s divided into three sections: Gettingthe Right Attitude, Getting Along withEverybody, and Getting Your Act Together.The book delivers all it promises. Unlikesimilar books that imply readers will becomebetter Christians with almost no effort (otherthan reading the book), AYoung Woman’s Walkwith God makes it clear that success will take aconscious effort. It also offers concrete ideas toput its concepts into practice. Another plus:George addresses the reader in the manner of aconcerned friend, making the book easy to read.AYoung Woman’s Walk with God is carefullyconstructed. Important points are reinforced,often as questions George asks, thenimmediately answers. Also, each chapter’smessage is summarized with a list of “Things todo today to …” and questions and answersstyled “Would you like to know more about…?” Previous chapters’ messages arefrequently reiterated in succeeding chapters.Confusing or “biblical” words are explained.However, the chapter on patience tells readers to“do nothing” when dealing with persons whoare “hostile, mean, or… insult you;” this may bedangerous or naïve in genuinely hostilesituations. Also, a passage implying that not“giving in” to hunger results in a blessing of theSpirit may convince anorexics their behavior issomehow biblical.Rosemarie DiCristoEncyclopedia of careers and vocationalguidance / 13th ed. LCCN 2004022855.New York : Ferguson, 2005.HBB, 081606055X, list price: $249.00.331.702. Occupations--Encyclopedias; Vocationalguidance--Encyclopedias; Occupations--Handbooks,manuals, etc.; Vocational guidance--Handbooks,manuals, etc. 5 v. : ill. ; 29 cm.Grades 9-12. Rating : 5.This thirteenth edition of a truly one-stop fivevolume series remains the definitivecomprehensive career reference in print, now inprint for more than thirty years. With 550 blackand-whitephotographs and more than 320 onthe-jobinterviews, students are sure to findhelpful insights and practical points.Volume 1 concentrates on career guidance(choosing a career, starting a career, what toexpect) along with appendixes and indexes, andcareer fields which consists of an overview ofthe ninety-three industries covered. Volumes 2to 5 contain the career articles, listed from A toZ. Each article (with revisions and update to allarticles and more than sixty new career articlesin this edition) offers career information, abibliography, sidebars, requirements, andhelpful outlook summary.The lower cost and comprehensive coverage ofthis series makes this a worthy addition to highschool and all public libraries.Leroy Hommerding*Peterson first guide to butterflies andmoths / Paul A. Opler ; illustrated by AmyBartlett Wright. (Peterson first guides.)LCCN 93005751. Boston : HoughtonMifflin, 1994.PAP, 0395906652, list price: $5.95.595.78/0973. Lepidoptera--North America--Identification; Butterflies; Moths. 128 p. : col. ill. ; 19cm.Grades 7-Adult. Rating : *5.As a college biology major in the 1960’s, Icollected the hardback Peterson Field Guides.My antique books, now dog-eared, representmany pleasant tromps through the woods andfields. Peterson Field Guides were dependableforty years ago. They remain so in 2006!Butterflies and Moths, by Paul A. Opler,represents the Peterson First Guides series. Asthe name implies, First Guides are moreelementary than the hardback versions. Yet,Butterflies and Moths includes over 180illustrations by Amy Bartlett Wright. Hersuperb artwork showcases the most commonbutterflies and moths in North America. Arrowshighlight distinctive markings, and some speciesreside on a typical leaf or flower.Novice naturalists will appreciate miscellaneousinformation. A small section discusses how toplant a garden for butterflies and moths.Occasional references to habitat needs includethe mention of Schaus’ Swallowtail as an“endangered species on a few islands in theupper Florida Keys.” The Xerces Society,dedicated to the preservation of all invertebrates,rates one sentence.Public, church, and school libraries can buyPeterson’s Butterflies and Moths with completeconfidence. Christian families will find thisbook helpful for teaching creation lessons tochildren. Find a park, a stream, or a field. Takethe field guide and your Bible. (See Genesis 1and 2, John 1:1-3, and Colossians 1:14-17.)Roberta Lou JonesThe Ferguson guide to resumes and jobhunting skills : / Maurene J. Hinds.LCCN 2004024445. New York : Ferguson,2005.HBB, 0816057923, list price: $45.00.650.14. Job hunting; Resumes (Employment). vii,248 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.Grades 9-12. Rating : 3.Hinds, a freelance writer and a member of theNational Resume Writer’s Association andCareer Masters, has compiled over 100 samplesillustrating different types of resumes and coverletters. She provides an introductory section,particularly applicable for students, that focuseson self-assessment, the basics of job searching,looking beyond the classified, getting organized,and the purpose of and how to prepare a resume.The sample resumes and cover letterscomplement in public libraries The ResumeHandbook (Adams Media Corp, 2002),Resumes That Knock Them Dead (AdamsMedia Corp, 2003), and Resumes for Dummies(For Dummies, 2005). School libraries needinga guide to explain the process of job searchingcan recommend The Ferguson Guide to studentsas it’s easy to follow and basic, and followssamples for students to digest.Leroy HommerdingThe Facts on File companion to the Britishnovel / Virginia Brackett and VictoriaGaydosik. LCCN 2004020914. New York: Facts on File, 2005.HBB, 081606377X, list price: $130.00.823/.509. English fiction--History and criticism--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2 v. ; 24 cm.Grades 9-12. Rating : 5.Spanning the early seventeeth century to thepresent, the two volumes of The Facts On FileCompanion to the British Novel offer acomprehensive study of the writers, works, andconcepts important to this genre. Each A to Zencyclopedia contains hundreds of clearlywritten entries on authors, literary works andterms, themes, and historical places.Brackett and Gaydosik both hold a Ph.D. inEnglish and have a background in literature.Their attention to indexes, appendixes,bibliographies for many entries, glossaries ofimportant terms, and extensive cross-referencesmakes this set invaluable.Libraries having high school and collegestudents studying British drama, short stories,novels, and poetry will find these frequentlyused. Students are likely to find this helpful asthe writing style is directed to readers betweenthe ages of twelve and twenty-two withparticular attention paid to narrative structurewhere students may have difficulty inD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 2 2 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

YOUNG ADULTNONFICTIONidentifying point of view and other formalfeatures.Leroy HommerdingStories of young pioneers in their ownwords / Violet T. Kimball. LCCN 10410.Missoula, Mont. : Mountain Press, 2000.PAP, 0878424237, list price: $14.00.978/.02. Overland journeys to the Pacific; Frontierand pioneer life--West (U.S.); Pioneer children--West(U.S.)--Social life and customs; Pioneer children--West (U.S.)--Biography; Pioneers; Overland trails;West (U.S.)--History. vii, 225 p. : ill., 1 map ; 23 cm.Grades 6-10. Rating : 4.As implied by the title, Stories of YoungPioneers In Their Own Words uses quotes fromthe diaries and letters of “young pioneers” (agednineteen and younger) to relate the experiencesthese pioneers had on the Oregon, California,and Mormon trails.Violet Kimball, a “self-described ‘trail nut’”who has traveled on all of the major overlandtrails, has written an interesting, readable book.The first-person material, interspersed withKimball’s copiously-researched text, helps thebook come alive. Topics include getting readyfor the trek west, daily life on the trail, the typesof work done, how children kept up theireducation, and what pioneers did for fun.Profiles of selected young pioneers are included.Each chapter ends with a summary of its mainpoints. The book also contains a twelve-pagebibliography and a separate Teacher’s Guide.Mention of religion comes mainly through briefaccounts of the pioneers’ faith, although there isone somewhat negatively-worded sectiondescribing Protestant missionaries’ attempts toChristianize Native Americans. Many passagesdescribe the Mormon pioneer experiencealthough there’s little mention of specificreligious beliefs.American scientists / Charles W. Carey, Jr.(American biographies.) LCCN2005000683. New York : Facts on File,2006.HBB, 0816054991, list price: $65.00.B or 509/.2/273. Scientists--United States--Biography.xiii, 434 p. : photos. ; 24 cm.Grades 9-12. Rating : 4.Carey is well prepared for this volumedocumenting the stories of the men and womenwho have influenced the course of society andthe scientific community. He is the author oreditor of at least twelve books and has writtenmore than 150 biographical entries for AmericanNational Biography.American Scientists could aptly be subtitledAmerican Scientific Greats from A to Z. Thiseasy to read volume provides almost 300 entrieson scientists, and each entry covers thescientist’s background, including details aboutthe individual’s professional career andaccomplishments within the scientific world.Cross-references, a general index, two subjectindexes—one by discipline, one by year of birth,and seventy-four photographs enable students todigest the theories and experiments. A furtherreading list at the end of each entry includesapplicable web sites for more information.Public and school libraries having students whodo research on American scientists will want toadd American Scientists. Those libraries whocarry American National Biography will findstudents can digest these entries more easily.General readers with an interest in a particularindividual or Nobel Prize winner will find theentries concise with profiles offered placing thescientist in historical context.Leroy HommerdingWhile Stories of Young Pioneers is suitable foryoung teens, its use of first-person accountsmeans some material may be blunt. Death onthe trail (including the experiences of theDonner party) is honestly depicted. TheVictorian moral code is described for today’sreaders who’d be unfamiliar with it; occasionalsexual lapses are also described. There’smention of a “whiskey cure” for cholera,references to scenes of “oath-filled chaos” orpioneers who “swore loudly,” a passage aboutan Indian toddler who wore a red ribbon aroundhis “pee-pee,” and a detailed description of aboy who gets drunk on white lightning(however, his experience was so bad, he nevertouched liquor again). None of this is portrayedluridly.Rosemarie DiCristoC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 2 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

