"The MoneySmart Family System" Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blog book review group, Book Sneeze, was “The MoneySmart Family System” by Steve and Annette Economides.  This couple has written several books, and is known as America’s Cheapest Family.  The book is a non-fiction, 250 page guidebook to almost every area of raising children you can think of.  In a society where the adolescent stage is being stretched in both directions (kids are growing mature too quickly, but then not ‘growing up’ fast enough!), this book gives great, age appropriate, guidelines for how to encourage your kids to be smart with their (your) money.  Each chapter has a section at the end that addresses how the idea could be handled for different age groups. (0-5, 6-11, 12-17, 18-23, and 24 and beyond)  This structure really helps, as a parent, to see what things you should implement now with the age child you have, and what things would be helpful as they grow.  This family has 5 children, and they give lots of good examples to back their suggestions.  I found some of the information to be so detailed, that it almost was too much to remember and take in. Other than that, I would highly recommend this book as a practical guide to teaching children about handling money in a wise way!

"Heaven In Her Arms" Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson's book review group, Book Sneeze, was "Heaven In Her Arms" by Catherine Hickem.  The author is a licensed psychotherapist, wife and mother.  This is a non -fiction book that details ‘why God chose Mary to raise His son and what it means for you.’  I was curious about this book, as a mother, and didn’t know what type of material to expect. Each chapter is clearly labeled with a subject matter, how it relates to Mary, and a scripture.  I thought the book held a good mixture of stories and information from the Bible about Jesus and Mary’s relationship, stories and experiences from the author’s daily life, and practical advice for mothers.  There were a few points in the book that I found myself wanting to scan the chapters instead of reading it in depth.  Some of the material can seem slightly repetitive.  I do think the author does a wonderful job of helping the reader ponder the story of Jesus and Mary instead of just reading over it as we typically do.  There are many things that we, as mothers many years later, can relate to, and learn from. 

"Beyond Molasses Creek" Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s book review group, Book Sneeze, was a fiction novel. I read “Beyond Molasses Creek” by Nicole Seitz. I was unfamiliar with the author, and hadn’t read any of her books before. It took me several chapters to feel like I was ‘into’ the book, but once the storyline caught my interest, I really enjoyed it. The story is written from the perspective of several individuals. It is a little over 300 pages, and very intriguing. Although some things in the storyline seem to be a bit predictable, for the most part the book has twists and turns that leave you wondering what will happen as the story progresses. The main character is a woman in her 60’s, Ally, who comes back to her childhood home once her father dies. A secondary character is a young woman living in Nepal who is trying to figure out her past. Another secondary character is Vesey Washington, a man also in his 60’s who had a friendship in the past with Ally. The three characters stories are intertwined, and it is very interesting to find out how their lives are linked. Although I might not seek how further novels from this author, this book was a fairly good read.

"Heaven is for Real for Kids" Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blog review group, Book Sneeze, was “Heaven is for Real for Kids” as told by Colton Burpo to his parents, Todd and Sonja Burpo. I had heard of the popular book, “Heaven is for Real”, but had not read it. When the book came, I was very curious to read it, and wondered if it would be a good book for my toddler-age children or not. The book I received was a hardcover version with a dust jacket, and about 26 pages of content. The illustrations (by Wilson Ong) are beautiful! They look like watercolors, without defined edges, and are very pretty! After reading the story, I was very pleased with the content! Every page tells something different that Colton learned about Heaven or Jesus while he was there. Each description has an accompanying scripture, which I really liked! There are some questions at the end of the book that are things the author felt like children might be curious about after reading the book. Everything in this book seems to be very well thought out. I think children of all ages would enjoy this, and it is a good resource for learning what the Bible has to say about Heaven!

"Just In Case You Ever Wonder" Review

The next book I reviewed for the Thomas Nelson book review group, Book Sneeze, was “Just In Case You Ever Wonder” by Max Lucado. This is a children’s book that came in a hardcover version with a book jacket. I had very high expectations for this book. My family owns several Max Lucado children’s books that we love. “Just In Case You Ever Wonder” has won awards, and I wanted to love it. I began reading the story to my 3 year old son as soon as we got the book in the mail. The first few pages were very meaningful and touching. I was excited to continue reading. Then I came to a page with the words, “When you see monsters in the shadows, call me.” The illustrations on this page, along with the words are not suitable (in my opinion) for babies and toddlers. My son commented on the ‘tree with a mean face’. I didn’t read that page to him, and I was disappointed that something like monsters (which we try to avoid ) were discussed. There are enough fearful things in the world that are real, without having to add things to our wonderful Christian books to scare children. I really like this book, with the exception on the page I have discussed.

"Night Night Blessings" Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson's book review site, Book Sneeze, was "Night Night Blessings" by Amy Parker. We already had another book that we really enjoy by Parker, so I had high expectations for this book! I like the structure of these books. They are laminated board books, with thinner pages than the traditional board book. They are wonderful for the earliest of readers, who are still prone to tear pages. The approximately 22 page book is the perfect length for most babies and toddlers. There are just enough words to captivate the listener! The storyline makes this an excellent read for a bed time story! Each page describes things that the child is thanking God for. (Favorite toys, sloppy dog kisses, bubble bath, and more) The illustrations (by Marijan Ramljak) are very sweet. They are whimsical, and appealing to children and parents alike! I like that this book focuses on gratitude and joy, and teaching children that having thankfulness as our last words of the day is a geat habit to start at a young age! I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to look for more books by Amy Parker. A wonderful book!

"Thunder Dog" Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s blogger review group was “Thunder Dog” by Michael Hingson . I didn’t know what to expect of this book, but it was an excellent read. The subtitle reads: The True Story of A Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero. Although I have read a few accounts of the events that happened on September 11th, to hear this story of a person who lived the tragedy was eye-opening. Hingson does a wonderful job of mixing his account of September 11th with his past. He tells very detailed information about what happened to him on that day. He combines that with his history, information on being blind, meeting his wife, his schooling, and many other interesting facts. I love his positive, can-do attitude, and feel like he does an excellent job at opening the general public’s eyes to the world of a blind individual. He gives many examples of things that people do to try to cater to him, as a blind person, that he does not need or appreciate. His story of how he escaped such a tragedy is a true page turner. I highly recommend this book!