101 Things Every Girl Should Know: Expert Advice on Stuff Big and Small

The editors of Faithgirlz and Girls’ Life magazine do it again with another installment in the hit Faithgirlz series. 101 Things Every Girl Should Know is chock full of advice for girls in their tweens. It offers a collection of suggestions on everything from success in the classroom (how to write an essay, ace a test, handle stress, remember anything, read aloud in class) to relationships (how to keep a secret, talk to any guy, be the star at the party) to health issues (busting a bad habit, curing acne, tasty recipes, boosting energy) and more!

The book has a magazine layout and appeal—tons of brightly colored photographs, concise “articles” ranging in length from a single paragraph to two pages, and relevant topics.  There is variety in the entries too. Some are quizzes, recipes, or even directions for how to do something. It is completely readable in small chunks or huge blocks of time! This book would make a great gift for any young teen/tween in your life.

If you like this book, you might want to check out other books in the Faithgirlz series, including Faithgirlz Handbook, Updated and Expanded: How to Let Your Faith Shine Through, Best Hair Book Ever!: Cute Cuts, Sweet Styles and Tons of Tress Tips (Faithgirlz), and Big Book of Quizzes: Fun, Quirky Questions for You and Your Friends (Faithgirlz).

What I Like: Everything. I wish I had a book like this when I was growing up. The tips are helpful and easy to use. I can see how reading this would help boost a girl’s confidence about handling the challenges they face daily. This book would even be appreciated by mainstream readers.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12 (Although I think it could go a bit older).

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2015; ISBN: 978-0310746195; Paperback, 128 pgs., $14.99.

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $10.49.
 
OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $10.37.

FaithGirlz! NIV Bible

This special binding of the Faithgirlz! Bible, NIV offers a trendy and unique magnetic closure. Every girl wants to know she’s totally unique and special. This Bible says that with Faithgirlz! sparkle. Through the many in-text features found only in the Faithgirlz! Bible, NIV girls will grow closer to God as they discover the journey of a lifetime.

Features include:

• Book introductions—Read about the who, when, where, and what of each book.

• Dream Girl—Use your imagination to put yourself in the story.

• Bring It On!—Take quizzes to really get to know yourself.

• Is There a Little (Eve, Ruth, Isaiah) in You?—See for yourself what you have in common.

• Words to Live By—Check out these Bible verses that are great for memorizing.

• What Happens Next?—Create a list of events to tell a Bible story in your own words.

• Oh, I Get It!—Find answers to Bible questions you've wondered about.

• The complete New International Version (NIV).

• Features written by bestselling author and tween expert Nancy Rue.

What I Like: While we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, the cover to this FaithGirlz! Bible is really adorable. The purple polka-dotted area is actually a magnetic flap that help keeps the bible closed and keeps the usually exposed pages protected.  The text inside is purple and the extras are highlighted in pink. A true girly bible. However, this bible is more than just cute. It is very much a study bible for girls. I especially love the "Oh I Get It!" section where girls get a deeper understanding of scripture. My other favorite extra is "Is There A Little...In You?" in which readers are asked to relate to people in the bible. It is a great resource to help the readers understand the motives and feelings of those in bible. "Is There A Little...In You?" also helps teach girls about qualities that may not recognize in themselves; good and bad.  The "Treasure This" section highlights scripture girls can relate to and easily memorize.

What I Dislike: At full price, it's a bit steep for a tween bible.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 9-12 but I think girls aged 9-14 would like this bible.

Publisher Info: Zondervan, 2015; ISBN: 978-0310750079; Hardcover, 1504 pgs., $39.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $23.99

OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $28.51

FaithGirlz Big Book of Quizzes: Fun, Quirky Questions for You and Your Friends

If you’re a teenage girl and you like to take those quizzes you often find in teen magazines, then this is just the book for you. The editors of FaithGirlz have created FaithGirlz Big Book of Quizzes: Fun, Quirky Questions for You and Your Friends.

The book contains more than twenty quizzes divided into four categories: All About You; School Sitches and Stuff; Besties, Boys and Other Bafflers; and Faith and Family. You can explore how you feel about all these topics. Take the quizzes by yourself or do them with your friends.

In addition to the quizzes, there are some topics of interest with good advice for girls such as 7 Ways to Succeed in School and 6 Great Ways to Stay Cool in the Pressure Cooker. This is a great interactive book for girls ages eight to twelve.

What I Like: Everything.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN: 9780310746041; paperback, 128 pages, $12.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $9.99!

Or buy at Amazon $11.07.

 

Special Info: Read our reviews of other books in the FaithGirlz series. This book is intended for girls.

