The Bible Smuggler

The Bible Smuggler, written by Louise A. Vernon, is the story of William Tyndale, who translated the New Testament from Latin to English in the sixteenth century, the first person to do so.

Tyndale experiences major difficulties and setbacks in his quest to translate the scriptures as his ideas are in direct opposition to those of the head of the Church at that time period. The leaders of the Church of England want to keep the Scriptures available only for the priests and leaders of the Church; Tyndale thinks the Scriptures should be translated into the people’s language so anyone can read them and learn from them.

The author gives the biography a bit of an “insider’s” glance into Tyndale’s life by including Collin Hartley, an English boy who works with Tyndale on his translation project. The story is told from Collin’s point of view. This makes the reading more interesting for a younger audience, as opposed to a straight biography written for adults.

Every other chapter, starting with the first one, has a pencil sketch, by Roger Hane, that illustrates some point or idea from the chapter.

What I Like: As I’ve mentioned before, I like historical fiction. It’s interesting to learn about real-life people when their biographies are written in a fictional manner.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 9-12.

Publisher Info: Herald Press, 1967; ISBN: 0836115570; Paperback, $8.99.

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Special Info: Visit the author’s website.

The Summer of Cotton Candy

A "Sweet Seasons" novel by Debbie Viguie, this book introduces readers to Candace Thompson, a seventeen-year-old who, at the insistence of her parents, begrudgingly gets her very first job. The local amusement park offers her only two options: bathroom janitor or sweets vendor. That's how our main character enters The Summer of Cotton Candy.

Working at an amusment park doesn't seem like a bad gig, but Candance faces one horrible scenario after another. First, her name tag says "Candy" (a nickname she absolutely hates); she gets badly sunburned, nearly run over by a train and bullied by co-workers. Meanwhile her best friend is less than supportive. From a wealthy family, she encourages Candace to quit her job and enjoy the summer on her money. Candance is tempted, but doesn't want to live like a leach on her best friend. But when she decides to stick with the job, her best friend gets mad and acts weird all summer. One positive light in all this is the mysterious hottie who also works there.

Will Candance survive the summer with her faith in tact? Will she lose her best friend if she keeps her job? And what about a love life?

If your teen is looking for a fun vacation read, this may be the perfect choice.

What I Like: This was an easy read, a great beach book that follows a common chick-lit formula. The author provides great attention to detail. She's in touch with a suburban teen vibe which makes these characters realistic, even to the point of common superficiality. The dialog was authentic. I especially liked that there was no highly controversial content. There's no sex, no drinking, no vampires or magic or any of those hot button issues that too often saturate YA literature. It's a clean book that I can't imagine would offend any parent.

What I Dislike: The characters seemed shallow and the moral content very light. This is not unusual in teens, but as a parent, I would have liked something deeper. I felt the author spent way more time developing the theme park than the characters or their spiritual maturity.

For example, the main character, when discovering that a new friend doesn't have a girlfriend, asks if he has a boyfriend. This reference to homosexuality is offered in a very neutral light, as neither positive nor negative. Please note this is the only reference to homosexuality, and it is only one sentence in the entire book.

A larger example of this: Candace admits she doesn't know if her boyfriend, Kurt, believes in God or not. She admits that this is important and that she wants "a guy who values the same things." Yet she never sparks a conversation with him about spiritual things. At the end of the book [[Spoiler Alert!]] she and Kurt get back together still without ever talking about God. It seems his ambitions toward college and planning his future are more important to Candace than his beliefs (or lack thereof) in God.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: Teen

Publisher Info: Zondervan, 2008; ISBN: 031071558X; Paperback; $9.99

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Special Info: This is the first of four books in this series. Readers can follow these characters in The Fall of Candy Corn, The Winter of Candy Canes, and The Spring of Candy Apples. You can enjoy 25% off the cover price when you buy the set -- all four books for just $29.99.