BOOK REVIEWSADULT FICTIONAll she ever wanted / Lynn Austin. LCCN2005018574. Minneapolis : BethanyHouse, 2005.PAP, 0764228897, list price: $13.99.Fic. Conflict of generations--Fiction; Mothers anddaughters--Fiction; Grandmothers--Fiction; Christianfiction. 400 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Kathleen Seymour ran away from home as ateenager to escape the poverty and shame itsubsequently caused, but now many years lateris faced with disclosing her past in order tosalvage her relationship with her daughter. Anunexpected and unwanted invitation to attend aparty for her father eventually leads to a tripback home to a family she hasn’t seen for threeand-a-halfdecades, and a disclosure ofmemories and secrets she’d rather have neverallowed to see the light of day ever again. AsKathleen opens up to her daughter, she begins todiscover things about her past she never knew.As she learns answers to her questions, the moreshe seeks to know, leading to healing andforgiveness for everyone involved.Lynn Austin is one of the most engaging authorsI have ever had the privilege to read, and herrealistic characters cause the reader to searchtheir own hearts in the process of reading andsavoring each of her offerings. Such is the casewith All She Ever Wanted, an emotionallycharged novel of a mother who wishes only toforget her past and provide a different kind oflife for her own daughter. This inspirationalcontemporary holds the reader’s attention, andthe message of God’s love and redemptionfloods the pages as Katherine forgives andreconciles with her family, strengthening heronce-strained relationship with her daughter atthe same time. Highly recommended!Sherri MyersBlessing / Deborah Bedford. New York :Steeple Hill, 2005.PAP, 0373785461, list price: $12.95.Fic. Colorado--History--Fiction. 312 p. ; 21 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Having saved the Tin Cup town marshal from anapparent attack by a gunman, Uley Kirkland isthe mining town’s hero, albeit a rather reluctantone—especially since the gunman knows asecret Uley is loathe for him to reveal: disguisedbeneath the manly mining boots, breeches, andcap is a young woman. Gunman Aaron Brownagrees to keep her secret—for a price. But whenAaron’s sister comes to town for his trial, Uleybecomes aware that not only is Aaron a fellowbeliever,but she is falling in love with him.Disguised as a man as a means of self-protectionin this rough town, Uley begins to understandthe importance of truthfulness as she realizes theimpossibility of developing a relationship withAaron in secret. Faced with difficult choices,Uley takes a bold step to be the woman Godintends her to be, even if it might mean losingAaron.Deborah Bedford’s Blessing is a light-heartedromance where moments of suspense areintermingled with surprise twists. The book alsocarries the important lesson of acting in the willof God, rather than in the wisdom of men, andillustrates the redemptive power of God in notonly Uley’s life, but in Laura’s as well—a“soiled dove” whom Uley befriends andencourages to live a new life in Christ, despitesocietal opposition. The book does contain oneuse of the exclamation “hell,” and somewhatdescriptive kissing scenes, but most readersshould find this story an enjoyable read.Sherri Beeler*A crown in the stars / Kacy Barnett-Gramckow. LCCN 2004025795. Chicago: Moody Press, 2005.PAP, 0802413692, list price: $12.99.Fic. Bible. O.T. Genesis--History of Biblical events--Fiction; Babel, Tower of--Fiction; Religious fiction.420 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 9-12). Rating : *5.Shoshannah, six generations removed fromNoakh, has grown up hearing stories of theworld before the Flood, but knows little abouther mother’s enemies in the Great City. A visitwith relatives places her into the hands of thosewho live in defiance of the Most High. A pawnamong leaders lobbying for power, and expectedto take her mother’s place as priestess of thestill-unfinished Tower, Shoshannah only longsto escape. But the Most High has plans beyondher comprehension.Continuing the steady, intricate pace of herprevious novels, the author adds layers ofconflict and insight in ACrown in the Stars, thebiblical story of the Tower of Babel. While themultitude of relations among the characters mayconfuse even those who have read the previousbooks in the series, a chart at the end of the bookhelps straighten things out. The well-craftedcharacters bring the story to life. Oneinteresting reality the author explores is thereaction to shortening life spans, as parentsbegin to outlive their children. The detailedsetting suits the time period, giving a sense ofrealism without ducking into vagueness orfantasy. Meshing an ancient story with relevantthemes, Kacy Barnett-Gramckow concludes hersweeping saga of faith—from Noah to Abram.Katie HartFootprints on the horizon / StephanieGrace Whitson. (Pine Ridge portraits ; 3.)LCCN 2005008960. Minneapolis :Bethany House, 2005.PAP, 0764227874, list price: $12.99.Fic. World War, 1939-1945--Nebraska--Fiction; Exprisonersof war--Fiction; Soldiers--Fiction; Widows--Fiction; Fort Robinson (Neb.)--Fiction; Historicalfiction; Christian fiction. 317 p. ;p 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 3.Stephanie Grace Whitson’s Footprints on theHorizon is book three in her Pine Ridge Portraitsseries but is easily read as a “stand-alone,” sinceenough background detail is given about thepast relationships of the key characters.Detailing a little-known piece of Americanhistory during World War II, Whitson describesthe life of German prisoners kept at FortRobinson in Nebraska. With a majority of ablebodiedmen fighting overseas, C.J. Jackson ishard-pressed to keep her horse farm running.When she completes an application to haveGerman prisoners work on her farm, she meetsstrong resistance from the man she loves, as wellas from the folks in Dawes County who wantnothing to do with the Nazis.Moving back and forth from first person to thirdperson point of view, Whitson weaves togetherthe stories of C.J.; her niece, Josephine; andHelen, whose husband returns home maimedand terribly burned from the war. Although thecharacters are somewhat superficiallydeveloped, these three women, able to seebeyond the “Nazi” label to the humanity of eachprisoner, learn that war is not as clear of an issueas they would like it to be: when they pray forthe success of their men, it means they arepraying for the deaths of other men, and thedestruction of cities where women andchildren—much like themselves—live. Theylearn to see with more open eyes, to bless theirenemies, and they realize that love can bridgeeven the widest cultural gap.Sherri BeelerGilead / Marilynne Robinson. LCCN2004047063. New York : Farrar, Strausand Giroux, 2004.HBB, 0374153892, list price: $23.00.C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 2 4 J U N E 2 0 0 5

ADULTFICTIONFic. Clergy--Fiction; Grandfathers--Fiction; Fathersand sons--Fiction; Children of clergy--Fiction;Reminiscing in old age--Fiction; Kansas--Fiction;Conflict of generations--Fiction; Christian fiction.247 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.There are a thousand thousand reasons to livethis life, every one of them sufficient (243).Rev. Ames lives in Gilead, the same small townin Iowa where he grew up and where his fatherand grandfather pastored. In 1956 he is in hismid seventies, with a much younger wife and ayoung son. Rev. Ames’s first wife died decadesago in childbirth, followed shortly by his child.For decades he was a single pastor readingFeuerbach and Barth and preaching faithfully tohis Congregationalist flock. Now he is dying,and he wants to leave a written legacy of counseland story to his only child. Gilead is that legacy,and consists of the personal jottings andmusings—some a paragraph long and someseveral pages—of the Rev. John Ames.John Ames has a no-good namesake. Rev.Ames’s best friend, another local pastor, namedhis child after Ames as a gesture of love after thedeath of Ames’s own child. However, that boyhas proven himself to be depraved—and justplain mean—his whole life, despite the love hiswhole family has showered on him. Now he isback in town and hanging around Ames’ home,where Ames’ young wife (soon to be widowed?)and son are attracted to his charm. Ames iscaught between his unwillingness to speak evilof any man and his desire to warn his wife—andhis own difficulty in forgiving and loving thissurrogate son.Marilynne Robinson shows a remarkableknowledge of pastoral life and even the finerpoints of theology in Gilead, though at a fewkey moments Rev. Ames falters theologicallyand one wonders where Robinson’s views figurein. Robinson shares memorable and quitepastoral insights throughout her story, and herflowing prose style has garnered much praise.Gilead, in fact, won the Pulitzer Prize for fictionin 2004.Mark L. Ward, Jr.*Giver of roses / Kathleen Morgan. (Theguardians of Gadiel ; 1.) LCCN2005007727. Grand Rapids : Revell, 2005.PAP, 0800730941, list price: $13.99.Fic. Quests (Expeditions)--Fiction; Princes--Fiction;Fantasy fiction; Christian fiction. 447 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 11-12). Rating : *5.Held captive for three years, Danae has grown tolove the royal family she serves, includingPrince Vartan. When her people attack the city,Vartan is left for dead, and Danae’s life takes anunexpected turn. Pursued by evil and hauntedby an ancient prophecy, Danae flees with thewounded and blind prince. A twisted ruler hasgiven himself over to the Dark Lord, threateningto overtake the whole land with evil. Vartan andDanae face long journeys and deserts,dragonmaids and nomads, sorcery and doubt intheir quest to follow Athan’s will and freeGadiel.Giver of Roses immediately draws the reader in,thrusting its main characters againstinsurmountable odds and sustaining both riskand adventure throughout. Each of thecharacters is expertly drawn, creating a blend ofemotions and motivations that allows readers tostep into their shoes while still having the epicfeel for which fantasy is known. The fantasyworld is well-drawn, but offers little that isunique from other books of the genre, becomingmerely backdrop. The measured dialogue addslittle humor but fits the sweeping, somber toneof the novel. Sorcery, demon possession, andthe supernatural all have a part in the book, butthe lines of good and evil are clearly set.Katie HartIn plain sight / Lorena McCourtney. (IvyMalone mysteries ; 2.) LCCN2004023867. Grand Rapids : Revell, 2005.PAP, 0800759559, list price: $12.99.Fic. Women detectives--Fiction; Organized crime--Fiction; Motor homes--Fiction; Christian fiction;Mystery fiction. 311 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Ivy Malone is a “little old lady with an attitude.”After taking down a crime syndicate, she’s readyto return to her calm life, but the bad guys don’tseem to want to leave her alone. Afraid she’s atarget, Ivy decides a three month visit with herniece in the Ozarks might allow her somebreathing room. Although her niece and herhusband have been transferred to Hawaii, Ivymakes the trip and becomes the guardian of hergrandniece, Sandy while they are away.Ivy has a way of getting herself into interestingpredicaments. She takes a job with a reclusivewoman and happens to discover a murder.Since no one sees Ivy as a threat, she decides toput her sleuthing skills to work once again.With the help of Sandy, an unusual characternamed Baby, and an incredulous policedetective, Ivy is determined to show the worldthat she’s up to the challenge.In Plain Sight is the second mystery featuringsenior citizen sleuth Ivy Malone. Sprinkled withhumor and light hearted suspense, this is theperfect cozy mystery to meet inspirationalreaders’ needs. Widowed Ivy is a uniquecharacter with quite a few quirks. The readergets to know her thoughts and motivations wellthrough her first person point of view. Thecharacter of “Baby” is lovable and hilarious inhis own right, and that only adds to theenjoyment of the story.Although the mystery and thematic elements areappropriate for high school level readers, theidea of an elderly protagonist may not hold agreat deal of appeal. The spiritual portion ispresent, although not truly a central part of theplot. Highly recommended for church librarycollections, In Plain Sight will delight mysteryreaders, especially those of Ivy’s generation.Melissa ParcelIntimidation / Wanda L. Dyson.Uhrichsville, Ohio : Barbour Publishing,2005.PAP, 1593102445, list price: $12.95.Fic. Kidnapping--Fiction; Mystery fiction; Suspensefiction; Christian fiction. 345 p. ; 21 cm.Adult (Grades 11-12). Rating : 4.God-given intuition leads Zoe Shefford to prayfor a woman in danger. Observation leads Zoeto pray for her hurting friends, includingboyfriend J.J., who was recently suspendedfrom the police department. When F.B.I. agentDonnie Bevere’s wife is abducted, both Zoe andJ.J. immediately try to help their hurting friendfind his wife. Their search leads them into aweb of corruption that extends into powerful,political positions. Suddenly the search forDonnie’s wife explodes into a mission to savehundreds of lives.Intimidation is a nail-biting, suspense fictionbook. The plot shifts quickly betweenseemingly disconnected scenes until theprogression of events connects the charactersand scenes. Characters exhibit limited personalgrowth through their struggle with commondecisions. For example, Zoe, a Christian,continues to date J.J., who “was still trying tofigure out if God could be trusted with his soul,much less his whole life.” (p.78) While Zoedoes take time to pray about the relationship, shedoesn’t break it off. Some characters experienceextraordinary situations with extreme growthpotential. For example, Donnie is forced to trustGod while his wife is missing. Dialogue guidesthe actions of the characters in this intense book.The theme, trust God, weaves its way around thecharacters. “…If we truly believe that God is incharge and working on our behalf, we have tostep out in faith and follow Him.” (p.171)Kristi WolcottThe moon by night / Lynn Morris andGilbert Morris. (Cheney & Shiloh : theinheritance ; 2.) LCCN 2003023585.Minneapolis : Bethany House, 2004.PAP, 1556615728, list price: $12.99.Fic. Duvall, Cheney (Fictitious character)--Fiction;Women physicians--Fiction; New York (N.Y.)--History--1865-1898--Fiction; Historical fiction;Christian fiction; Medical novels. 381 p. ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Dr. Cheney Duvall Irons-Winslow and herhusband Shiloh Winslow return home from theirhoneymoon to New York City to begin theirrespective jobs. Cheney is a senior partnerC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 2 5 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