Real Girls of the Bible: A Devotional

Part of the Faithgirlz imprint under Zondervan, Real Girls of the Bible , by Mona Hodgson is a Devotional for girls about thirty Real Bible Girls. The author defines REAL as Relational, Exalting, Authentic, and Loving. Each chapter tells a Bible Girl’s story, focusing on that woman’s faith journey, and includes a Scripture Verse, a prayer, and a trivia tidbit pertinent to Biblical times.

These fascinating stories of women from both the Old and New Testaments-famous ones such as Esther, Naomi, Sarah, Ruth, Mary, and other lesser known-are meant to apply to real life. Readers will learn how to grow in a relationship with God, and will learn to develop qualities like authenticity, kindness, and self-esteem.

Chapter 12 discusses the story of Hannah, taken from 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, 18-21, 26. Hannah desperately wanted a child and was in competition with her husband’s other wife, Penninah, who had children. She insulted Hannah and made the annual pilgrimage to the temple in Shiloh difficult. In the temple, Hannah pleaded before the Lord to give her a son and promised to give him to the Lord. Hannah was blessed with a son she named Samuel and when he was weaned, she took him to the temple at Shiloh. Every year, they returned and she made Samuel a new robe to wear. Eli the priest blessed Hannah, saying, “May the Lord give this woman children to take the place of the one she gave to the Lord.” God blessed Hannah with three more sons and two daughters.

The devotional concludes by pointing out that Hannah’s love for the Lord was the most important thing to her and she knew that God worked in mysterious ways. The closing prayer asks that we be given the grace to trust Him and to seek him in times of trouble, but out of a deep love for Him. The trivia item describes a linen ephod as a garment worn by priests. To extend the lesson, the author suggests reading more about Samuel in the Book of Numbers.

What I Like: This would be great for a Youth Girls’ Bible study because it’s written on the level of teen girls. However, a mother could share these devotionals with her daughter, and I don’t think the language is so simplified that an older teen or an adult couldn’t enjoy this book.

What I Dislike: Nothing, although the book is long for the target audience at 169 pages.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: Ages 8 to 12, although it would be appropriate for older girls.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2008; ISBN: 978-0310713388; Paperback $9.99.

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $7.99.
OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $9.99.

Special Info: See other Faithgirlz books reviewed here or visit the Faithgirlz website.

Best Party Book Ever! From Invites to Overnights and Everything in Between

Need ideas for your next party? Check out Faithgirlz Best Party Book Ever! From Invites to Overnights and Everything in Between. 

This book is packed full of helpful tips and creative ideas for your child to plan her next (or first!) big bash. It starts with a short 3-question quiz to figure out what type of hostess you might be... Garden Party, Movie Night, Glamping Gal, or Dancy Party girl. Readers can find a planning checklist to help the hostess get everything ready on time, a list of "no fail food",  and hostess hints on how to help guest feel welcome and comfortable. 

After providing general party tips, the book gives details about themed and holiday party ideas. The magazine-style layout is visually appealing and easy to read. Each party theme is sectioned into small decorative islands of information in the following format: 

• A one page overview of the party theme/holiday, including location ideas, invitations, color scheme, and decoration style. 
• A craft or two that fits the theme along with clear and simple directions and a photograph of the craft. Some crafts include helpful tips, including websites where you can buy the materials. 
• A menu with snapshots of the food. (All recipes are collected at the back of the book for easy access.) 
• Numerous colorful photographs of girls from a variety of ethnic backgrounds modeling completed crafts or simple sharing a smile. Most of the models in the book wore dresses. (The book itself often encouraged the girls to wear dresses to their parties.)

The overall effect of the picture selection was to give it a clean, magazine-style feel. The crafts are very appropriate for the target audience. They are sophisticated enough to feel trendy but simple enough for anyone to do. For example, there are directions to create an avocado face mask, lip balm (very cool!), stylish sunglasses, origami hearts, collage chalkboards, and more. The recipes are likewise sophisticated in look, but simple to create. They mainly use healthier, made-from-scratch ideas instead of prepacked fare. The book did not include many game ideas, although there were a few with directions for play. Instead it focused more on social interaction/friendship in the planning and execution of creating crafts, watching movies, baking cookies, or doing other activities as a group.

What I Like: This book is well put together. It’s easy to use, the craft and food ideas are outstanding (I want to make my own lip-balm, party or not!) and the photographs to an outstanding job of highlighting the finished product. Suggestions on how to reach out to guests also pleasantly surprised me. In today’s technology influenced world, the art of conversation can sometimes be overlooked, so I appreciated that aspect. I think young teens and preteens who love planning parties will simply adore this book.