Walking with Jesus

Walking With Jesus is a sweet book that includes twenty true stories about people who have had evil done to them, but return it with good. Written by Mary Clemens Meyer and illustrated by Harriet Miller, this book stresses the importance of being a peacemaker.

The storylines covered in these short stories include the ideas of: refusing to fight with others when antagonized, being kind to strangers, forgiveness, courage and trust in God, honesty and self-control, selfless love, prejudice, generosity, bravery, faith, kindness, and patience.

What I Like: These stories are pointed, but simple. The message of the stories stand out because of their brevity. Reading this book will definitely teach children important character qualities.

What I Dislike: I don't dislike anything about this book. I would love to see more colorful illustrations, but my three and a half year old daughter didn't seem to mind!

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 4-10

Publisher Info: Herald Press, 1992; ISBN:0836135741 ; Paperback $11.99

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Special Info: Some of the characters in this book are Amish and Mennonite.

Pookster and the Unloose Tooth

Rhonda Funk's series, The Adventures of Pookster and Bubs is designed to teach fruits of the Spirit, like patience, to young children. Pookster and the Unloose Tooth is the perfect book for children (like my son), who have yet to lose a tooth, but may be feeling left behind, as friends, cousins and schoolmates lose teeth left and right.

Pookster, our heroine, is desperate to lose her teeth, but as she prays and wishes for her teeth to come out, her mom reminds her, "God's timing is not out timing." She has a hard time being patient though, so she wiggles and tugs and twists. Finally, she loses her first tooth! However, now that Christmas is approaching, she decides she wants to lose her second tooth, so she can sing, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." After she yanks the second tooth out via the "dental floss around the door handle" trick, she realizes teeth are handy for eating apples and biting spaghetti noodles.

Pookster continues to miss her front teeth. When Easter comes, and there is still no sign of new teeth, Pookster decides, "Mom is right. God's timing is not mine."

The book is brightly illustrated, and includes a read-along CD.

What I Like: This book really was perfect for my son. He has older cousins and friends, and was getting concerned he was the last to lose a tooth. He definitely could relate to Pookster.

Also, patience is such an important life-skill, as well as a biblical virtue. This story shows children what it means to be patient, in a clear, funny, but compelling manner. Funk's first-person voice makes the story even more accessible to kids. Pookster is telling us about her teeth, so the lesson doesn't seem preachy at all.

What I Dislike: Funk (or Pookster) never really gives any direct consequences of pulling out her second tooth by tying floss around it and slamming the door. Usually there would be lots of blood and discomfort if you pulled out a tooth that isn't loose yet, but Funk skipped over those details. As I don't want my son to imitate Pookster, I wish she would have at least mentioned some blood or pain!

Also, the CD is cute, with kids voices, and sounds like the door slamming and dog barking, but it is very short. This isn't a problem if kids can use their CD players themselves, but you couldn't set them up listening to it and go do anything else.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: Preschool/First Grade

Publisher Info: Fish Pond: Carmichael Publishing, 2010; ISBN: 978-935265-40-5; Paperback, $11.99

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My First Christian ABC Book

The bold photography, bright colors, and short rhyming text in My First Christian ABC Book , written by Bryant C. Buck, is sure to capture the attention of young readers. Letter by letter, the book travels through the alphabet, and offers snapshot glimpses of key Christian concepts and attitudes.

What I Like: I love the joyous, playful look of the book. The photography is crisp and clean, varies from action shots to close ups, and dominates each page. In addition, it features people (mostly children) from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds. The pictures alone make this book worth looking at. Plus the amount of text per page is very appropriate for young children.

What I Dislike: I felt that some of the words, such as resurrection and salvation, were too abstract for this age group. Also, portions of the text require a familiarity with the Bible that some readers might not have. For example, one part reads “D is for David, just one stone he did toss.” That only makes sense if you already know the story of David and Goliath.

Overall Rating: Good

Age Appeal: 6 months through 3 years, although I think it would be better suited for kids ages 2-5 years.

Publisher Info: Evergreen Press, 2009; ISBN:978-1-58169-322-5 ; Hardback $14.95

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