In this episode of the Lily series, Lily’s in London?!, written by Nancy Rue, Lily’s father is taking his family to Oxford, England for a year so he can teach at the university there. Lily, like her siblings Joe and Tessa, has to leave her school and friends. Their older brother, Sam, stays behind in the States.
Lily goes to England with an attitude. She doesn’t want to leave everything behind and she doesn’t like her new home. The house in Oxford has only three bedrooms so she has to share a room with younger sis Tessa who can be a pest; her mother is home schooling the kids; and Lily doesn’t have any friends in England. What is she supposed to do?
In addition to being out of sorts about her new life situation, she finds herself having difficulty feeling close to God. Over the course of a few days she starts exploring her new surroundings. In the process she meets several people - a nun at the Church of England, a girl who lives down the street, the son of a college professor – who teach her that God can be found in all the little details of life as well as the big ones.
What I Like: I liked reading the story because the author included lots of description about places in England that really exist. I’ve been to England and the author’s voice was authentic in terms of making the places seem real, because they really are!
Also, as always, the author weaves important lessons into the storyline.
What I Dislike: Maybe it’s just me, but I think it a bit pretentious for Lily’s family to stay at Claridge’s in London. Claridge’s is a five-star hotel that caters to the wealthy. With rooms that cost about 250 pounds per night (that translates to almost $500 per night), it’s not some place most people can afford to stay. Most readers just can’t relate to that.
Also, the title is a bit misleading. Lily does make a trip to London, but it’s at the end of the book. Most of the story is centered around her new life in Oxford.
Overall Rating: Very good.
Age Appeal: 9-12.
Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2003; ISBN: 9780310705543; Paperback, 169 pages, $6.99.
Buy now at ChristianBook $5.49!
Or buy at Amazon.com $6.99.
Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s popular Lily series. Read our reviews of other books in the series as well as other books by Nancy Rue. Visit the author’s website.
Lily goes to England with an attitude. She doesn’t want to leave everything behind and she doesn’t like her new home. The house in Oxford has only three bedrooms so she has to share a room with younger sis Tessa who can be a pest; her mother is home schooling the kids; and Lily doesn’t have any friends in England. What is she supposed to do?
In addition to being out of sorts about her new life situation, she finds herself having difficulty feeling close to God. Over the course of a few days she starts exploring her new surroundings. In the process she meets several people - a nun at the Church of England, a girl who lives down the street, the son of a college professor – who teach her that God can be found in all the little details of life as well as the big ones.
What I Like: I liked reading the story because the author included lots of description about places in England that really exist. I’ve been to England and the author’s voice was authentic in terms of making the places seem real, because they really are!
Also, as always, the author weaves important lessons into the storyline.
What I Dislike: Maybe it’s just me, but I think it a bit pretentious for Lily’s family to stay at Claridge’s in London. Claridge’s is a five-star hotel that caters to the wealthy. With rooms that cost about 250 pounds per night (that translates to almost $500 per night), it’s not some place most people can afford to stay. Most readers just can’t relate to that.
Also, the title is a bit misleading. Lily does make a trip to London, but it’s at the end of the book. Most of the story is centered around her new life in Oxford.
Overall Rating: Very good.
Age Appeal: 9-12.
Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2003; ISBN: 9780310705543; Paperback, 169 pages, $6.99.
Buy now at ChristianBook $5.49!
Or buy at Amazon.com $6.99.
Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s popular Lily series. Read our reviews of other books in the series as well as other books by Nancy Rue. Visit the author’s website.
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