What I Dislike: There is nothing major I dislike, just a few minor notes that may pertain to some readers. First, the editors use some slang (like “fave” instead of “favorite”) in the text. To me, slang feels dated and patronizing. I think the book would be stronger without it. Another note is that the book has a very feminine feel to it. Since I raised a tomboy, the cover and many of the photographs probably wouldn’t appeal to her. She would still enjoy the party ideas… but she’d probably take a more casual approach. And finally, although it is wonderful to have all these great ideas in a book at your fingertips (with top-rate photographs to help the reader visualize final products), you could likewise easily find ideas and many more just like this on the internet.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN:9780310746003; Paperback, 128 pgs., $12.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $9.99
OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $11.09.

Special Info: Party planning girls might enjoy having another book in the Faithgirlz series on hand: Big Book of Quizzes: Fun, Quirky Questions for You and Your Friends (Faithgirlz).

The Beauty of Believing

The Faithgirlz series has a new devotional called The Beauty of Believing. Geared for girls ages 8-12, this 365-day devotional is a collection of stand-out entries pulled from several devotional books. Contributing Faithgirlz authors include Tasha K. Douglas, Mona Hodgson, Kristi Holl, Lois Walfred Johnson, Allia Zobel Nolan, and Nancy Rue.

The book is divided into six sections, each introduced by one of the contributing authors. They are: 

• Growing Seeds of Faith—(having the right focus) 
• God's Promises—(inner beauty) 
• Finding Strength in Hard Times—(faith during trials) 
• God Speaks to Us—(making Godly choices) 
• The Helping Body of Believers 
• The Beauty of Believing 

Each devotional short; most consist of only one page, although a few spill over into a second page. They are structured with a Bible verse listed at top followed by a short story or narrative addressing issues, questions, and conflicts appropriate for this age level. The bottom of the page has a gray box with an additional Scripture reference to look up, “Girl Talk”—a few personal questions that give the reader something to think about—and “God Talk”—a brief prayer. A byline marks the end of each devotion, letting the reader know the author and from what book the devotion originated. 

 Since several authors contribute to the book, the writing style itself varies a little bit. Some use more slang and a more conversational tone. Others focus on stories first with applications and insights that can be pulled from a situation, while still other devotionals start off with a more direct tone, highlighting a problem faced by preteens and going from there. While the overall theme is beauty, within that context readers address how to be a friend, loneliness, strengthening your faith, making good choices, how to deal with anger, self-discipline, and more.

What I Like: For busy teens, the structure of the book makes it easy to establish it as a quiet-time staple; in addition, the lessons are quick and easy to apply. As mentioned above, the topics are age-appropriate, which means most girls will be able to see themselves in the pages.

What I Dislike: If you’ve read other reviews by me, you know I don’t care for slang, which slips into some of the devotions. Slang can make a book feel outdated.  I believe using consistent quality vocabulary would have broadened the target audience by giving it a more mature, timeless feel.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN: 978-0310736172; Paperback, ebook, Kindle, 432 pgs., $12.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $9.99
OR Buy the ebook version for $7.99 OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $11.07
OR Buy the Kindle version for $7.99.

Special Info: Devotions are taken from some of the following books:

That Is SO Me: 365 Days of Devotions: Flip-Flops, Faith, and Friends (Or try the Kindle version)
Girlz Rock: Devotions for Girls (Or try the Kindle version)
Girl Talk: 52 Weekly Devotions (Or try the Kindle version)
Chick Chat: 90-Day Devotional (Or try the Kindle version )
Shine On, Girl!: 90-Day Devotional (Or try the Kindle version .)

Dear Nancy

Dear Nancy, (answers to letters from girls like you) by Nancy Rue is a compilation of fan letters. The author has written many novels in her Faithgirlz series, including devotions, non-fiction books about beauty and relationships, as well as the popular Lily, Sophie, and Lucy fiction novels. Ms. Rue receives a ton of mail from tween girls who have personal questions about her, but they also have complicated questions about siblings, boys, changing bodies, writing, friendship, and Christianity.

Nancy Rue replies with a straight-forward, warm approach that isn’t preachy, but informative. Even as an adult, I found myself basking in her wisdom. After all, some of the relationship and faith issues females face at twelve don’t change that much with time!

Her favorite Bible verse is, "But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves." John 1:12-13 (The Message) She bases her whole ministry, the messages of all her books, on this one verse, and it shines through in her answers.

Here's a peek at the variety of subjects discussed by Ms. Rue:

• How am I supposed to be authentic?
• I have a lot of friends, but I’m not sure they’re real friends. Can you help me on that?
• How do you get so many interesting ideas in all your books?
• What is your favorite food?
• Which three people have had a positive impact on your life?
• Is it ok to date a boy at twelve? What if you think he’s a Christian?
• Do you have any tips for how to strengthen my faith and better my walk with God and things like that?

She also answers some tougher questions from girls dealing with depression, poverty, sick parents, and body image confusion.