ADULTFICTIONpracticing medicine at St. Luke the PhysicianPrivate Hospital, while Shiloh returns to hismanagerial position at Winslow BrothersShipping. In spite of running a top rateoperation that is above the accepted standard,deaths are suddenly plaguing the hospital.Cheney, with help from Shiloh and a policemanfriend, searches to find the problem. With somuch happening at the hospital, Cheney haslittle time to spend at home. Will hercommitment to her occupation hinder hermarriage?This captivating inspirational historical thrillershowcases post Civil War Manhattan through afine cast of characters. Cheney is a terrificfemale lead while Shiloh plays a support role tohis dynamic spouse who seems more like amodern day woman. The exciting tale exhibitsmany of the medical advances available in 1869and also demonstrates how easily deathsoccurred from what today are considered simplediseases. In their characteristic “series” style,Lynn and Gilbert Morris open up doors for afew more twists in the lives of Cheney andShiloh, so look for more to come. Readers willprofit from the many expressions of faithsprinkled throughout this 19th century medicalthriller.Angela AndrewsMy servant Caleb : a Jewish boy, a gentilegirl, a world at war / Kerstin Sheldrake.Oxford, Eng. : Monarch; dist. by Kregel,2004.PAP, 0825460573, list price: $13.99.Fic. Christians--England--Fiction; Jews--England--Fiction; World War, 1939-1945--England--Fiction;Israel--Fiction; England--Fiction. 478 p. ; 20 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Utilizing pre, mid, and post WWII as abackdrop, Kerstin Sheldrake explores the livesof a Jewish man and an English woman in MyServant Caleb. Caleb Levine, son of convertedJews, resents his parent’s conversion toChristianity, and continues to practice limitedJudaism. Lady Celia, daughter of the Earl ofBesthorpe, knows little of Christianity beyondher Christmas and Easter church attendance.Celia thrills Caleb as she probes him forinformation about God. As they fall in love,Caleb struggles with the idea of marrying aGentile girl. Celia’s parents strongly oppose theidea of their daughter’s marriage to a Jew. Aftera trip to Berlin, Celia wonders if she has thecourage to marry a Jew.So much more than a complicated love story, MyServant Caleb covers many topics includingwhy Jesus is the Messiah, who God is, how Jewswere treated in WWII England, Germany, andIsrael. Mostly these topics are presented ininteresting dialogue, and more than oncecharacters engage in spirited debate. Celia andCaleb fight their way through challenges thatgrow increasingly difficult throughout the book,and the growth in their characters is consistentwith the situations in which they live. The hurtsthat both characters experience are thoroughlyand sensitively explored without much use ofhumor. The mood of the book follows themoods of Celia and Caleb, mostly serious. Butthe theme of service to God and Israel prevailsthroughout the book, always offering the hopeGod wants for His people. “I have no otherhomeland.” p.478Kristi WolcottOksana / by Susan K. Downs and SusanMay Warren. (Heirs of Anton ; 1.)Ulrichsville, Ohio : Barbour Publishing,2005.PAP, 1593103492, list price: $12.95.Fic. Americans--Soviet Union--Fiction; Soviet Union--History--Revolution, 1917-1921--Fiction; Romanticsuspense fiction; Christian fiction. 286 p. ; 20 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Marina / by Susan K. Downs and SusanMay Warren. (Heirs of Anton ; 2.)Ulrichsville, Ohio : Barbour Publishing,2005.PAP, 1593103506, list price: $12.95.Fic. Russia--Fiction; Americans--Russia--Fiction;World War, 1939-1945--Russia--Fiction; Adventurefiction; Christian fiction; Romantic suspense fiction.279 p. ; 20 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Nadia / by Susan K. Downs and SusanMay Warren. (Heirs of Anton ; 3.) LCCN2005280996. Ulrichsville, Ohio : BarbourPublishing, 2004.PAP, 1593101635, list price: $12.95.Fic. Russia--Fiction; Cold war--Fiction; Romanticsuspense fiction; Christian fiction. 285 p. ; 20 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Ekaterina / by Susan K. Downs and SusanMay Warren. (Heirs of Anton ; 4.) LCCN2004558107. Ulrichsville, Ohio : BarbourPublishing, 2003.PAP, 1593101619, list price: $12.95.Fic. Americans--Russia--Fiction; Russia--Fiction;Romantic suspense fiction; Christian fiction. 280 p. ;20 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Imperial Tsar Nikolai entrusts the life of achambermaid of the Royal House of Romanov,Oksana, along with the jewel-encrusted Crest ofSaint Basil the Blessed, to Anton Klassen, aRussian Mennonite. As the Russian Revolutionof 1917 threatens to destroy the Romanovdynasty, Anton struggles to protect both Oksana,and the Crest with his life. All the while,Oksana harbors a secret so dangerous that onlyfaith in God’s promises can save the Heirs ofAnton.Hitler’s Third Reich has invaded Russia.Sharpshooter Marina “Magda” Vasileva, apartisan, has just buried her husband Dmitri anddiscovers that she is expecting his child.American OSS agent Edward Neumann ishelping the partisans destroy German supplylines into Moscow. As Edward and Magda gaineach other’s trust, their love grows and finallycompels them to make choices that can only beborn out of true love, faith, and unquestionableobedience to God.CIA agent Hope “Nadia” Moore returns behindthe Iron Curtain to Cold War-era CommunistRussia to rescue her husband, Michael, from aKGB prison where he is awaiting execution.They must prove to the CIA that Michael is nota traitor to his country, but a ruthless doubleagent is not about to let the spy duo get away.As they attempt their escape, they must learn totrust their hearts and the Lord in order to identifythe one who is betraying them. At the sametime, they must learn to release their wills to theperfect will of God.Armed with a brass key, a Bible, and an oldphotograph, Ekaterina “Kat” Hope Mooretravels to modern-day Russia in search ofinformation about her identity. When her keysets off security in Moscow’s internationalairport, Captain Vadeem Spasonov, of theInternational Crime Task Force of the RussianSecret Service, rescues her out of the hands of adangerous antiquities smuggler searching forancestral treasures. As Kat flees the Russianunderground pursuing the secrets that will shedlight on her Russian heritage, Captain Vadeemruns from the nightmare of his own past.Together, the treasures they find unleash anavalanche of God’s design.Susan K. Downs and Susan May Warren are notstrangers to Russia and its culture. Ms. Warrenserved with her family for eight years as amissionary in Khabarovsk, Russia, and Ms.Downs traveled extensively in Russia as anadoption coordinator.The quality of writing is consistent through mostof the series. Nadia is the exception. Hercharacter as a master spy is unrealistic. Herrelationship with her husband creates morefrustration than suspense, but it doesn’t diminishthe enjoyable reading experience. Readersfascinated with Russia will appreciate the tastes,smells, sights, and sounds that emerge from thepages of this series. Overall, the authors handlethe foreign words well, but a glossary of foreignterms at the end of each book would benefit thereader, as would a genealogy of characters.Above all, these are easy-reading romances witha dose of history, mystery, and spiritualitywoven into the storyline. They containcharacters whose lives are mindful of the will ofGod. Psalm 100:5 is a recurring theme: “TheLord is good, and His love endures forever. Hisfaithfulness continues through all generations.”Authors Downs and Warren bear out this truththrough their Heirs of Anton.Pamella A. RussellD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 2 6 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

ADULTFICTIONOn the run / Lorena McCourtney. (An IvyMalone mystery ; 3.) LCCN 2005016515.Grand Rapids : Fleming H. Revell, 2006.PAP, 0800759567, list price: $12.99.Fic. Women detectives--Fiction; Organized crime--Fiction; Older women--Fiction; Oklahoma--Fiction;Christian fiction.; Mystery fiction. 317 p. ;p 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Ivy Malone is a LOL (Little Old Lady) with anose for trouble—she always seems to find itwherever she goes. Or maybe trouble finds her.Either way, the elderly Ivy has once again foundherself with a murder to solve—and the strangecircumstances surrounding it will test her sharpintellect. Ivy discovers a dead couple thatappears to be a suicide/homicide and the policeare ready to close the books on the case, but Ivysenses things aren’t quite as they at first appear.With two cases already solved, Ivy has her workcut out for her convincing the police to allow herto investigate further. A flock of emus, paintballsplatters on trees, and enough toilet paper andcanned food to last for years only add to thequirky clues Ivy uses to solve this case. Thistime Ivy has a helper, a hitchhiker namedAbilene who is running away from her abusivehusband. Can they uncover the killer together?Mystery readers will quickly become devotedfans of the Ivy Malone series. Witty andcharming, Ivy Malone is a sleuth in her senioryears reminiscent of Jessica Fletcher from theTV show Murder She Wrote, but only a muchfunnier version. Lorena McCourtney writes anaction-packed, humorously quirky mystery thatreaders will have a hard time putting down.Sherri MyersPremonition / Randall Ingermanson.(City of God series ; 2.) LCCN2003010003. Grand Rapids : Zondervan,2003.PAP, 0310247055, list price: $12.99.Fic. James, Brother of the Lord, Saint--Fiction; Bible.N.T.--History of Biblical events--Fiction; Churchhistory--Primitive and early church--Fiction; Christiansaints—Fiction : Time travel--Fiction. 350 p. : ill.,map ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Retribution / Randall Ingermanson. (Cityof God series ; 3.) LCCN 2004005344.Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2004.PAP, 0310247071, list price: $12.99.Fic. Jews--History--Rebellion, 66-73--Fiction;Americans--Jerusalem--Fiction; Jewish Christians--Fiction; Time travel--Fiction; Palestine--History--To70 A.D.--Fiction; Rome--History--Nero, 54-68--Fiction; Jerusalem--Fiction. 