Lucy Out of Bounds

The second book in the Lucy series, Lucy Out of Bounds, follows the same precocious tomboy readers meet in Lucy Doesn’t Wear Pink. Even though it’s a sequel, this middle grade novel offers a great stand-alone story. I’m sure reading them in order would flesh out the background story, but the author does a great job filling in all the gaps and keeping readers in the know without being repetitive.

A terrible accident killed her mother, blinded her father, and left Lucy with more than a few questions about God and life. She tries to sort them out in her “book of lists”, which is her own way of praying, but all the things most important to her still seem in jeopardy. Her only link to her mom, her aunt, insists on making her more "girlie" -- that includes buying her bras! Lucy wants nothing to do with that. She loves soccer and is dying for a chance to join a real Olympic training team, but her teammates don't take the game seriously enough. The harder she pushes them, the less they like her and the more they goof off. J.J. is her best friend. His big troubles start with an abusive dad, an annoying tag-along sis, and social workers who only seem to make things worse. Lucy wants to help, but every time she does, she gets in trouble herself. Mora used to be her friend but since going boy-crazy, she wants nothing to do with Lucy ... that is, unless it involves stealing J.J. from her. To top it all off, a mountain lion prowls the town and Lucy's dad is losing trust in her.

A gentle, wise housekeeper (who is also Mora's abuela) provides a calm stability for Lucy. She insists on weekly Bible study with Mora and Lucy. Together the three explore the stories of Rachel, Leah and Jacob and individually discover secrets to getting along and becoming the women God created them to be.

What I Like: Just about everything! Nancy Rue consistently creates great stories with diverse multi-faceted characters. I loved the realistic struggles that the characters face in this book. I like that, by the characters' examples, readers are encouraged to weigh their actions and the resulting implications objectively and accurately. The emphasis on being a team player echoes loudly in contrast to our egocentric culture. I also really like the application pulled from the biblical story of Rachel and Leah. So often we look at that story from Jacob's perspective or that of the twelve sons. Rue offers a fresh angle that applies to anyone struggling to find peace with others.

What I Dislike: The main characters (Lucy and J.J.) often criticize others. I realize this is normal for kids and it plays into the story and their character evolution, but it still bothered me. They dance in stereotypes – not racial or economic, but rather social – and regularly mock J.J.’s little sister, a third-grader who characteristically acts far more immature than most 8-year-olds. The word “moron” appears more than once. As the mother of a current third-grader, it felt unnecessarily condescending.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 9-12

Publisher Info: ZonderKidz, 2008; ISBN: 0310714516; FORMAT, 208 pages; $7.99

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This title is also available as an ebook for $4.99 from Christianbook.com (several available formats) or direct to Kindle.

Special Info: This book includes references to domestic violence, child abuse and the intervention of social services. Parents should also be aware that some bullying (mostly raw teasing or name-calling) takes place within the story. All situations are handled from positively and from a biblical perspective by surrounding adults.

Also of note: The story positively features key characters of Hispanic and Native American backgrounds, something uncommon in children's literature.

See more reviews of books by Nancy Rue or visit the author's website at www.NancyRue.com

Good Manners for a Little Warrior

Good Manners for a Little Warrior takes knight training to a new level. Good knights don't just understand honor and courage; they also understand that manners matter.

Continuing the series, author Kelly Chapman maintains a consistent format with the first book. During a baseball game, Luke gets knocked out cold. His slumber sparks another dream of he and his buddies attending Warrior Prince Academy with Sir Britmore. As the boys journey through different challenges within their royal drills, they discover four levels of manners and how each contributes to being a good knight.

1. Power Words: Phrases like please, thank you, I'm sorry, excuse me, your welcome, yes, ma'am and yes, sir
2. Code of Honor: This includes -- first and foremost -- loving God and loving others. Knights exhibit this, for example, by making eye contact, being respectful, taking turns, sharing and speaking truthfully.
3. Table Manners: The knights-in-training learned about appropriate behavior at dinner and how to properly set the table and use the utensils provided.
4. Sportsmanship: It's not all about winning the game! Wise knights follow the coach's directions, play fair, encourage teammates and treat their opponents with respect.

Of course, Luke wakes at the end of the book excited to share all he has learned with all of his friends.

Readers will find a "Whiz Kid Manners Quiz" at the back of the book along with a "What Do Jesters Do?" poem reinforcing the main points of the text.

The illustrations by Jeff Ebbeler feature bold colors, exaggerated characters and lots of action and expression.