What I Like: This is a great book for aspiring writers of all ages! Not only does Ms. Rue share how she became a writer, but she outlines her daily schedule and other everyday tidbits about her life. She provides a strong adult Christian role model for young girls. I can envision a mother and her daughter sharing this book, discussing Ms. Rue's answers, and learning a lot from one another.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Ages 10 and up.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2008; ISBN: 978-0-310-71496-5; Paperback; $9.99.

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $7.99.

OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $9.99.

Special Info: For more information about Nancy Rue and her books, visit her Faithgirlz website. You may also be interested in our reviews of other books written by this author.

FaithGirlz Samantha Sanderson: Off the Record

FaithGirlz! Samantha Sanderson Off the Record, by Robin Caroll, is the third book in the publisher’s Samantha Sanderson series. Samantha, Sam as she is known by her friends, aspires to be a professional journalist when she grows up. Right now, she is on her middle school’s newspaper staff. She is working hard to be recognized for her talents.

In previous books, she has solved the mystery of who phoned in a bomb threat to a local movie theater as well as figuring out who the bully was in her school. In this episode, she enlists the help of her best friend, Mackenzie (Mac) to figure out who hacked into the school’s computer system and changed the grades on report cards.

Sam always strives for journalistic honesty and integrity, but sometimes she cuts the corners a bit when she feels she is hot on the trail of a particularly juicy story.

What I Like: This is a good story that illustrates how easy it is to jump to the wrong conclusions. It also teaches a lesson about loving your neighbor.

What I Dislike: There were several typos sprinkled throughout the text. Also, at one point in the narrative, the power goes out, but somehow the people are still able to use their dryer. Hmmm.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2015; ISBN: 9780310742494; paperback, 224 pages, $8.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $7.19!

 

Or buy at Amazon $8.89.

 

Special Info: This is the third book in the Samantha Sanderson series. Visit the author’s website. Read our reviews of other books in the series.

Sophie Loves Jimmy

Even though Sophie LaCroix is starting to grow up, she is still too young to be "in love." So when the popular Corn Pops spread rumors all over school and even Sophie's Corn Flake friends believe them, Sophie feels frustrated and betrayed. In Sophie Loves Jimmy, the tenth installment of Nancy Rue's popular Sophie FaithGirlz series, we learn why honesty is important, and we also learn a fair bit about Internet safety.

Jimmy Wythe and Sophie are two of the four students who serve on the Round Table committee, a teacher/student group charged with decreasing bullying at Great Marsh Middle School. In this book, they focus specifically on Internet bullying, and when Jimmy asks Sophie to help with an anti-bullying website, she starts spending more and more time with him. This cuts down on the time Sophie spends with the Corn Flakes, and Fiona, especially, is jealous. The Corn Pops are also jealous since Jimmy is one of the nicest, cutest boys in school. They begin texting all sorts of rumors and information about Sophie, including footage of her pulling up her shorts in the gym locker room (filmed with a camera phone) and a clip using spliced recordings to make it sound like Jimmy is saying Sophie is crazy.

Sophie doesn't help matters when she dramatically declares "I'm in love," in the hearing of the Corn Pops. Although she means to be silly, it backfires, and adds substance to the rumor mill. Eventually, Sophie decides she has to tell Jimmy she can't spend time with him, which hurts his feelings. Slowly but surely, she learns how to balance her friendship with Jimmy and time spent with the Corn Flakes. Dr. Peter and Sophie's dad help Sophie handle both the cyber-bullying, and her new friendship with Jimmy, and Sophie learns some powerful lessons about forgiveness along the way.

What I Like: I like seeing Sophie forgive a past enemy (Eddie Wormon) and realize God can change even the meanest heart. I also like the fact Sophie is twelve and believes she is too young for a boyfriend. She learns how to be a good friend to Jimmy, but keep her priorities straight.

This book will also be helpful for adults who may not be as tech-savvy as the teens in their lives. Even though I used to teach high school, I hadn't thought about many of the difficulties camera phones present in school, or the problem of cyber-bullying. Rue includes some practical tips on regulating computer use in your home, without being too preachy or parental.

What I Dislike: Two things--one is the incident when Sophie purposefully declares she is in love with Jimmy so the Corn Pops will overhear. She acts deceitfully, without thinking of the consequences. While twelve-year-olds do things without thinking occasionally, I wish Rue would have had Sophie own her role in the problem a bit more.

The other thing I don't like is Sophie's repeated reference to her gym teacher as "Coach Virile." Rue includes a glossary in the back of the book, and defines "virile" as "the definition of manly; muscular, strong, and really hunky. Think cute movie star meets not-so-icky body builder." This definition is not what I think of when I hear the word "virile." The third definition for "virile" listed in my 1984 Webster's dictionary is "able to perform sexually as a male." Either way, Sophie thinking of a teacher in this way is a little creepy. I also wouldn't want my daughter using the term in every day life.