333 p. : maps ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Transported irreversibly from the twenty-firstcentury, Ari and Rivka have made the best oftheir life in first century Jerusalem. Highlycapable people in their own time, inPremonition they find themselves practicallyuseless. Rivka particularly chafes against thelimitations she has as a woman in this society.She struggles mightily with her faith while sheactively rejects submission to God butnonetheless tries to convince Ari that he shouldsubmit to Jesus. Ari cannot reconcile the lovingfollowers of Christ he finds here with the evildone in the name of Christianity that he knowsthe future holds. Rivka’s near eidetic memory isa mixed blessing, as they become friends withJames, the brother of Jesus. Deeply loving thisman of God, Rivka fears what she knows abouthis impending death. With typically Americantwenty-first century self confidence she believesthat not only can she change the outcome, butthat she should. Ari is less optimistic of whatRivka’s knowledge can do. In this he exhibits adeeper understanding of God’s sovereignty thandoes his more “enlightened” wife.Retribution continues the story with each ofthem a bit closer to submission to God, butneither ready to give up self. Finding a way tobe useful, Ari is drawn further into the violentmilitant groups helping them build weapons touse against the Romans. A crisis in Rivka’s newpregnancy set against the backdrop of increasingdanger produces a series of circumstances whichwill deliver her and her family from Jerusalemat just the right time to escape its destruction, butat an extremely high personal cost.Randall Ingermanson has written a provocativefast-paced series. Rich with detail of the timeand culture, they are, at first blush, great stories.Meditating on them reveals an awareness of ourown inability, despite claiming to follow Christ,to truly submit to him. If we were stripped ofeverything that makes us significant in our owntime, would we then, finally, fully rely on God?Although I doubt that Ingermanson intended thisseries as a basis for Bible study, a creativeteacher could easily use this with older studentsto explore their own depths of faith whilediscussing Rivka and Ari’s choices. Warning:this is not reading for the faint-hearted.Retribution’s detail, especially in describing thecrucifixion of men, women, and children, isdisturbing and stomach turning.Kelley WestenhoffThe ransom / Kathi Mills-Macias. (ToniMatthews mysteries ; 3.) LCCN2004302013. Nashville : Broadman &Holman, 2004.PAP, 0805430512, list price: $12.99.Fic. Private investigators--Fiction; Missing persons--Fiction; Mystery fiction; Christian fiction. 297 p. ; 23cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 3.Private detectives, Abe and Toni Matthews,interview a man trying to find his long lostbrother. The man states that his brotherdisappeared many years before, but had calledhis mother from their tiny Washington town. Onthe surface, it appears to be a run-of-the-millmissing persons case, but Toni has a feeling thatthe man is not telling them everything about thesituation.Their lives outside of work go on as normal.Both Toni and Abe feel God calling them tobecome involved with prison ministry. Abe’sJewish Aunt, Sophie, is struggling with Abe’sChristianity and is having questions of her ownabout Jesus. And Melissa, Toni’s younger sister,is involved with her first love relationship.When all of these areas of their life intersect,will Toni and Abe have what it takes to standfirm for their beliefs?Although The Ransom is the third in a series ofbooks, it easily stands alone. Unfortunately,incidents from previous novels are continuallyinserted into The Ransom, which becomes quitetedious. The characters are unique and thestoryline dealing with Melissa’s datingexperiences is timely and thought-provoking.Overall, Ms. Mills-Macias has crafted aninteresting story that will keep readersinterested. The spiritual truths mesh well withthe main plot. The daily occurrences in thecharacters’ lives serve as unique spiritual objectlessons. The combination of contemporaryissues with a suspense story will appeal to awide variety of readers.Melissa ParcelSavannah from Savannah / DeniseHildreth. LCCN 2004005932. Nashville :Westbow, 2004.PAP, 0849944554, list price: $14.99.Fic. Women--Georgia--Fiction; Mothers anddaughters--Fiction; Young women--Fiction; Savannah(Ga.)--Fiction. 330 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Savannah Phillips was born and raised inSavannah, Georgia. Her mother, Victoria, is aformer Miss Georgia United States of Americaand is incredibly proud of her heritage and hercity. Savannah has tried to live a more low-keylife, out of the spotlight in which her motherrevels. Savannah has her sights set on being afamous author and novelist, yet when shediscovers her mother has once again tamperedwith Savannah’s future, it’s time to take mattersinto her own hands.Savannah quietly pursues and receives anopportunity as a feature writer for the Savannah,Georgia, newspaper. She moves back home andforges a loving truce with her family, whiletrying to break away and become her ownperson at the same time. When her investigativeresearch threatens to uncover unsavory detailsabout the pageant world—and her mother’sclaim to fame—will Savannah do the right thingor the easy one?Savannah from Savannah is light and enjoyableChristian chick lit. It has moments of depth andintrospection, but for the most part it’sentertaining fun. The pageant portions, as wellas the conversations with people involved withthem are hilarious and well-placed. AlthoughSavannah is a recent college graduate, sheC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 2 7 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

ADULTFICTIONcomes across as significantly more mature thanmost young women that age.The plot is interesting enough to keep the readerinvolved, and although there is a hint of adeveloping romance, nothing definite movesforward. Ms. Hildreth sets the stage for futurebooks featuring Savannah and her life as ajournalist in the town where her mother reignsas queen bee. Savannah from Savannah willappeal to adults and teens looking for chick litfrom a Christian perspective.Melissa ParcelThe scent of lilacs / Ann H. Gabhart.LCCN 2004029366. Grand Rapids :Revell, 2005.PAP, 0800730801, list price: $12.99.Fic. Clergy--Fiction; Children of clergy--Fiction;Fathers and daughters--Fiction; Christian fiction;Domestic fiction. 345 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 11-12). Rating : 4.Thirteen-year-old Jocie Brooke has beenpraying two prayers for years. One is for a dog,and the second is that her sister, Tabitha, wouldreturn home. Seven years earlier, Jocie’s mothertook Tabitha and left the small town of Hollyhill,Kentucky, for San Francisco. Jocie’s pastorfather David has raised Jocie with the help of hisAunt Love. Over the course of a few days in1964, both of Jocie’s prayers are answered, butthe repercussions reach farther than she couldhave imagined.Why did Jocie’s mother leave in the first place,and why did she take one daughter and not theother? Jocie searches for answers to her deeplyfelt questions with the help of family friend Wes,Aunt Love, Tabitha and other members of theirclose-knit community. Is she mature enough tohandle the truth?The Scent of Lilacs combines straightforwardsmall-town storytelling with the heartfeltlongings of a blossoming adolescent. Eventhose who have never experienced abandonmentas Jocie has will feel for her struggles andsympathize with her quest for answers.Although she’s naïve in many ways, Jocie’s loveand devotion to her family and friends isrealistic.Although slow at times, the plot diligentlymoves forward and the reader is left withclosure, yet not so neatly tied up as to beunbelievable. Readers searching for a quiet,nostalgic look back at small town life in the1960s will savor The Scent of Lilacs. Jocie’sultimate encounter with God and his protectionis worth reading the entire story to experience.Melissa ParcelShattered justice : a novel / Karen Ball.(Family honor series ; 1.) Sisters, Ore. :Multnomah, 2005.PAP, 1590524136, list price: $12.99.Fic. Teenagers--Fiction; Family life--Fiction; Oregon--Fiction; Suspense fiction; Christian fiction. 362 p. ;22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 5.As a sheriff’s deputy, Dan Justice fights forjustice in Jackson County, Oregon, everyday.He passionately loves his wife, Sarah, and theirtwo kids. His days revolve around his work,relationship with wife and kids, and relationshipwith God. When Sarah tragically dies, Dan goesthrough the motions of life, doing his best totake care of his kids. They move to Sanctuary,Oregon, where Dan is the only police deputy intown. Tentatively, Dan starts to reach beyondhis hurt once again, trying to help and loveothers. Just as Dan is healing, the day comesthat threatens to shatter Dan Justice forever.Karen Ball tackles the ‘why-does-God-allowbad-things-to-happen’issue as she wraps hercharacters in real life. Tears water the roots oftragedy and the characters reap a harvest ofwisdom. Dialogue rounds out the charactersand occasionally provides much needed comicrelief. The pace moves quickly, creating andmaintaining interest. This contemporary fictionbook reaches many different emotions, and Ballvery sensitively approaches the terrifying realitythat occasionally accompanies life’s journey.She also very effectively shows how God cantake the worst imaginable pain and transform itinto something healed and beautiful.Kristi WolcottSutter's cross / W. Dale Cramer. LCCN2002151496. Minneapolis : BethanyHouse, 2003.PAP, 0764227831, list price: $12.99.Fic. Drifters--Fiction; Resorts--Fiction; AppalachianRgion, Southern--Fiction; Christian fiction. 394 p. ;22 cm.Adult. Rating : 5.Two storms are converging on the comfortabletown of Sutter’s Cross, in the Appalachianfoothills of northern Georgia near the southernend of the Appalachian Trail. One storm isspiritual in the unlikely form of a drifter namedHarley who shows up at the annual Sutter’sCross Community Church picnic, and begins totransform the comfortable lives of the Christiansand other residents of Sutter’s Cross. The otherstorm is meteorological in the form of a TropicalStorm named Elise and its rains that bring lifethreateningfloods and help create spiritualtransformation in Sutter’s Cross.Harley shakes up the comfort level of everyonein Sutter’s Cross from the first day of his arrivaluntil the end of the story. He undergoes a lifechanging spiritual transformation with a neardeath experience and by personal salvationthrough the Bible given to him by Miss Agnes,and the wilderness solitude of the mountain topnamed Joshua’s Knee. Harley teaches thepeople of Sutter’s Cross to live the phrase “Weare the Arms of God.”Narrated by Jake Mahaffey who befriendsHarley, there are numerous endearing Southerncharacters in Sutter’s Cross including theagnostic Web Holcombe, the developer inSutter’s Cross who will do anything to acquirethe land for his real estate projects, and MissAgnes, the elderly home town woman whobefriends Harley and offers forgiveness,compassion, and an example of grace toHolcombe.Sutter’s Cross is W. Dale Cramer’s first novel,but you could not tell it from his in-depthcharacter development, his detailed descriptionsof the Southern woods, mountains, and itspeople, and intricate plot development.Cramer’s prose is sweet and embodies the slowSouthern climate, and his dialogue is that of aprofessional fiction writer, not that of a first timeauthor.If the wonderful descriptions of the Southernlandscape and people were all there was toSutter’s Cross the book would still be highlyrecommended. Cramer has richly crafted andthreaded Christian philosophy and biblicalteachings into his story. Sutter’s Cross made melaugh, made me pray over its spiritual teachings,and the ending made me cry. What else could areader ask from a book? Sutter’s Cross is highlyrecommended for its inspirational story and itspowerful Christian message of God’s love,salvation, and grace.David HajdikAtender reed / Teresa D. Slack. LCCN2005014926. Reedley, Calif : Tsaba House,2005.PAP, 0972548637, list price: $15.99.Fic. Aunts--Fiction; Family farms--Fiction; Womenfarmers--Fiction; Rejection (Psychology)--Fiction;Abandoned children--Fiction; Psychological fiction.334 p. ; 23 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Gypsy’s pre-dawn barking prompts MichelleHurley to investigate her yard. Shocked, shediscovers two shoeless children, sitting under abush. Her shock doubles when she realizes thetwo children are her niece and nephew, Emmaand Jonah. Michelle’s organized life suddenlyexperiences the chaos two children add to anyfamily, and Michelle resents her sister, Nicole,for stealing her independent lifestyle. Also,because Michelle and her sister were abandonedas children, unsettling memories resurface.Surprisingly, Emma and Jonah graduallycaptivate her heart, and even introduce Michelleto others who hope to captivate her heart. Afteryears of hating God because of her experiences,Michelle not only opens her heart to Emma andJonah, but also she considers opening her heartto God.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 2 8 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

