Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek Review!

My 7 year old loves it when I get to review any type of children's book because it usually means that she gets it when I'm finished! So of course we were both excited to see a Christian girls book all about a girl and her shoes!!

"Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek" by Jill Osborne is part of a new book series put out by Zonderkidz, called The Good News Shoes Series! Riley Mae is just an ordinary 7th grader who gets a chance of a lifetime opportunity to be the new spokesgirl for Swiftriver Shoe Company! Of course Riley wants to do it, but her parents want to pray about it as a family first to see if it's what God wants them to do.

Riley quickly gets her answer and is soon wearing the newest Riley Mae shoes, while attending many promotional events with her name and face plastered all over the place! It's everything she could have wanted! Or is it? Riley soon learns that being famous is not everything she thought it would be. There are things she has to give up, and her life is much more complicated now.

Along the way, Riley learns that this was really God's plan all along and He has a greater purpose for her becoming  famous. She'll learn that she has many more opportunities now to share the love of Jesus than she ever did before.

I am so excited that this new book series is available for young girls! My 7 year old loves to read, and is a bit ahead of normal 2nd grade reading books, so it's not always easy for me to find books for her to read that have acceptable content. So many books in her reading level are about boys and many problems that pre-teens face. I feel good giving the Riley Mae books to my 7 year old, because I know that she is reading good wholesome stories about a godly young lady! The title and and the front cover of this book were enough to pique my daughter's interest! She has been patiently waiting for me to finish it so she could begin and is now reading it as I type this! ;)

I would highly recommend this book to all young girls and rate it as 5 stars!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher

To go along with my new obsession of reading Amish books, I was quite thrilled to read Suzanne Woods Fisher's newest book, "The Calling" which is the second book in the Inn of Eagle Hill Series! I am a big fan of hers, and especially of her "The Adventures of Lily Lapp" Series, as is my 7 year old!

In "The Calling", Bethany is restless after a failed relationship, and doesn't quite know what God wants her to do with her life. A group of 5 Amish sisters have helped ease her mind of her problems by hiring her to help clean out their house, but she can't keep her mind off the annoying Jimmy Fisher who finds Bethany so enticing.

Meanwhile, Bethany's job of cleaning is not as easy as she thought as the group of sisters are quite the hoarders and refuse to get rid of anything. When she finds a trunk full of human bones and skulls, Bethany secretly wonders if the sisters are murderers and is apprehensive about returning to finish the job.

I did not read the first book in this series, and that did make it a bit confusing in the beginning, but after awhile I did get the hang of it. However, I would definitely recommend reading the first book in the series before reading "The Calling." This book does go back to some of the issues discussed in the first book though, and answers some questions about Jake, the man Bethany was previously interested in. There were definitely some twists and turns in this book and it was a bit suspenseful at times! I would rate this book as 4 stars!

I received this book for free from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen

Alec Valcourt, along with his mother and sister have come to Beaworthy to live with his Uncle Ramsey in search of a new life after losing his father, Mr. Valcourt. Little does Alec know, that there is not much of a career available for a Dancing Master in Beaworthy after an event that happened nearly 20 years ago. Lady Amelia Midwinter has made sure of that. Meanwhile, Alec finds himself employed by Mrs. Midwinter herself in an attempt to keep tabs on him. He soon learns though that there are certain stipulations he must follow while employed under her rule, and he is not quite sure he can follow all of them. Including staying away from her daughter, Julia.

Julia Midwinter is the only daughter of Amelia Midwinter, and never had much of a relationship with her father. Despite that, Julia has had quite a wonderful life if only by her mother's doing. But Lady Amelia is a woman of many secrets and refuses to share any of them with even her own daughter. Julia is determined to get to the bottom of her mother's and Beaworthy's mysteries, and forms an unlikely bond with Mr. Alec Valcourt despite her mother's warnings.

Oh goodness...if you love a good Jane Austen novel or Regency Romance, you will LOVE "The Dancing Master". It's packed with love, mystery, suspense and of course lots of dancing as the name implies! One of my favorite things about this book is that it is not a shallow read. The author really takes her time to develop her characters, and takes much effort not to reveal all of the book's secrets at once, which I love. Truly the best books are those that are suspenseful and leave you longing to read more! This is sure to become a classic that readers will love for years to come! I rate it as 5 stars!

I received this book for free from Litfuse to give my honest unbiased opinion.

For a special inside peek at the story behind "The Dancing Master" check out this exclusive author interview over at Litfuse!
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"Bedtime Prayers that end with a Hug" by Stephen Elkins

This week I am excited to share my book review of "Bedtime Prayers that end with a Hug" by Stephen Elkins! This is not the first book I have reviewed by Stephen Elkins. Last January, I did a review on "Bible Stories that end with a Hug" which was equally enjoyable!

This bedtime storybook is aimed towards children ages three to five, but also works for younger children. It includes 52 adorable bedtime prayers that cover topics such as patience, giving thanks, telling the truth, and fear among many others. I found the stories to be short yet the perfect length for children of that age group.

Each lesson includes a Bible verse, a thought, prayer, and of course a hug at the end! I will definitely be using this book with my 2 year old as it seems to be the perfect devotional for her age! I also love that this book has a padded hard cover, making it extra resilient in the care of a 2 year old. :) I rate it as 5 stars!

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers to give my honest unbiased opinion.

99 Stories From the Bible by Juliet David

This week I had the privilege of reading and reviewing "99 Stories from the Bible" by Juliet David and illustrated by Elina Ellis!

The book begins with Creation and ends with Jesus dying on the cross and ascending into Heaven, and includes 97 other stories in between! Between the Table of Contents and Stories, the book is 192 pages and includes a hardcover.

I found the stories to be short and easy to understand- perfect for little ones! My two year old loved it and was able to sit through multiple stories. She loved pointing out the colorful illustrations and telling me what they were!

I especially was happy with the way the author and illustrator depicted Jesus' crucifixion. I know that sometimes it seems like a scary subject when teaching young ones 5 and under, but I feel that the story was very tasteful and leaves room to teach the child more as they grow older when they are at an age where they can understand more. 

I think this is an excellent Bible Storybook to use for bedtime stories, preschool lessons, or even Sunday school lessons. I would recommend it for ages 2-6, but definitely not limited to those ages. This book has quickly become a favorite for our 2 year old, and I anticipate using it quite a lot in the near future! :) I rate it as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.