What I Like: It's great to have a book for boys that talks about proper manners! This one goes beyond the basics of "power words" to include character traits as well. This encourages a spiritual connection between faith and actions. I also like that the text is divided into chapters. Even though the book is small, it holds a lot of information. I liked having good stopping points where we could pick it up again later. Both my son (age 6) and my daughter (age 8) found this book attractive.

What I Dislike: Nothing, really. But I do wonder how many families still set the table with multiple forks. Aside from weddings, I don't know when my kids would need that information or encounter that situation.
Overall Rating: Very Good.
Age Appeal: 3-8
Publisher Info: Harvest House Publishers, 2011; ISBN: 0736937242; Hardback; 32 pages; $12.99
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Special Info: See our reviews of other books by this author. You may be interested in additional resources available through Royal Purpose Ministries which include activity books, CDs, DVDs, curriculum, and even camp programs suitable for your church's VBS program. Their goal is "to teach, equip, and encourage others about their true identity in Christ so they can walk in freedom as they seek to live out God's purpose for their lives." Learn more at http://www.royalpurpose.com/.

Brave Young Knight

Best selling author Karen Kingsbury is back with another excellent picture book, and like her children's book The Princess and the Three Knights, Brave Young Knight is well worth adding to your child's bookshelf.

In this fairy tale, a young knight is considered the finest in his village. He is strong, can run fast, solves puzzles, and shows kindness to others. So when the King announces a contest to determine who will be called prince of the land, many are certain he will win. But when the young knight sees his competition, he's not so sure. He learns one knight is able to outrun a horse, another is strong enough to carry a horse under each arm, and another is smart enough to solve any puzzle. The young knight tries to practice each of these feats, but admits to his father he's not the fastest, strongest, or smartest knight in the land. His father always replies with words of wisdom about God giving him what he needs.

At last, the day of the contest arrives. The first test is a race, and while all the other knights cheat and find a shorter route, the young knight follows the rules - and comes in last. The next test is to see how many logs each knight can carry. The other knights find hollow logs, so they can carry more, but the young knight carries a solid log - and can only carry one. The final test is a puzzle. The other knights pay a smart man in the village to give them the answer, but the young knight figures out the problem himself, although his answer comes in last.

The King, however, is wise, and he discounts the other knights because they are dishonest. He titles the young knight prince.

"So the brave young knight of the west village became prince and, with God's help, ruled the kingdom with character, kindness, and truth."

What I Like: Gabrielle Grimard's illustrations are gorgeous; the cover of the book really doesn't do them justice. They are full of rich colors and life, adding a great deal to Kingsbury's well written tale. And for parents who long to raise children of character in a world where people of good character are so hard to find, this book is a gentle and fun way of showing that it's always better to live God's way. The Brave Young Knight is an excellent book for either boys or girls.

What I Dislike: Nothing
Overall Rating: Excellent.
Age Appeal: 4 to 8
Publishing Info: Zonderkidz, 2011; ISBN: 978-0310716457; hardback, 40 pgs., $4.99.

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Special Info: To see illustrations from this book, and to watch Karen Kingsbury discuss it, visit the author's website.

Mainstream Author Highlight: Mike Lupica

Here at CCBR, we haven't covered many sports books for boys. As I was looking for sports titles, I kept running into the name Mike Lupica. A sports columnist for thirty years, Lupica started as a columnist at the New York Daily News, and still writes a syndicated column. He also reports on ESPN, and writes for several major sports publications. Lupica has written twenty-seven books, primarily chapter books for the 8 and up set. He draws on his own experience as a youth soccer, Little League, and basketball coach, in addition to his years of covering pro sports.

In Lupica's Comeback Kids series, the heroes are 8-12 year-old athletes who have to overcome their circumstances. In Hot Hand and Two-Minute Drill, they deal with parents divorcing, moving to a new town, and learning disabilities. In each of the books, the heroes love sports, and learn important life lessons by being part of a team.

Lupica's longer books are designed for slightly older readers, and have more complex plot lines. Still, his main characters are realistic but positive role models for readers. While Lupica often writes about conflict between parents and children or coaches and athletes, he always includes at least one healthy, caring adult influence. Both The Big Field and Miracle on 49th Street have satisfying endings with a great message.

What I Like: I really like Lupica's commitment to providing positive heroes readers will relate to, as well as the fact there is always a supportive adult in the picture somewhere. Lupica's main characters overcome some type of struggle, and are better people by the end of the book.

Lupica's years of sports writing make him a pleasure to read. There isn't a confusing or redundant sentence anywhere, and the dialogue is just as well written as his (detailed) game scenes. I even found myself interested in a recent televised baseball game, simply because I understand it so much better after reading The Big Field.