ADULTFICTIONATender Reed, a contemporary fiction book,unfolds quickly from the discovery of Emmaand Jonah to the changes that they make inMichelle’s life. Michelle’s character gentles asshe opens herself to the children and as sherealizes how much others love her. She evenbegins to recognize some of her personal faultsand begins to correct them. As Michelle dealswith overwhelming emotions, the mood is tense.However, the kids and Michelle’s aunt and unclesplatter humor throughout. The dialogue furtherdevelops the characters and moves quickly.Teresa Slack develops Emma, Jonah, Michelle,and Nicole with great care, sensitive to thethoughts, feelings, and potential actions of thosewho have been abandoned. A thread of graceweaves its way through this story as a tenderreed of love grows in Michelle’s heart.Kristi Wolcott*Unforgotten : a novel / KristenHeitzmann. (Sequel to: Secrets.) LCCN2005009757. Minneapolis : BethanyHouse, 2005.PAP, 0764228285, list price: $12.99.Fic. Triangles (Interpersonal relations)--Fiction;Christian fiction; Romantic suspense fiction. 414 p. ;22 cm.Adult. Rating : *5.Unforgotten, Kristen Heitzmann’s sequel toSecrets, continues the story of the solitary, selfcontrolledRese, and her volatile relationshipwith the passionately emotional Lance, whobrings her into his world of a close-knit BronxItalian family where there are no secrets—except one: the one Lance is compelled touncover for his fragile grandmother.The story flashes back and forth, describingNonna Antonia’s story as a young woman, thedeath of her father, and then her husband,forging ties to Lance’s present family—ties tothe mob—a vendetta, a curse that wasunavenged for the blood of his family memberswhich “cries out from the ground to God.”What the Lord demands of Lance is uncertain,but he knows that he must forsake all—even hisfamily, and Rese—to take up his cross andfollow where God leads him in dealing with thisvendetta. As Lance wrestles with God, as helooks at the sacrifice of Abraham who wascalled upon to offer his only son’s life to God,Lance learns obedience to the Lord, regardlessof the cost.The relationships, circumstances, and emotionalpsychology of Unforgotten are so intricatelycrafted based on previous events that the novelcannot be understood without first having readSecrets. But the story carries within it the sameintense depth of character development andmystery, the same substantive spiritual struggleand growth, illustrating in a very powerful waythe concept of spiritual warfare. Subplotsdealing indirectly with schizophrenia andchildhood abuse show how God reaches out toflawed, imperfect people with healing love,strength, and hope—but not necessarily withquick, easy answers. This is a “meaty” book,well worth reading.Sherri Beeler*Unspoken / Angela Hunt. LCCN 2004020483.Nashville : WestBow, 2005.PAP, 0849944821, list price: $14.99.Fic. Gorilla--Fiction; Animal welfare--Fiction;Human-animal communication--Fiction; Christianfiction. 320 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : *5.For the past eight years, Glee Granger has raiseda gorilla named Sema. With the blessing of thezoo where Sema was born, Glee has taught andcared for Sema at her own home almost as if shewere Glee’s own child. Glee and Semacommunicate through sign language, and Glee’sresearch into animal communication behavior isprogressing in exciting directions.When the zoo sues Glee for custody of Sema,Glee is ready to put up a fight. However, whenshe considers the best situation for Sema, she isforced to surrender her beloved gorilla to thecaptive environment or risk losing all contactwith Sema forever. But no one could imaginewhat would happen next.Unspoken is a truly unique, emotion-packednovel. At first, it’s difficult to sympathize withGlee and her efforts to keep Sema from the zoo,the gorilla’s rightful owners. Yet watching thestory unfold allows the reader to get a richersense of Glee’s emotional state and parent-childrelationship with Sema, who can communicateand understand people. Giving Sema up wouldbe like giving up a beloved eight year old child.The spiritual aspect of Unspoken is what takesthis novel past enjoyable and makes it trulyspectacular. Glee begins as a non-believer witha believing grandmother. Through thatrelationship and Sema’s testimony, both Gleeand the reader can clearly see the glory of God.Animal lovers will delight in the wellresearchedand detailed storyline of Unspoken.However, some issues discussed, as well as theultimate climax of the novel, may be too intensefor younger and more sensitive readers. This isa superb, not-to-be-missed book.Melissa Parcel*Wounded healer / Donna Fleisher.(Homeland heroes ; 1.) LCCN2005002987. Grand Rapids : Zondervan,2005.PAP, 0310263948, list price: $12.99.Fic. Iraq War, 2003--Fiction. 310 p. ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : *5.Warrior's heart / Donna Fleisher.(Homeland heroes ; 2.) LCCN2005013227. Grand Rapids : Zondervan,2005.PAP, 0310263956, list price: $12.99.Fic. Iraq War, 2003--Fiction; Portland (Ore.)--Fiction;Christian life--Fiction; Floods--Fiction. 302 p. ; 21cm.Adult. Rating : 4.From its heart-stopping opening to its heartstoppingconclusion, Wounded Healer, byDonna Fleisher is a book that runs with breakneckintensity from the opening page, to the last.Traumatized and scarred from childhood abuseand from the loss of a fellow team member inDesert Storm, Christina refuses to let anyone getclose to her—she can’t even stand to hearsomeone say to her, “I love you.” But Erin, whoserved with Christina on a medical trauma teamin Desert Storm, is impelled by her love forChrist to love Christina, no matter how great thecost to herself, and no matter how muchChristina resists. When a traumatic incidentturns Christina onto a path of self-destruction,Erin fights the spiritual battle necessary to offerChristina the hope and healing that only Christcan bring.In book two of the series, Warrior’s Heart,Christina and Erin’s husband must resolve theirdifferences and learn to trust each other, asChristina must decide whether she will stay inPortland to become part of an inner city ministryteam with Erin and other Desert Storm friends.Readers who enjoy books by Dee Hendersonand Terri Blackstock will certainly enjoy the“edge of your seat” action and suspense inDonna Fleischer’s Wounded Healer, as well asthe substantive, psychological characterdevelopment. The gospel message is clearlypresented in such a way that it avoids the timewornclichés and illustrates the intense strugglein the soul over dying to self to live new and freein Christ. Warrior’s Heart runs a little slower;the conflict seems more contrived—less “real”than in Wounded Healer—but the climax in thelast few chapters reveals once again just howeager God is for even the worst of sinners to turnto Him. The Homeland Heroes books are notstand-alones—they must be read consecutivelyin order to fully understand the events, characterhistories, and relational dynamics.Sherri BeelerC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 2 9 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

BOOK REVIEWSADULT NONFICTION*How to read Genesis / Tremper Longman.LCCN 2005001666. Downers Grove, Ill. :InterVarsity Press, 2005.PAP, 0877849439, list price: $13.00.222/.1107. Bible. O.T. Genesis--Criticism,interpretation, etc. 192 p. ; 21 cm.Adult. Rating : *5.This title is not a commentary on the book ofGenesis. It is, rather “an exploration of theproper interpretive approach to [Genesis]…” (p.17). And it is an important text because accurateunderstanding of Genesis is foundational tounderstanding the remainder of the Bible, thehistory of Israel, and man’s redemption. How toRead Genesis is also a comparative study,examining Genesis as a work of history and asthe foundation stone of the Word of God.Dr. Longman’s book is a scholarly work and willappeal more to the serious student of the Biblerather than to one exploring the Bible for thefirst time. The author successfully challengesinterpretation and traditional thinking. He prodsthe reader from one principle or premise to thenext in logical movements, ultimately guidingthe reader to a fresh realization. The book isstructured in such a way as to motivateinvestigation and encourage critical thinking.At the end of each section there is a list ForFurther Reading and at the end of the book thereis an Appendix consisting of a bibliography ofcommentaries, extensive Notes, as well asNames and Scripture indices.This title is highly recommended for theologicalcollections in seminaries and academia, as wellas church and synagogue libraries.Pamella A. RussellFool's gold? : discerning truth in an age oferror / John MacArthur, general editor ;Nathan Busenitz, Scott Lang, PhilJohnson, associate editors. LCCN2004030155. Wheaton, Ill. : CrosswayBooks, 2005.PAP, 158134726X, list price: $12.99.230/.04624. Evangelicalism; Discernment (Christiantheology); Christian life--Biblical teaching. 224 p. ;22 cm.Adult (Grades 11-12). Rating : 3.Written to help readers determine which ideaspopular in today’s permissive society are trulybiblical and which are false teaching, Fool’sGold is a thought-provoking volume that’sbound to be controversial.It not only covers false teachings (for instance,that all religions lead to God) but also somecurrently-popular Christian ones: that God’sword must be made palatable to nonbelievers;that sermons should be short, catchy, andfocused on emotional rather than biblical issues.Books such as The Purpose-Driven Life and theRevolve Bible are discussed and criticized, as arealtar calls, contemporary Christian music, andthe political activism of the religious right.For the most part Fool’s Gold is clearly written,although it occasionally slips into talk about“ecumenical compromise” and “pragmaticsanctification.” It also goes into such deepdiscussions of doctrine or the workings of theearly church that a casual reader might skipahead. It presents a balanced look at the issuesit covers, but the fact that editor John MacArthurand every contributor come from the samechurch may raise questions about objectivity.Also, the book’s focus on modern books andissues may date its message.Fool’s Gold would appeal to a general audience,but it’s best for pastors and other church workerswanting to understand how modern trends canaffect the church.Rosemarie DiCristoThe feminist mistake : the radical impactof feminism on church and culture / MaryA. Kassian. Rev. ed. LCCN 2005000504.Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 2005.PAP, 1581345704, list price: $17.99.230/.082. Feminism--Religious aspects; Feministtheology; Kassian, Mary A.--Feminist gospel. 336 p. ;22 cm.Adult. Rating : 3.The Feminist Mistake is an updated version ofMary Kassian’s 1992 book, The FeministGospel. The title is a play on Betty Friedan’sFeminist Mystique (in fact, the cover has“mystique” crossed out and replaced by“mistake”); the book is a scathing indictment offeminism in general, as well as feministtendencies in the modern church (includingseemingly-innocent trends towards genderinclusivelanguage and the purging of“patriarchal” hymns and liturgies).Kassian thoroughly covers the development ofsecular and religious feminism, focusing on thewritings of Friedan, Simone de Beauvoir, MaryDale, Rosemary Radford Ruether, and VirginiaMollenkott. All material is meticulously backedup with endnotes. However, despite Kassian’sclaim that she’s written The Feminist Mistakefor general audiences as well as for students incourses on women’s issues, the book is best forthose students or for church leaders. Kassianimplies she’ll cover the effects the “tsunami” offeminism had on modern culture but that portionof the book takes only the final twenty of its 336pages. Kassian is most concerned withfeminism’s effect on (and its grossmisinterpretation of) church teaching. (Thelanguage used also makes the book best forcollege-educated audiences).Kassian strongly addresses the dangers offeminist thought, but by recounting those viewsin such detail (especially their claims that churchand society have oppressed women), she mayinadvertently cause young women raised intoday’s culture to think the feminists were right.In a footnote Kassian “agrees” the church“abuses and oppresses” women, but refersreaders to another of her books for details.Similarly, while stating the Bible doesn’t insist“men fix the cars, women do the baking,” shedoesn’t give a clear idea of what it allowswomen to do. Can evangelical women flyplanes, or does Christianity only offermotherhood? Kassian doesn’t say.Rosemarie DiCristo*God in the flesh : what speechless lawyers,kneeling soldiers, and shocked crowdsteach us about Jesus / Don Everts. LCCN2005005130. Downers Grove, Ill. :InterVarsity Press, 2005.HBB, 0830832874, list price: $16.00.232.9. Bible. N.T. Gospels--Criticism, interpretation,etc.; Incarnation. 175 p. ; 23 cm.Adult. Rating : *5.Don Everts takes a unique approach in trying toreveal the nature of Jesus. Instead of focusingon the words that He spoke, Everts focuses onthe reactions of those Jesus encountered. Thesetidbits are hidden in what Everts calls the “stagedirections” in the “boring verses”. He exploresthe passages where people are falling down,kneeling, and trembling in awe in Jesus’presence, and he invites the reader to becomemore focused on this man who evokes suchresponses. Everts also provides an excellentQuestions and Applications section at the endthat is truly thought-provoking.God in the Flesh is divided into five books.Each examines a different aspect of Jesus—Hislife, presence, authority, compassion, and Hiscall. Everts shows the impact an encounter withJesus did, and still does, have on everydaypeople. He makes his points with clarity and anC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 0 J U N E 2 0 0 5