Overall Rating: Good due to the use of the term "virile"--very good otherwise

Age Appeal: 8-12

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-310-71025-7; Paperback, $6.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $5.49

OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $6.99.

Special Info: The cover shown here is the 2009 edition, but some books may feature the 2006 cover.

You can view reviews of other works by Nancy Rue here.
Check out other FaithGirlz titles here.

Sophie Steps Up

Sophie LaCroix, sixth-grader, drama queen, and Corn Flake, is back to help girls learn another lesson about themselves and what God expects of them. In Sophie Steps Up, Book Four in the Sophie series, FaithGirlz author Nancy Rue tackles what it means to accept others.

Sophie is an imaginative girl with a flair for drama. Together with her friends, Fiona, Maggie and Kitty, they make up the Corn Flakes. Unlike the popular Corn Pops, the Corn Flakes pray, try to be kind to others, and try to embrace their uniqueness. In addition to typical sixth-grade struggles, Sophie has a habit of getting lost in imaginary worlds and being imaginary characters. Since she has had a hard time staying on task in school and keeping her grades up, her parents have been taking her to counseling with Dr. Peter. His kind eyes and wise suggestions make Sophie look forward to her weekly visits with him.

When the girls' art teacher announces their next project is to be a performance (for the St. Patrick's Day competition), and they can pick their own groups, Sophie and her friends are thrilled. They already make movies for fun, and are only slightly put off when Miss Blythe tells them it must be a live performance. But when new student, Darbie O'Grady, arrives in class and Miss Blythe assigns her to Sophie's group, the Corn Flakes stability is shaken. To make matters worse, Dr. Peter changes Sophie's visits to an "as-needed" basis, Darbie seems, ". . .sullen and annoyed and smoldering no matter what was going on," and Maggie, who was supposed to make their costumes, is reassigned to a group with the popular girls.

The closer the performance deadline gets, the more frustrated the girls become. When one planning meeting after another ends in disaster, Sophie finally asks her parents if she can talk to Dr. Peter. She is afraid she is falling into her old habits of escaping into imaginary worlds. Sophie is pleasantly surprised when her parents promise to help her, instead, but their conversation is ruined by Sophie's sister, Lacie, who is always in some sort of crisis. Eventually, Sophie reads the Bible story about Jesus washing the disciples feet, and decides she needs to wash Darbie's feet. Sophie decides a tea party will show her good intentions.

After learning more about Northern Ireland and the tragedies in Darbie's past, Sophie and Darbie decide to write a play to teach the rest of the class about Northern Ireland. However, Fiona quickly lets Sophie know she is feeling left out, and soon Sophie and Darbie are literally washing Fiona's feet. Like most sixth-grade messes, the friends work everything out and go on to stage a presentation sure to make everyone think, regardless of whether it wins the competition.

What I Like: Rue captures the confusing, frustrating and emotional world of sixth-grade, but she keeps the love and hope of Christ front and center in the book. I love the fact Sophie is seeing a counselor, and I enjoy his gentle manner and biblical advice. By taking the Bible at it's word, Sophie learns how to relate like Jesus to a new friend and also how to accept the idiosyncrasies of an old friend.

I always like books where we get to see friends having disagreements and working things out. Dealing with conflict is so hard, but such an important life skill, and Rue gives girls lots of examples of being selfless, apologizing, and thinking about other perspectives.

I have to admit I'm biased, but having a sister, brother-in-law, and niece living in Northern Ireland, I enjoyed the cultural references and colloquial speech Rue included. My daughter really liked the book too.

What I Dislike: I kept getting confused about the Corn Pops and Corn Flakes, and I think it is sad there are so many "cliques" represented, but this probably is realistic in a lot of school situations.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: 9-12, but this installment would be fine for 8 and up

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-310-71841-3; Paperback, $6.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $5.49

OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $6.99.

Special Info: Sophie Steps Up was published in 2005 as Sophie's Irish Showdown.
You can view reviews of other works by Nancy Rue here.
Check out other FaithGirlz titles here.

At the Movies

Sam is an ambitious reporter on her middle school newspaper, hoping to someday become the editor. She then wants to go on to become a journalist for her career, like her mom. Her dad is a cop.

One night, when she is At the Movies with her dad, she accidentally finds a bomb hidden in the movie theater. She stumbles upon it when she makes a trip to the ladies’ room.

Now she has the inside scoop on a story, one that looks to be really big and really important. Her school newspaper publishes news not only about the school and the students in it, but also about things that happen in the community. Sam wants to write a lead story about the bomb for the school newspaper. She gets assigned the story, but the school editor doesn’t like her and looks for ways to take the story away from her. Her dad doesn’t want her working on the story since he is assigned to the case and he thinks it’s a conflict of interest. Her mother stays neutral on the subject, but she always encourages her daughter to pursue her dreams and do the right thing.

