Have you ever considered a how wrought with emotions a convict’s release and transition from prison to civilian life is for the released as well as the family? Reacclimating takes courage and lots of grace. Before reading Broken Together by Brenda S. Anderson and Sarah S. Anderson, I never contemplated the difficulties they might face.…
Candice Yamnitz, a talented storyteller, includes romance and sword-fighting danger in her debut young adult fantasy novel, Unbetrothed. Beatriz, a 17-year-old princess, embarks on a dangerous quest with her lady’s maid, Laude, whom she doesn’t respect much at the beginning, but whom she loves like a sister by the end. Beatriz’s faults include being self-absorbed…
Tinsel in a Twist by Laurie Germaine continues the story of Tinsel, the Christmas elf from Tinsel in a Tangle, a YA novel I raved about in February. Just in time for the holidays, the second novel arrives, just as endearing. Tinsel travels with Niklas and Santa and Mrs. Claus to Germany for Niklas’ initiation…
Castle of Refuge, the second book in the Dericott Tale series by Melanie Dickerson, picks up the story of Edwin, Lord Dericott, after he returns home to his castle after losing an arm. I learned from this novel that if you lose your arm, you have trouble with balance for a while. I never considered…
Just in time for Halloween, I have a scary novel to recommend: The Demons Among Us. Young fans of Frank Peretti will want to grab a copy of Jill K. Willis’ novel, The Demons Among Us. This intense YA story pulled me in so much that sometimes I’d forget it was fiction. Some large black…
A YA Novel Review In Hesitant Heroes by Sharon Rene, a group of teens discover their school is involved in an evil plot to assassinate a key political figure, and the administration intends to blame the Christian students, who have disappeared. As the teens discover more, the danger escalates, especially since traitors exist around them.…
Taffy. Yum. Sometimes one catches a taffy watching a parade, but the most common parade candy—at least in our town—would be Tootsie Rolls, but alas, that is a chocolate flavored, taffy-like candy. But for me, salt water taffy reminds me of my dad and the fair. I like that better than any other kind of…
Every girl dreams of having a pony, right? Okay, so maybe not every girl, but I did, and I know my daughters did, although they never got one. They did take riding lessons though and got all the way to learning to jump before the pandemic shut everything down. When I was in elementary school,…
Father’s Day is Sunday—the day to celebrate our dads. Dads come in all sizes, shapes, temperaments and abilities. Dads are important. My dad taught through example. My dad grew up the second oldest of eight. His dad farmed. His grandad farmed. He farmed and still farms his 100-acre beef farm. He is dad to four…
Each summer, my parents packed my siblings and me up and sent us off to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in the cozy town of Wiota for a week. Most of my memories of our stays started on the Fourth of July. We’d claim our bedrooms and then settle in to watch the big parade behind…