ADULTNONFICTIONinteresting style that delves just deep enoughinto the meat of the topic without getting boggeddown in heavy theology. The brown and blackcover with simple white lettering is drab anduninviting, but between the covers is achallenging message that flows smoothly. Theprinciples are solid and the book encourages thereader to look at Jesus from a differentperspective to gain valuable insight into the Onewho truly was God in the flesh.Jeff FriendThe three wise women : a Christmasreflection / Christin Ditchfield. LCCN2005003641. Wheaton, Ill. : CrosswayBooks, 2005.HBB, 1581346360, list price: $10.99.232.91. Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint--Meditations.;Elizabeth (Mother of John the Baptist), Saint--Meditations.; Anna (Biblical prophetess)--Meditations.; Jesus Christ--Nativity--Meditations.;Christian women--Prayer-books and devotions--English. 80 p. : ill. ; 19 cm.Grades 10-Adult. Rating : 3.The Three Wise Women focuses not on the wisemen of the gospel of Matthew (of whom little isknown, including the actual number of men) buton three biblical women who are named in theBible and play an important role in Scripture:Mary, the mother of God; Elizabeth, the motherof John the Baptist; and Anna the prophetess.Christin Ditchfield, host of the syndicated radioprogram “Take it to Heart” and author of overforty books, uses examples from these women’sstories to focus on what makes them wise aswell as what makes them beautiful. They werewise, Ditchfield writes, because they “chose tofear the Lord, to reverence Him, to trust Him.”They were beautiful because they offeredthemselves as living sacrifices to Him, andcultivated gentle, quiet spirits. By being calledupon to emulate Mary’s willing heart,Elizabeth’s hearing heart, and Anna’s faithfulheart, readers are shown ways to get a closerrelationship to God.Ditchfield’s easy-to-read, smoothly-written textmakes her message simple enough for readersnew to or unfamiliar with Christianity, but it willalso interest long-time believers. Since it’s asmall-sized hardcover that fits nicely in the palmof the hand, and has a lovely gilded dust jacketand beautiful paper stock in the interior pages,it’s probably best as a gift book, but the book canbe used by readers wanting a fullerunderstanding of the story of Jesus’ birth (onenot ordinarily focused upon). It can also be usedas a devotional during the Christmas season.Rosemarie DiCristoHow do you know you're not wrong? :responding to objections that leaveChristians speechless / Paul Copan.LCCN 2005007932. Grand Rapids :Baker Books, 2005.PAP, 0801064996, list price: $14.99.239. Skepticism; Apologetics. 268 p. ; 22 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 3.Christians are often stumped by the questions ofskeptics. How Do You Know You’re Not Wrongattempts to help answer some of those tough,philosophical claims. It shows the flaws in theidea that truth is relative. In fact, Paul Copan’slogic shows the flaws in many worldviews likepragmatism, scientism, and naturalism. Copanalso explains ideas related to Christianity, likethe oddity of some of the Old Testament lawsand why certain books were included in thecanon and others weren’t. Thorough, logicalexplanations are supported by scripturalreferences or references to other philosophers,scientists, and theologians. In a rebuttal tosupporters of naturalistic evolution, Copanbriefly explores the idea of theistic evolution“for the sake of argument.” (p. 128)How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong? waswritten for “Christians in general, butparticularly Christian students in high schoolsand universities (and their parents!)” (p.12);however, this book is mostly written at a collegelevel and feels a little tedious at times. Helpfulsummaries as well as books for further readingat the end of each chapter do help the readerassimilate information. A few chapters includehelpful charts. At the end of the book a sectionof “notes,” basically bibliographic informationand a few additional thoughts, is included.Attention to the techniques used to present andrebut challenges could potentially helpChristians develop logic and face skeptics, butthe best advice in this book is “the believer’swinsome character and the support of a lovingChristian community must increasinglycharacterize our witness in the marketplace ofideas.” (p. 13)Kristi WolcottSo, you want to be like Christ? : eightessentials to get you there / Charles R.Swindoll. LCCN 2005299384. Nashville :W Publishing, 2005.HBB, 084991731X, list price: $22.99.241./4. Spiritual life; Virtues. xvii, 192 p. : ill. ; 25cm.Adult. Rating : 3.In this book, noted pastor Charles Swindollchallenges the reader to heed the advice of Paulfound in I Timothy 4:7, which says “Disciplineyourself for the purpose of Godliness.”Swindoll carefully selects eight spiritualdisciplines and, using Philippians 3:10 as atheme verse, shows us how we can begin livingthe life that Christ intended. He reminds us thatthough these disciplines demand a strenuousworkout, the end result will be worthwhile, asthe Holy Spirit shapes an individual from theinside out into the person Christ wants him tobe.Through this book, Charles Swindoll uses hisgentle humor, insight, and teaching tocompellingly persuade us to take a hard look atour Christian life. Each chapter is a mini bookfilled with applicable scripture, insight, andillustrations helping the reader to gain a clearerunderstanding of each spiritual discipline.While providing commentary explaining eachpassage of scripture, Swindoll writes in asuccinct way that all can understand. This is awell-written book that challenges Christians tobecome “less self-centered and more Godcentered.”Chris CarrollGrace for each hour : through the breastcancer journey / Mary J. Nelson. LCCN2004024238. Minneapolis : BethanyHouse, 2005.PAP, 0764200240, list price: $12.99.242/.4. Breast--Cancer--Patients--Prayer-books anddevotions--English; Christian women--Prayer-booksand devotions--English. 266 p. ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Hardly a day goes by, but something remindswomen of breast cancer. Mary J. Nelsontraveled that bumpy road, and wrote Grace forEach Hour : Through the Breast CancerJourney. She is an elder in her church, andprefers the New Living Translation or the NewInternational Version. Over 125 devotionschallenge women to grow spiritually during thetesting of breast cancer. Read the devotions inany order, as each is self-contained.She confessed, “My brokenness turned myoccasional Bible dabbling into a serious hungerfor the Word of God.” Further, she realized,“My suffering could be a blessing to others.”Nelson is realistic. She writes of physical painand emotional upheavals. Her bare head and thetime required for treatments were bothproblems. Yet she coped in the darkest hours byreaching out “to others who were suffering.”I recommend Grace for Each Hour for manywomen with health problems…not just breastcancer.Roberta Lou JonesFrom dream to destiny / Robert Morris.LCCN 2004027348. Ventura, Calif. :Regal Books, 2005.HBB, 0830736743, list price: $18.99.248.4. Joseph (Son of Jacob); Christian life--Biblicalteaching; Success--Biblical teaching. 208 p. ; 24 cm.Adult. Rating : 3.In this book, Pastor Robert Morris extends aninvitation to the reader to discover the destinythat God has for each person. Using theC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 1 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

ADULTNONFICTIONpowerful story of Joseph, Morris shares with thereader 10 tests that Joseph encountered, as willwe. By facing and overcoming these 10 tests wewill begin to understand the magnificent callingthat has been individually placed upon each ofus by God. Morris believes that we are all on ajourney towards destiny and “every one of us isdestined to do great things for God and Hiskingdom.” These tests will be difficult toovercome, yet faithful obedience to God willhelp us to pass each test and draw closer toGod’s will for our lives.Through this book, Robert Morris providesengaging supportive help in overcoming thedifficult tests that await each individual indiscovering their destiny. Each chapter isdevoted to one of the ten tests and is filled withapplicable scripture, insight, and illustrationswhich will help the reader gain a clearerunderstanding of each test that we will face.This book will uplift and encourage theChristian who is struggling in his walk of faithand is currently battling one of these tests. Itwill allow him to discover that God has a planfor our people and it provides vital truths aboutthe tests that all will face on their road to destiny.A positive, encouraging book designed toprevent the Christian from giving up in hisjourney towards his individual God-givendestiny.Chris CarrollPathway to purpose for women :connecting your to-do list, your passions,and God's purposes for your life / KatieBrazelton. (Pathway to purpose series.)LCCN 2004028853. Grand Rapids :Zondervan, 2005.HBB, 0310256496, list price: $18.99.248.8/43. Christian women--Religious life; Vocation--Christianity. 253 p. ; 24 cm.Adult. Rating : 3.Pathway to Purpose for Women provides astructured, scriptural based approach to findingand following your purpose in life. The authorbuilds on the five purposes (fellowship,discipleship, ministry, worship, and evangelism)outlined by Rick Warren in his book, ThePurpose-Driven Life, but slants them toward awoman’s point of view and life experiences.The book is a pep-talk to encourage women toseek their true calling that is reflective of God’spurposes for their life. The author, a Women’sBible Study Director at Saddleback Church,draws on her search for a calling to elucidate herkey themes. Overall, the author is unwaveringin her guidance to women about letting Godprovide direction in their search for a calling thatis aligned with their passions and their day-todaylife experiences.The book focuses more on the process involvedin finding one’s true calling, but does not offerin-depth guidance on how to uncover one’spassions or strengths. Much of the material issuperficial in its exploration of these issues.While the section Personal Pathway Questionsat the end of each chapter may stimulate somethought about potential avenues for integratinglife experiences with a calling, they don’t go farenough to capture the myriad considerations thatinfluence decisions about callings, career, orpurpose.For those readers who are seeking a substantiveapproach to finding their calling that fulfillstheir passions and that serves God’s purposes forthem, this book falls short. However it is ahelpful resource in grappling with the interplayof self understanding, feelings and beliefs, andrelationships in uncovering one’s calling in life.Shirley CopelandThe American prophecies : ancientscriptures reveal our nation's future /Michael D. Evans. LCCN 2004005809.New York : Warner Faith, 2004.HBB, 044652252X, list price: $18.95.277.3/083. Christianity--United States; September 11Terrorist Attacks, 2001--Religious aspects--Christianity; Terrorism--Religious aspects--Christianity; United States--Religion. 