Sam can’t resist the temptation of writing a really juicy story. Although she tries to stay within the parameters of both the legal and moral issues, she finds herself in a tough spot when she crosses over the line.

What I Like: Author Robin Caroll has written a compelling story that illustrates the close ties between what’s legal and what’s moral. That’s an issue many people deal with on a daily basis. I think she does a good job of making the story believable for middle school kids.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Middle school readers.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN: 9780310742456; Paperback, 272 pages, $8.99.

  

Buy now at ChristianBook $7.19!

Or buy at Amazon.com $8.09.

Amazon Kindle Edition - $5.99.

Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s FaithGirlz series. Read our reviews of other books in the series. Visit the author’s website.

Sophie's World

Sophie's World is the first in a series of six books about Sophie LaCroix, an imaginative, day-dreaming 6th grader.

The story opens as her class is loading the bus for a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. She's just moved to Virginia and due to frequent lapses into imagined adventures, she’s dubbed as the weird girl. She’s partnered with Maggie, a girl who’s not in the popular crowd, but who doesn’t want to associate with Sophie’s odd behaviors.

Sophie copes with the boredom and loneliness by imagining an elaborate Revolutionary War adventure and winds up separated from the group in an 17th century graveyard. She enters Bruton Parish Church and as she prays for just one friend in her new school, Ms. Quelling finds her. She’s in big trouble, and her grades are dropping, too.

Sophie’s prayers are answered the following day when she meets Fiona, a fellow dreamer, and they act out the Colonial saga together. The popular girls, or "Corn Pops," tease the girls and Fiona stands up for them, asking, “But who says what’s weird and what’s not?”

Sophie’s parents enlist the help of Dr. Peter, a friendly psychologist with a Christian perspective. He suggests an outlet for her imagination: the use of a video camera to record her stories. Sophie’s Dad will find her a used video camera if she can pull her grades up to a C at minimum. Fiona’s dad finds the camera, and Fiona promises to help Sophie in school so they can use the camera in their Williamsburg story.

Not only do the girls study together, but they develop a code to keep Sophie on task in school. When Sophie begins to drift away into a dream, Fiona coughs to remind Sophie to pay attention. Sophie raises her grades well beyond the minimum and earns the camera. The Corn Pops become jealous of her academic success and they accuse the cough of being a secret cheating mechanism. Ms. Quelling sides with the Corn Pops, but Maggie intervenes in a parent-teacher conference and tells Ms. Quelling that she overheard the girls discussing strategies for raising Sophie’s grades and none of them involved cheating.

Fiona and Sophie invite Maggie to join in their video role-playing, but soon regret it because of Maggie’s bossy manner and poor acting skills.

The Corn Pops kick Kitty out of their clique because she feels bad about the dishonesty. Kitty has no other friends and desperately wants to get back with the popular girls, so she follows their orders and crawls across the playground. Sophie witnesses this and invites Kitty to be her friend. When Fiona wants to kick Maggie out of the “Corn Flakes” drama group, Sophie reluctantly agrees. When she realizes they’ve hurt Maggie and they’ve behaved no better than the Corn Pops, she gets into a huge fight with Fiona.

During these problems, Dr. Peter coaches Sophie to imagine what Jesus what do instead of drift into another fantasy. She learns to rely on prayer and develops a risky plan to help Kitty, to expose the Corn Pops, and to try to repair her friendship with Fiona.

What I Like: The author covers all the bases of a tween girl’s life: parents, siblings, friends, teachers, faith, fitting in, and doing the right thing. I like that Sophie is an imperfect, eccentric girl. The historical tidbits on Colonial America provide a cool background for the story. I loved the short glossary in the back for more difficult words, such as pessimistic and heinous.

What I Dislike: Sophie believes that her Dad doesn’t love her as much as her older sister, and this issue never gets resolved. I found it hard to believe that her parents didn’t talk to her about using prayer as a solution because they are a Christian family. Placing 6th grade in elementary school rather than middle school didn’t feel authentic, particularly in light of the Corn Pops’ devious scheming.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: Ages 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2004; ISBN: 0-310-70756-0; Paperback $6.99.

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Special Info: For more information about Nancy Rue and her books, visit her Faithgirlz website. You may also be interested in our reviews of other books written by this author.

Jazz Off-Key

Jazz Off-Key, a chapter book written by prolific author Dandi Daley Mackall, is part of the Zonderkidz FaithGirlz series of books. This is a series of books especially for girls.

This book is also part of the Blog On series, a series of stories about a group of five girls who get together once a week to plan and discuss the blog they have created – hence the name of the series. Each book in the series features a member of the group. This particular book is about Jazz (Jasmine) Fletcher.