What I Dislike: Nothing. While not specifically Christian, Lupica's books value hard work, fair play, and family.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 8-16

Tournaments, Cocoa and One Wrong Move

As a former high school English teacher, I am a big fan of books that show teens how to think critically and evaluate the consequences of their actions. Nancy Rue's Tournaments, Cocoa and One Wrong Move does just that.

When star basketball player, Cassidy, blows her ACL in the last game of the season, she is determined to make a comeback in time for the end of the postseason games. However, her drive to recover causes her to push herself too hard and compromise her integrity. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law offers her a "supplement" to speed her recovery, but makes Cassidy promise not to tell her parents about it. When a random drug test shows Cassidy has taken illegal steroids, everyone believes she did it on purpose. She is kicked off the team and assigned to a study hall, with "delinquents."

No longer part of a team, or the "star" of her family, Cassidy's new roles teach her about herself, but her only true comfort comes from Real Life (RL), a mysterious book she found at a coffee shop. RL turns out to be a Bible, styled after Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, The Message. In the end, Cassidy learns how to be true to herself, and a true friend.

Rue includes a personal note about the RL book at the end, and lists Scriptures used.

What I Like: Cassidy is a believable heroine, in a believable situation. Faced with tremendous pressure, she justifies poor decisions. Unfortunately, her superficial relationships with her family don't help much. However, God meets her, in the words of RL and through her Christian physical therapist. Although Cassidy's mom begins to relate to Cassidy again, we see how teens can have faith even without a strong Christian family behind them. We also see how being open-minded can lead to new friendships.

The sports culture is authentically represented. This book would appeal to female athletes in many sports, and would work well for Christian or non-Christian readers.

What I Dislike: The only thing I dislike is Cassidy ends up dating one of the rough guys from study hall. While I think it is neat she learns who he really is, and quits seeing him as a stereotypical delinquent, it seems a bit like "missionary dating." I am sure he has good intentions, but I am not sure he would know how to have a healthy relationship.

Overall Rating: Excellent, but I would recommend discussing the dating issue at the end of the book.

Age Appeal: 13-16

Publisher Info: Zondervan, 2010; ISBN: 978-0-310-71486-6; Paperback, 252 pages, $9.99

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Click here to read our reviews of other books by Nancy Rue for children and teens.

Natalie and the Bestest Friend Race

It's difficult to find read-to-me or beginning reader chapter books for Christian kids, so Dandi Daley Mackall's Natalie series is most welcome in our household.

In Natalie and the Bestest Friend Race, our impish protagonist Nat tells the story of how she accidentally told her best friend Laurie's secret. In their kindergarten class, Laurie goes into what nasty Peter-the-Not-So-Great calls the "dumb" reading group. Nat tries to defend her friend, blurting out that she has dyslexia - a secret Laurie wanted kept. When Laurie learns everyone in their class knows of her reading difficulty, she's deeply hurt to find out Nat is the source of it all.

So when it comes time to pick teams for the Kindergarten Olympics, Laurie doesn't chose Nat. Instead, they end up on opposing teams. Worse, Laurie starts hanging out with Not-So-Nice Sasha.

As Nat tries to work out her feelings of guilt, sadness, and anger over her best friend no longer being her best friend, she learns she's pretty good at jumping hurdles - her sport in the Kindergarten Olympics. In fact, she's almost sure to win the hurdling competition - until Laurie falls and Nat rushes to help her. Nat blurts out a heartfelt apology, and Laurie forgives her. Nat looses the race, but she and Laurie hold hands and cross the finish line together.

Throughout, black and white illustrations by Lys Blakeslee add interest.

What I Like: Mackall is good at getting into the head of Nat; the first person prose certainly rings true. The story also gives parents and young children an excellent opportunity to talk about good sportsmanship, loyalty, and the ups and downs of friendship. And while Nat admits she doesn't understand why God would allow Laurie to have dyslexia ("This does not seem like a fair thing. And right then, right there, I whisper this to God. I hope it doesn't hurt God's feelings, but I tell him I don't like that he let Laurie have 'slexia...And I wish he hadn't made that mistake with my friend. That's what."), she also learns God never makes mistakes.

What I Dislike: I really dislike children's books that use incorrect English. Throughout, Mackall's Nat calls Laurie her "bestest friend" and at one point, Nat states that something "works pretty good."

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 4 - 8, but most kids don't want to read about "little kids" who are younger than they are.

Publishing Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 978-0310715702; paperback, $4.99

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Special Info: Read our reviews of other Natalie books. Also check out our reviews of other books by Dandi Daley Mackall.

The Berenstain Bears Play a Good Game

Those of you who are familiar with my book reviews will know I am a huge fan of the Berenstain Bears series of books. My kids grew up reading the picture books and then graduated to the chapter books. My youngest son, who is now 14, still occasionally reads a Berenstain Bears book. So, I was eager to review a couple of the latest books in the picture book series.