310 p. ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 3.Those familiar with Evans’ Beyond Iraq(Whitestone, 2003) will find the same detailedapproach in The American Prophecies alongwith regular references to Scripture. As afundamentalist Christian minister, Evans is botharticulate and forceful with strong writing andresearch. His ability to probe the subjectenables the reader to have a better understandingof historical and current events, and betterfoundation in grasping the Bible.He holds that the return of Christ will be thegreatest prophetic event in America’s history,indeed the history of the world, and stresses it’slikely this will happen in our lifetime. Hefocuses frequently on the battle of Israel for itsland and for America helping to reestablish andland and a state for the Israelites. Some may findhis interpretation of Scripture more literal andsubjective than desirable, but few will doubt hissincerity and love of Scripture. Those withoutEvans’ more literal orientation may not beinfluenced by his arguments.Libraries seeking an array of works to highlightand probe history can add this. The AmericanProphecies makes a natural title for religion andhistory collections.Leroy HommerdingRaising maidens of virtue : a study offeminine loveliness for mothers anddaughters / by Stacy McDonald. Barker,Tex. : Books on the Path, 2004.HBB, 0974339016, list price: $17.99; buy direct:www.booksonthepath.com.306.7/0835. Sexual ethics--Biblical teaching; Sexualethics; Mothers and daughters--Religious aspects--Christianity; Parenting. 224 p. ; 24 cm.Adult. Rating : 5.Are you weary of skimpy clothing and seeingtoo much skin on young women? Do you wishfor a resource to read for yourself, or to sharewith other parents? Stacy McDonald, themother of seven daughters, believes girls shouldrespond to “God’s call to purity and feminineloveliness.” The world is a “morally pollutedculture,” yet young girls can be taught to thinkbiblically.Nineteen chapters in Raising Maidens of Virtueinclude titles such as: Daddy’s Fair Maiden,Taming the Tainted Tongue, Twinkling Feet, andThe Heart of a Maiden. In addition to the maintopic, each chapter has a prayer, scripture, andquestions for discussion. Appendices include AMulti-Generational Project, Memory MakingProjects, A Literary Maiden Luncheon, andSources for Modest Clothes.Johannah Bluedorn’s watercolor vignettes arebeautiful! Several drawings show familyscenes. Parents and children bake raisin bread,read, and enjoy a tea party. I especially enjoyedthe drawing of a young girl playing with herdoll.Some of the activities for young girls includedfathers. We realize many modern maidens lackan involved father. This book seemed to assumea father for each family. Single mothers,however, can profit from the ideas. Perhapsthey can select a male role model to help themrear maidens of virtue.Roberta Lou JonesThe international book of days / byStephen G. Christianson ; edited by LynnM. Messina ; contributors, JenniferPeloso, Norris Smith, Laura Ware. LCCN2004042285. New York : H. W. Wilson,2004.HBB, 0824209753, list price: $140.00.394.26973. Holidays; Fasts and feasts; Festivals.xxxi, 889 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.This encyclopedic work is H.W. Wilson’scompanion volume to its American Book ofDays (2000), accompanied by a first-class fortysixpage double-columned index. It includesmore than 1,500 political and cultural events,holidays and celebrations, and birthdays foreach of the 366 days of the year (includingFebruary 29th). The opening twenty-two pagesummary of all the events covered is followedby eight hundred some pages of well-writtenessays between 200 and 1,000 words andenhanced by nearly 400 photographs and maps.Appendices include helpful information abouttoday’s calendar and common era, the days ofthe week.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 3 2 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

ADULTNONFICTIONThe lucid writing and scholarly research makesthis a work worthy for any public library, and forschool libraries where students researchimportant events throughout the world. Thosehaving The American Book of Days will findminimal repeating of information. HeleneHenderson’s Holidays, Festivals, andCelebrations of the World Dictionary(Omnigraphics, 2005) is less detailed. Overall,a unique reference tool likely to be used manytimes.Leroy HommerdingLiving with less / Mark Tabb. Nashville :Broadman & Holman, 2006.PAP, 0805432965, list price: $12.99.640/.22. Conduct of life; Cost and standard of living;Time management. 185 p. ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 4.Mark Tabb encourages us to actually live withmore—more joy and more fellowship with Godand people. True, his book is entitled LivingWith Less. Tabb, however, encourages less stuff,less activities, and less egotism. Men andwomen should quit plugging, “a little of Godinto our warp-driven, overstuffed lives.“Choose smaller, simpler, and slower.”Sixteen chapter titles include, “The Power ofContentment,” “Finding Peace in the Minivan,”and “This Ain’t No Doris Day Movie.” Theauthor offers Scripture references, comments,and illustrations. “But I Live in the Real World”contains “ten suggestions for making simplicitya vital part of your daily life.” Practical ideasinclude living below your means, buying usefulitems rather than things for status, deaccumulating,and seeing your money as God’spossession.The Bible affirms good stewardship. Yet, I’lluse care in judging fellow believers. I write thisreview from a plain house, heated with awoodstove. Nearby shelves hold home-cannedfruit and meat. Bins overflow with potatoes. Isew, and hoe. That is my chosen lifestyle, but Irealize God calls other people to a lavish life.Caring Christians in elegant homes can serve inspecial ways. Readers of Living With Lessshould pray over Tabb’s excellent ideas. OurHeavenly Father may say, “Simplify!” But, Hemight urge, “Use your stuff and your activitiesto serve Me!” Always, of course, God says,“Toss your ego!”Roberta Lou JonesBeyond the next mountain / a presentationof Inspirational Films Distributors, Inc. ;directed by Rolf Forsberg and James F.Collier ; produced by J.D. Kenneth Bliss ;screenplay by Rolf Forsberg. Worcester,Pa. : Vision Video, 1991.DVD, 1563647907, list price: $19.99.B or 209.2. Pudaite, Rochunga; Christian biography--India. 1 videodisc (97 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.Adult. Rating : 3.Beyond the Next Mountain, a drama can beviewed on the DVD in English, Spanish,Korean, or Hindi, with or without Englishsubtitles. There is also a feature highlightingbiographical information on Rochunga Pudaite.The story follows the Hmar people of northeastIndia. Labeled by the British at the close of the19th century as “the worst headhunters,”Beyond the Next Mountain follows theintroduction of a single copy of the Gospel ofJohn in a village of the Hmar people. Throughthat single copy, Chawnga, the father ofRochunga Pudaite, was introduced to arevolutionary “new life in Christ.” This is thestory of Rochunga’s personal pilgrimage tobring the Scriptures to the entire Hmar tribe intheir own language.Filmed in India, Hawaii, Scotland, and America,the story is a faithful missionary rendition. Thequality of the filming does not meet theexpected quality of many DVD films today andthis may limit its audience in some localities.Dr. Leroy HommerdingRun, baby, run / Nicky Cruz with JamieBuckingham. Worcester, Pa. : VisionVideo, n.d..DVD, 1563647796, list price: $19.99.B or 248.24. Cruz, Nicky. 1 videodisc (52 min.) : sd.,col. ; 4 3/4 in.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 3.Nicky Cruz was born into a family of witchcraftpractitioners in Puerto Rico. He was physicallyabused and belittled by his parents, and was sentas a teenager to New York City to move in withhis brother due to his rebellious nature. After hisarrival in New York, things went from bad toworse as Nicky became involved with streetgangs and quickly rose to the position of leaderof one of the most violent gangs in America, theMau Maus. Nicky was on a fast track to acertain death until he crossed paths with a youngstreet preacher named David Wilkerson. AfterNicky gave his life to Christ, he left the gang anddetermined to dedicate his life to saving otherkids from the streets and the gangs who ranthem.Run, Baby, Run is the autobiography of NickyCruz, and is a live-action DVD narrated byNicky Cruz himself, along with past members ofthe Mau Maus and relatives of Nicky. Thisinspiring story of a life ruined by drugs,violence, and witchcraft transformed into apowerful witness for Jesus Christ is a fabuloustool for reaching unsaved people and to inspiresaved ones to do more to win others to Christ.Some descriptions are violent and somewhatdisturbing, so this DVD isn’t for young children.Mr. Cruz’s accent makes certain parts of themovie hard to understand, but the viewerbecomes accustomed to it after awhile. Irecommend watching it once for the story, andthen re-watching it to catch the parts that were abit harder to catch the first time through.Sherri MyersIs that really you, God? / by LorenCunningham with Janice Rogers. LCCN84001862. Seattle, Wash. : YWAMPublishing, 2001, 1984.PAP, 1576582442, list price: $9.99.B or 267/.61/0924. Cunningham, Loren; Youth With aMission, Inc.; Christian biography--United States.203 p. ; 21 cm.Adult (Grades 10-12). Rating : 4.Youth with a Mission founder LorenCunningham uses personal detail and attentiongrabbingnarrative to relate his journey ingrowing to hear the voice of God and how thatjourney affected the genesis and development ofhis world-renowned organization.Cunningham’s tale is not only historicallyrelevant, spanning several decades, but serves astestimony to how supernatural events can revealthe sovereign plan of God in the life of thebeliever. The breadth and depth ofCunningham’s experiences evidence theimportance with which he treats the happeningsdetailed in this book.As an author, Cunningham’s uncomplicatedtechnique is not likely to impress the theologianor academician. He does not present any earthshattering,new theological concepts nor does hepretend to. However, his simple stories of God’sintervention and direction are powerful enoughto cause the reader to examine their ability tohear and obey the voice of God. AsCunningham says, “The discoveries are neverjust theory. They come out of our ownadventures.”To further guide the reader, an appendix at thebook’s close features twelve points of emphasisCunningham employs to assist the reader inwhat can often be a very intimidating endeavor.While Cunningham’s spiritual voyage may be ofspecial interest to those considering vocationalministry or intimately acquainted with YWAM,the book contains enough wisdom amidst such avariety of settings and situations, mostChristians should find the material applicable insome form or fashion.Aarik DanielsenFaithful women & their extraordinaryGod / Noèl Piper. LCCN 2005006519.Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 2005.PAP, 1581346735, list price: $12.99.B or 270.8/092/2. Women in Christianity--Biography.174 p. ; 22 cm.Adult. Rating : 5.Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary Godcontains five short biographies of faithfulwomen: Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, GladysAylward, Esther Ahn Kim, and HelenC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