Jazz has anger management issues. She seems to be angry about something nearly all the time. Even though she believes in God, and she prays about things, when her sister inadvertently ruins her paintings and jeopardizes her first chance at having her art exhibited, God seems very far away and her anger is too much for her to control.

Jazz’s passion is art. She loves to draw and paint and do sculptures. When the owner of a local art supply store asks her if she would like to exhibit her art at his open house, she jumps at the chance. She shows her sister Kendra the paintings she wants to exhibit; Kendra says they need more color. While Jazz isn’t home, Kendra “repaints” Jazz’s artwork orange and red. Kendra has Down’s Syndrome and thinks she’s doing a good thing. She doesn’t understand she has ruined her sister’s work.

Jazz is an artist, so she writes a cartoon for the group’s blog. She also shares her problems with her friends. When she tells them about her ruined paintings, they all try to help her come up with ways to salvage the show. In the end, Jazz learns the importance of family and forgiveness, and she develops a closer relationship with God.

For a little background on the series, a brief bio and description of each girl is provided at the end of the story.

The Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 4:18 is given as a reference: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

What I Like: The characters in this series seem very real. They’re the types of characters readers can relate to.

What I Dislike: At one point in the story, Jazz’s friend, Storm, suggests the two of them break into the local elementary school to retrieve a couple of paintings Jazz did years ago that are kept in a supply closet there. They don’t have to break pick any locks or break any windows to get into the building as one window is unlocked. But, still, they are doing something illegal. Storm is able to talk her way out of trouble when a security guard catches them in the act. I’m unhappy with this scene because it makes it look likes it’s all right to enter buildings that are supposed to be locked up. They had a good reason for doing so, and they did it for a good cause, but they still did something illegal and there were no real consequences for the act. I think that sets a bad example for young readers.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 9-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2007; ISBN: 0310712653; Paperback, $6.99.

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Special Info: Visit the author’s website. Read our reviews of other books written by Dandi Daley Mackall.

Whatever: A 90-Day Devotional for Livin' the True, Noble, and Totally Excellent Life

Whatever: A 90-Day Devotional for Livin’ the True, Noble,and Totally Excellent Life, written by Allia Zobel Nolan, is as the title implies, a devotional with 90 days worth of readings. Also, you can probably tell by the title that it is written for teens, and in this case, specifically for girls.

The devotions are divided into 10 separate headings: eight of them relate to the eight virtues mentioned in Philippians 4:8 – “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,” etc. The first one is entitled “You and Your Thoughts” and the last one is called “Perfect Peace.” Each devotion starts with a Bible verse and includes sections called  “Food for Thought,” “Second Thoughts” and “Divine Thoughts”. By the time the reader has gone through all 90 devotions, they will have a clear idea of how to direct their thoughts to make themselves, true, noble, right, etc., and end with a life of “perfect peace”.

What I Like: Just about everything.

What I Dislike: Although the devotions are easy-to-follow and relevant to a teen girls’ life, I thought it was a bit unusual that the author did not include any type of introduction about the book. There is a short blurb on the back cover that says all 90 of the devotionals will show girls how to fill their heads and hearts with “virtues taken straight from Philippians 4:8.” They will then become more “…lovely, praiseworthy and excellent…”

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: I didn’t find an age rating, but I’d say ages 12 and up.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2012; ISBN: 9780310725343; Paperback, 294 pages, $9.99.

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Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s FaithGirlz series. Read our reviews of other books in the series. Visit the author’s website. 

Project: Run Away

Project: Run Away, written by Melody Carson, begins with Emily’s mother urging her daughter Emily and her son Kyle to pack their belongings. They need to leave their home and they need to leave now. She just found out that her husband, whom she left several months ago, has located them and is on his way to their house. Mr. Chambers is a violent man, prone to fits of anger and rage during which he abused his family. His wife took the two children and fled the state, changing their last name to Adams, in hopes of fleeing their past.

Emily doesn’t want to leave her house and her new friends, but she has no choice. Her mom cautions her not to tell anyone they are leaving, but Emily receives special permission to tell her best friend, Morgan. After they’ve packed their bags and loaded up the car, Emily’s family heads south.

When they stop for a break, Emily calls Morgan’s house from a pay phone without her mother knowing it. She tells Morgan where she is and which direction they are headed.

Before they get much farther down the road, Mrs. Adams is pulled over by a police officer. The officer did not pull her over for a violation; rather, the officer wants to speak to her. Based on information from Morgan, the police knew which direction they were headed and were able to track them down.

The officer tells Mrs. Adams her husband has been arrested and is in jail. Shortly after they left the house, he broke into it. He was caught by a neighbor who called the police and had him arrested. Emily’s mother decides to turn around and head back home, somewhat secure in the knowledge her husband is in jail and can’t hurt her.