As you might expect, The Berenstain Bears Play a Good Game, written and illustrated by Jan and Mike Berenstain, is a story about playing a game. In this case, the game is soccer, as both Brother and Sister Bear are avid soccer players. They are both on the same team, the Rockets, which is coached by Papa Bear. He doesn’t know much about soccer but he knows how to cheer his team on. And, their motto is the old familiar one: “It’s not whether you win or lose that counts, but how you play the game.” But one team in the league, the Steamrollers, has the opposite motto. Their coach tells them, “It isn’t how you play the game that counts, but whether you win or lose!”

When the two teams meet up, of course there is trouble. The Steamrollers “roll” right over the Rockets. For the most part, the Steamrollers play fair, but the Rockets are just no match for them. When the score is 5-0 in favor of the Steamrollers, things start to heat up. Brother and Sister Bear set up a sneaky play that scores them their first goal of the game. Then the biggest player on the opposing team, Too-Tall, fouls Sister Bear, knocking her flat on her back. She’s okay, but Papa Bear is concerned about his daughter so Papa starts yelling at the coach of the opposing team. The ref tries to keep them apart, but he’s helpless to control the situation when everyone starts spilling out of the stands and onto the field.

The excitement is quelled when an old bear, Missus Ursula, a former Sunday school teacher, comes onto the field. She shames both the coaches who are former students in her Sunday school class. “I’m very disappointed with both of you,” she says. “Is this the way I taught you to behave in my Sunday school? Is this any sort of example to set for the cubs?” When she quotes the Bible, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God,” she has the two coaches shake hands. The game then continues with both sides playing fair.

As with all the “Living Lights” series of books, there is a section at the back of the book called “Activities and Questions from Brother and Sister Bear.” There are two questions about what the reader thinks of the story and three different sports-related activities for kids.

The illustrations are the typical, bright, cartoon-like pictures used in all Berenstain Bear picture books.

What I Like: I like the fact that Missus Ursula quoted a Bible verse in her dialogue. A different Bible verse, Matthew 5:16, is given on the title page as the basis for the story.

What I Dislike: I like reading new Berenstain Bear books as I like to see what new topics the series covers. Sportsmanship is always a good topic for a children’s book. But I was a bit disappointed with this story ending; I think it was a bit too predictable. I’m not sure how I would have changed it to make it better, but I think the issue should have been resolved by someone other than Missus Ursula.

Overall Rating: However, the overall rating is still very good.

Age Appeal: 4-8.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 0310712521; Paperback, $3.99.

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Special Info: Read our other reviews of Berenstain Bears books.

Gigi: The Purple Ponies

Gigi: The Purple Ponies is the latest book in Sheila Walsh's successful Gigi picture book series. Once again, the little girl who knows she's God's princess takes center stage - but this time, she and her best friend, Frances, decide they are going to be on The Purple Ponies soccer team. Gigi is convinced she's a natural athlete, and that she and Frances will have to look happy, "but not too happy" for the sake of the girls not chosen for the team.

To readers, it quickly becomes apparent that Gigi doesn't know much about soccer. When the coach asks her to dribble the ball, she thinks she's been asked to drool all over it. And when she attempts to dribble, she ends up falling bottom down on top of the ball. Gigi cries out that the ball is faulty, but her daddy says, "Gigi, it may be that soccer is just not for you...God has given you lots of gifts. It's your job to find out what those gifts are and use them to shine like God's princess."

This is tough for Gigi to come to terms with, but when Frances makes the team and Gigi doesn't, Gigi is a good sport. She congratulates Frances and decides there is still a way for them to share the soccer experience together. Gigi will be The Purple Ponies' cheerleader. After all, Gigi says, "I am very loud, so that must be one of my gifts."

The book ends by quoting Romans 12:6: "We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us."

What I Like: Gigi is a girl we can all recognize: Feminine, creative, a bit bossy...and a big heart. This book takes a common situation (trying out for a team sport) and shows that if we don't succeed, that's okay. God has other things in mind for us. It's an important lesson for today's children. Too, parents will catch lots of little jokes most children won't, which makes reading this book a lot of fun for adults, too.

What I Dislike: The illustrations by Meredith Johnson, while full of character and whimsy, are mostly in tones of pink and gray. It's a bit bland for my taste.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 4- 8, but my 2 1/2 year old likes it, too.

Publishing Info: Thomas Nelson, 2008; ISBN: 1400311241; hardback, $12.99

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Special Info: Check out our reviews of other Sheila Walsh books.