Avenged Review

I recently received the book "Avenged" by Janice Cantore from Tyndale Publishers.I thought it looked great, because I love suspense and action novels. I have to admit I was a little disappointed to find out when I received the book that it was actually number three in a series.

Fortunately, Cantore does a pretty good job of separating this story from the others (I presume, without reading them). It did take me a little while to figure out who all the characters were and their relationships. Cantore slides in information from previous books into the story, though, so that if you, like me, come in in the middle or it's been a long time since reading the book before this one, you won't feel totally lost.

Cantore has a background as a police officer. I believe that is why she uses such technical terms in this book. At times it can be confusing. She explained some acronyms in the story, but some acronyms went unexplained and I never was quite sure what they meant.

The story itself was action-packed. It involves a gang war, as well as a personal battle going on with the main character Carly. If you like action stories, or police stories, you will like this book, but I recommend you pick up the first one in the series before you read this one.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review by Tyndale House.

Bible Stories That End with a Hug Review

I received a book recently to review, called Bible Stories that End With a Hug, written by Stephen Elkins. I couldn't wait to get this book because our kids love to hear Bible stories and do devotions. Sometimes, though, I want something more than just a Bible story. I want a devotion that ties the story in with application to them, even at their ages of two and three years old. This book contains 75 stories that pertain to creation, to miracles of Jesus, to serving others, to honoring God, and many other great lessons. They are very short, with really cute illustrations, and they're easy for young kids to understand, so the stories really hold their attention. Each story includes a scripture that goes with the story. I like that because they're short verses and very easy for kids to memorize.

I have found that I can't read just one with my kids. They always want me to read four or five in one sitting, which is just fine with me! Of course they have their favorite stories, but we have learned about some "lesser-known" Bible stories too. They're so simple that I am remembering details about Bible characters that I never even knew about. And every story ends with giving each other a hug, so that's just an added bonus. The stories do include some very simple questions, that I have found are very relevant to my kids and they understand what the questions are asking, too, unlike some of the other devotion books I have read with them.

I can't say enough good things about this book. It's a keeper, and I know we'll continue to use it for a very long time!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review by Tyndale House.

Voyage With the Vikings

I recently received my first Imagination Station book from Tyndale House Publishers. Growing up I distinctly remember listening to the radio program called "Adventures in Odyssey" which is a Focus on the Family program. Imagination Station is part of that program, so I was really interested to review this book even though it is a children's book! This is the first book of the series, and you are introduced to Mr. Whittaker - the caretaker of the Imagination Station - Patrick, and Beth. Imagination Station is a time traveling device, and in this book Patrick and Beth are taken to meet the Vikings and complete a mission for Mr. Whittaker.

This book was really great! The book is almost a second grade reading level, and it is definitely a series I would enjoy reading with my children. It explained things throughout the book in a way that I believe would be really easy for kids to understand. This specific book was about Vikings; particularly Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson. There was a lot of history in the book, but it was intertwined with the story and it was quite interesting. I believe children would find this book easy to read and intriguing. It had fantastic pictures that would entertain them as well. I would certainly get my children all the books in the series if they are all this good!

The authors, Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker both work for Focus on the Family. Hering is a former editor of the Clubhouse magazine (I used to love that magazine!) and McCusker is a writer for Adventures in Odyssey.

I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishers for this review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.