The One Year Devotions for Girls: Starring Women of the Bible

If you’re looking for a relevant, interactive devotional book for your daughter, consider Katrina Cassel’s The One Year Devotions for Girls: Starring Women of the Bible. Each of the 365 devotions is set up like this: First, it provides one or two key Scripture verses (written out in full). Next, the author gives a devotional essay that ties the Scripture to a female character from the Bible. The often thought-provoking text is written with compact clarity. Finally, readers find more questions to consider and a suggested plan of action on the margins of each page. Every seven days, the book provides a quiz, an activity, or a puzzle. These weekly breaks help review recent lessons. While the puzzles usually feature a verse from the Bible, the quizzes seemed geared to help girls identify their strengths and weaknesses, similar to what you might find in a popular teen magazine.

The book highlights not only familiar women, such as Eve, Ruth, and Esther, but lesser known women, such as Hagar, Vashti, and even a few nameless characters. Readers are encouraged to learn from not only the wisdom of the characters but from their mistakes as well. In addition, the book is set up in chronological order, which makes it feel like a journey through the Bible.

What I Like: I love the format. Each devotion fits on one page, and is packed with encouragement, helpful suggestions, and excellent questions to ponder. They are well-written, and teen-friendly. The quizzes and puzzles are a refreshing angle. Plus the book is very reasonably priced.

What I Dislike: Some of the puzzles seemed a bit young for older readers. I liked the quizzes, but for some of them I didn't fit into one of their "if you said, this, then you're this" type categories because I didn't have more A than B or C answers. A longer quiz would help alleviate that problem.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Ages 10 and up

Publisher Info: Tyndale House, 2011; ISBN: 978-1414338743; Paperback, 432 pages, $13.99

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Special Info: Read CCBR reviews of other books by Katrina Cassel. Preteens might enjoy Cassel's The Christian Girl's Guide to Being Your Best.