After they find out what has happened, Mrs. Adams’ friends and neighbors rally around to help and support her. One secures the services of a lawyer who will work on her behalf free of charge. The story ends with Mr. Chambers in jail, awaiting trial.

Throughout the story, Emily must cope with her conflicting emotions about her father. She loves him, but she hates the way he has treated the family. Through much prayer, Emily is able to forgive him, even though that doesn’t mean she wants her parents to get back together.

This Bible verse from II Corinthians 4:18 is given as a reference for the story: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

What I Like: This is a modern-day story, one I’m sure many teens, unfortunately, can relate to. As such, it tells teens who are going through this type of situation that they’re not alone.

What I Dislike: When I first started reading the story, I was caught up in the writing and the drama of it all. Then, somewhere around the middle, the story lost its, for lack of a better word, spark. The writing was not as strong and the story line wasn’t either.

And, the ending was a bit flat. I was looking for more resolution to the family’s problems.

Overall Rating: Good.

Age Appeal: 9-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2008; ISBN: 9780310713500; Paperback, $6.99.

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Special Info: This book is part of Zonderkidz FaithGirlz! Series. Read our reviews of other books in the series. Read our reviews of other books by Melody Carlson. Visit the author's website.

Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase

Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase, by Christian Grammy winning music artist Natalie Grant, is the first book in the Faithgirlz Glimmer Girls Series.  Mia and Maddie are 10-year-old twins who fly to London with their little sister Lulu to watch their famous mother Gloria Glimmer sing in concert. While there they encounter a mystery.  The girls and their nanny try to solve who stole art from the National Gallery.

What I Like: I liked the elements of faith that were written throughout the book.  The characters struggled with feelings of jealousy, not fitting in and fear.  These were all addressed with the characters being told to pray and trust in God.

What I Dislike: There is a part in the story where the 10-year-old main character sneaks out of her hotel room in London to try to solve the mystery on her own.  She ends up being okay but I was disappointed that she did not receive consequences for sneaking out and putting herself in danger.  I think this really would have been a good opportunity for a teaching point on honesty, obedience and safety.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN: 987-0-310-75265-3; Paperback, 208 pgs., $8.99

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Glimmer Girls: A Dolphin Wish

Glimmer Girls: A Dolphin Wish, by Christian Grammy winning artist Natalie Grant, is the second book in the FaithGirlz Glimmer Girls series.  Once again, Mia and Maddie are solving a mystery  again with their little sister Lulu!  Their mother is a famous singer so the entire family gets to travel with her around the world to her concerts. In the last book they traveled to London.  In this book they travel to the San Diego, California. While there, they visit an amusement park and encounter a mystery involving the animals.  The sisters also deal with feelings of jealousy between them while in San Diego.

What I Like: I appreciate that this book can stand alone from the first book in the series.   You will not be lost at all if you haven't read the first book and decide that you want to start with this one.

If you read my review of the first book, you will remember that I was concerned about  one of the characters sneaking out at night and not receiving consequences.  This disobedience was addressed more thoroughly in this second book.   I also appreciated the family discussions and their reliance on God throughout the book.

What I Dislike:  There was nothing I disliked about this book.

 
Overall Rating: Excellent.
 
Age Appeal: 8-12.
 
Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2016; ISBN:0310752531; Paperback, 144 pages, $8.99.

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Special Info: You can read my review of the first book in the series, Glimmer Girls: London Art Chase by clicking here.

On the Scene

On the Scene, written by Robin Caroll, is the second book of the Samantha Sanderson series. Samantha’s (Sam’s) curious nature leads her to search for the truth behind who is bullying her fellow classmate, Nikki. Sam learns from her police officer father that bullying is a serious crime. She suggests writing a series of articles for her middle school newspaper and she gets assigned the job.

Nikki and Sam are not really friends, as Nikki is known as a “mean girl.” But Sam feels bad for Nikki when she finds out Nikki is being bullied. Nikki has a lot on her plate already, as her father has moved out of the house and her parents are threatening to divorce. Sam wouldn’t want her parents to go through a divorce and she doesn’t want to see Nikki’s do that either.

Sam does a lot of digging to get to the bottom of the mystery of who the bully really is. In the process of doing so, she learns a lot about the issue of bullying, discovers the meaning of friendship, and learns how to judge people for herself regardless of popular opinion.

The author has included some discussion questions at the end of the book about events that take place in the text. There is also a blank page for notes for each of the twenty chapters in the book.

What I Like: Bullying is a serious issue. It’s something school administrators no longer take lightly. There is a lot of good information in the story about bullying.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: Middle school students.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN: 9780310742470; Paperback, 264 pages, $8.99.

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Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s FaithGirlz series. Read our reviews of other books in the series. Visit the author’s website.