ADULTNONFICTIONRoseveare. The book introduces fiveparticularly fascinating servants of the Lord—women who have significantly impacted theauthor. While the women share a commonthread, their zeal in serving the Lord, theyrepresent several countries and many decades ofChristian history. Each of these women sufferedin her own way, but did so joyfully, knowingthat she suffered for the Lord. Noel Piper holdsup each woman’s life as an example of what itmeans to be truly faithful.A great deal of the value of this book lies in theauthor's closing comments for each of thechapters. Piper dedicates each biography to aperson who has touched her life directly, whodisplays the same qualities and dependence onGod as the woman just described. Learningabout these women will challenge believers tomake a difference for Christ in their own spheresof influence. The book is well foot-noted andcontains internet links to places where someonecan find more information about the woman’sexperiences. The sketches provide overviews ofeach devoted woman’s life but encourageseekers to search out more complete references.Observers will learn much about serving Christfaithfully by studying the stories of greatChristians of the past. As the reader understandsthe lives of these loyal followers of Christ, shewill come to understand God just a little better.Angela AndrewsBlue like jazz : nonreligious thoughts onChristian spirituality / Donald Miller.LCCN 2003002223. Nashville : ThomasNelson, 2003.PAP, 0785263705, list price: $13.99.B or 277.3/082/092. Miller, Donald, 1971-; Christianbiography--United States. ix, 243 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.Adult/College. Rating : 3.Donald Miller is cool—in a Pacific Northwestcounterculture, perpetually unmarried buthaving lots of friends sort of way. He is also aChristian, a somewhat messy one. And he is awriter who writes short, wry—but endearingsentences. All of these qualities have made BlueLike Jazz a popular title among the post-collegesingle set.Blue Like Jazz is an autobiographicalexploration of various faith themes as theypopped up in the author’s quite interesting life.Miller manages not to sound like a deep thinkerwhile still carrying his readers through someinsightful reflections on the nature of faith,hypocrisy, sin, and, of course, love. Miller canbe surprisingly and refreshingly hard onAmerican evangelical worldliness. And he canelicit more than a few laughs with his believableself-deprecation.Miller’s work shows some affinity with the“Emergent church” (emergent leader BrianMcLaren has a blurb on the back), though it isthe feel of the book, the ambience, where thataffinity lies. Miller is a postmodern (?)Christian, and therefore a bit prone to ambiguityand a bit fearful of even appropriate dogmatism.He makes some theologically questionablestatements (“Peter finally believed the gospelafter he got yelled at by Paul”?), but fortheologically discerning singles the book is anentertaining and even spiritually challengingjourney.Mark L. Ward, Jr.George W. Bush : faith in the WhiteHouse. Baker, Ore. : Grizzly AdamsProduction, 2005.DVD, 1931602832, list price: $14.95.B or 973.931. Bush, George W. (George Walker)--1946- --Religion; Church and state--United States;United States--Religion. 1 videodisc (70 min.) : sd.,col. ; 4 3/4 in.Adult. Rating : 4.National radio talk show host Janet Parshallnarrates this film which shows the heart behindGeorge W. Bush. She highlights people whohave been touched by his compassion in themidst of tragedy. This DVD looks at the changethat has occurred and transformed George W.Bush’s life since he accepted Christ as hisSavior. It contrasts his life before Christ with hislife after Christ. And it also looks at critics, whobelieve that faith should play no part in the lifeof a politician. The film also features quotesfrom some historical figures that highlight thehistory of faith in American history.George W. Bush: Faith in the White Houseshows the value of prayer in the president’s life,from a conservative viewpoint. And it showshow fearful critics are when they believe thatthey do not have control. Both adults and youngadults alike will benefit from this documentary,which highlights the genuine faith of thepresident and shows the humility with which helives his life. And all will benefit from seeing acurrent example of the value of prayer andgenuine faith.Angela AndrewsD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 3 4 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L

INDEXA was once an apple pie 8Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys 12Alexander Fleming : the man who discoveredpenicillin 16All she ever wanted 24Allen, Janet 12American biographies 23American prophecies : ancient scriptures reveal ournation's future 32American scientists 23Anderson, Ken 19Anderson, Margaret Jean 15Andreasen, Dan 11Andronik, Catherine M. 15Antoine Lavoisier : founder of modern chemistry15Apple tree Christmas 2Archimedes : mathematical genius of the ancientworld 15Archimedes and the door of science 16Aristotle : philosopher and scientist 15Ashkii’s journey 4At Jerusalem's gate : poems of Easter 21Atlas of Indians of North America 3Austin, Lynn N. 24Ball, Karen 28Barnett-Gramckow, Kacy 24barthpenn@heaven.org 12Bateson-Hill, Margaret 4Becoming Beka 19Bedford, Deborah 24Being a girl 21Being a girl who serves : how to find your life bygiving it away 21Belle Prater's boy 18Bendick, Jeanne 14, 16Best little wingman 12Bethlehem night 8Beyond the next mountain 33Blessing 24Blue like jazz 34Bostrom, Kathleen Long 2Brackett, Mary Virginia 22Brazelton, Katie 32Breaking out of the bungle bird : based on Proverbs13:10 9Brodsky, Beverly 3Buffalo 3Buzby : the misbehaving bee 9Byrd, Sandra 18C. S. Lewis: a complete guide to his life and works6Capaldi, Gina 8Carey, Charles W. 23Carl Linnaeus : father of classification 15Case for a creator : a journalist investigatesscientific evidence that points toward God 21Catalano, Dominic 10Caudill, Rebecca 13Cauley, Lorinda Bryan 7Cheney & Shiloh : the inheritance 25Chopstick 18Christianson, Stephen G. 32Chronicles of Narnia : never has the magic been soreal 18City of God series 27Clinton, Verna 4Collier, Kevin Scott 12Companion to Narnia : a complete guide to themagical world of C.S. Lewis's The chronicles ofNarnia 7Copan, Paul 31Copernicus : founder of modern astronomy 15Cramer, W. Dale 28Crown in the stars 24Cruz, Nicky 33Cunningham, Loren 33D'Amico, Carmela 9D'Amico, Steven 9Datnow, Claire L. 15DeChristopher, Marlowe 4DeFries, Cheryl L. 14DeVries, Catherine 14DiCianni, Ron 13Ditchfield, Christin 31Downs, Susan K. 26Dyson, Wanda L. 25Eberbach, Andrea 2Edwin Hubble : discoverer of galaxies 15Ekaterina 26Ella takes the cake 9Ellis, Deborah 18Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance22Engaged reader 15Ernest Rutherford : father of nuclear science 15Evans, Mike 32Everts, Don 30Facts on File companion to the British novel 22Faithful women & their extraordinary God 33Family honor series 28Faulkner, Matt 16Feminist mistake : the radical impact of feminismon church and culture 30Ferguson guide to resumes and job hunting skills :a step-by-step guide to preparing for your jobsearch 22Fleischman, Sid 13Fleisher, Donna 29Fool's gold? Discerning truth in an age of error3 0Footprints on the horizon 24Ford, Paul F. 7Fowler, Christine 4Frampton, David 21Friends for a season 18From dream to destiny 31Gabhart, Ann 28Galen and the gateway to medicine 14Gauch, Patricia Lee 12Gaydosik, Victoria 22George W. Bush : faith in the White House 34George, Elizabeth 22Gilead 24Gipson, Morrell 10Giver of roses 25GlueWorks Animation 9God called a girl : how Mary changed her world--andyou can too 21God in the flesh : what speechless lawyers,kneeling soldiers, and shocked crowds teach usabout Jesus 30Gonzales, Doreen 14Good King Wenceslas 2Gow, Mary 15Grace for each hour 31Graham, Amy 14Graves, Sharol 3Great change 3Great minds of science 15, 16Great social studies projects 3Gresham, Douglas H. 6Grigg, Carol 3Grimes, Nikki 21Grossman, Virginia 4Guardians of Gadiel 25Guild trilogy 19Halperin, Wendy Anderson 10Hamilton, Janet 15Heaven shop 18Heirs of Anton 26Heitzmann, Kristen 29Hildreth, Denise 27Hill, Karen 10Hinds, Maurene J. 22Homeland heroes 29Hooper, Walter 6How do you know you're not wrong? : responding toobjections that leave Christians speechless 31How to read Genesis 30Hunt, Angela Elwell 29In plain sight 25Ingermanson, Randall Scott 27Innkeeper's son 19International book of days 32Intimidation 25Is that really you, God? 33Ivy Malone mysteries 25, 27Jack's life 6Jacobs, Alan 6Johannes Kepler : discovering the laws of planetarymotion 15Johnson, Jerrold T. 4Jonas Salk : creator of the polio vaccine 15Josie's gift 2Kassian, Mary A. 30Katelyn's affection 19Kids can do it 3Kimball, Violet T. 23Klassen, Kirsten L. 19Kubiak, Shannon 21La Bretesche, Geneviáeve de 14Ladwig, Tim 2Lear, Edward 8Legay, Gilbert 3Lerch, Steffie 10Lewis, C.S. 5, 18Lindbergh, Reeve 10Lise Meitner : pioneer of nuclear fission 15Littlesugar, Amy 4Living history library 14, 16Living with less 33Long, Sylvia 4Longman, Tremper 30Lucado, Max 13Lund, Gary 4MacArthur, John 30MacDonald, Suse 8Mackall, Dandi Daley 10Marina 26Max Lucado's Hermie & friends 9McCourtney, Lorena 25, 27McDonald, Stacy 32Melo, Esperanza 3Messina, Lynn 32Miller, Donald 34Mills-Macias, Kathi 27Moon by night 25Morgan, Kathleen 25Morris, Gilbert 25Morris, Lynn 25C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 5 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5

INDEXMorris, Robert 31Mowll, Benjamin 19Mowll, Joshua 19My servant Caleb : a Jewish boy, a gentile girl, aworld at war 26Nadia 26Narnian : the life and imagination of C.S. Lewis6Native crafts : inspired by North America's FirstPeoples 3Neale, J. M. 2Nelson, Mary J. 31Niels Bohr : physicist and humanitarian 15Nineteenth of maquerk : based on Proverbs 13:4 9Nirv kids' quest study bible 14Nobisso, Josephine 9Noble, Trinka Hakes 2Numbers dance : a counting comedy 9Oksana 26On the run 27Operation Red Jericho 19Opler, Paul A. 22Ordaz, Frank 2Ormerod, Jan 10Ortiz, Simon J. 3Pasachoff, Naomi E. 15Pathway to purpose for women 32Pathway to purpose series 32People shall continue 3perilous road 19Perkins, Elavina 4Peterson first guide to butterflies and moths 22Peterson first guides 22Philomine Lakota 4Pilgrims and native Americans 3Pine Ridge portraits 24Piper, Noel 33Pocket companion to Narnia : a guide to the magicalworld of C.S. Lewis 7Portrait of Spotted Deer's grandfather 4Postier, Jim 12Premonition 27Primicerio, Shannon Kubiak 21Proffitt, Paine 2Puttapipat, Niroot 19Quasha, Jennifer 3Raising maidens of virtue : a study of feminineloveliness for mothers and daughters 32Ransom 27Reading Roll of thunder, hear my cry 15Reagon, Susan 10Rendon, Maria 4Retribution 27Reveal 19Reynolds, Aaron 9Roanoke the lost colony: an unsolved mystery fromhistory 12Robert, Janice 33Robinson, Marilynne 24Rogers, Jonathan 20Rose round 20Roth, Roger, ill. 12Run, baby, run 33Sacred songs of Christmas : a family treasury 2Savannah from Savannah 27Scent of lilacs 28Schmidt, Troy 9Scholastic first picture dictionary 14Schoolroom in the parlor 13Search for Belle Prater 18Secret of the swamp king 20Sequel to: Secrets. 29Seven wonders of the modern world 14Seven wonders of the modern world 14Seven wonders of the natural world 14Seven wonders of the world 14Shattered justice : a novel 28Sheldrake, Kerstin 26Shepherd's Christmas story 10Shota and the star quilt 4Sis, Peter 13Slack, Teresa D. 28So, you want to be like Christ? : eight essentialsto get you there 31Something Wonderful : a Christmas story 10St. George, Judith 16Steele, William O. 19Stemple, Heidi E. Y. 12Stephenson, Karen F. 15Stiegemeyer, Julie 8Stories of young pioneers 23Strauss, Susan 4Strobel, Lee 21Sumpolec, Sarah Anne 19Surprise doll 10Surprised by joy : the shape of my early life 5Sutter's cross 28Swann, Brian 4Swindoll, Charles R. 31Tabb, Mark 33Tell me the story 13Ten little rabbits 4Tender reed 28Three wise women : a Christmas reflection 31Tibbets, Stacy Glenn 15Tocci, Salvatore 15, 16Tomes, Margot 12Toni Matthews mysteries 27Touching the distance 4Trevor, Meriol 20Trottier, Maxine 3Tweener fable 12Tycho Brahe : astronomer 15Unforgotten : a novel 29Unspoken 29Visit 10Voake, Charlotte 14Vogel, Jane 21Warren, Susan 26Warrior's heart 29When an elephant comes to school 10Whipping Boy 13White Deer of Autumn 3White, Ruth 18Whitehead, Peter 9Whitson, Stephanie Grace 24Wilderking trilogy 20With a little help from daddy 11Wolf stories 4Wong, Nicole 2Wounded healer 29Wright, Amy Bartlett 22Yolen, Jane 12Young woman's walk with God 22Yount, Lisa 15You're on your way, Teddy Roosevelt 16Ziborova, Dasha 9D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 3 6 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L