Love Does for kids by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich

WOW!  This devotional book is really different!  Better!  So interesting it grabbed my attention immediately and I'm an adult.  In fact the very first story brought tears to me eyes.  Listen to this line:  "So the next time you make a mistake, just think to yourself:  I am loved, and I am God's..."  That is a powerful message!  And all the stories are like that in this book. Filled to the brim with goodness - God's goodness and His love.  The stories are told in an appealing manner with catchy phrases such as "it's like God leaves you room rent and can't wait to see how we'll use what He's given us".  These stories just make you stop and think and stop and think some more.  This book will help children think about God in a positive light and help them understand that He is for them 100% and not against them at all.  I really enjoy and appreciate how the authors consistently point to a God who is looking out for our best all the time and who never stops loving us.

I received this book from the publishers but was not required to write a positive review.

The Year of Living Happy by Alli Worthington

From the beautiful cover with a handful of bright yellow blossoms to the back cover asking "How would your life be different if you were just a bit happier every day?" - this book seems to have revitalizing power.  Author Alli Worthington has touched on something that every woman probably wonders about while thinking everyone else has it all together.  The book is divided into 12 sections:  Made to be happy, Holiness is happiness, Happiness in the here and now, Good friends and happy hearts, Finding your happy thought, Happy in a world of crazy, When happiness is hard, Healthy-Happy-Whole, Choosing Happiness, The power of happy words, A happy heart is good medicine and Building a Happy Life.  Inside each section are seven to ten spiritual pep talks.  Each contains a short story with Biblical application and a short exercise for the reader to participate in.  Fun things like thinking about your idea of happiness, listing unique qualities about yourself, describing one thing in your life that is imperfectly wonderful, ask God what seeds He's given you to plant and think of a situation where you could chose compassion for yourself instead of self-criticism.  The short readings help it not feel overwhelming or daunting.  But don't be misled by this into thinking this book is just fluff.  It is not!  There are deep truths and thoughts you'll ponder long after shutting the pages of the book.  I really enjoyed that there was an action the reader was invited to do after reading the story, thoughts and scripture encouragement that was given.  This made the book more personal and more impactful for me.

I was given this book by the publisher but was not required to write a positive review.

The Sound of Thunder by Jan Drexler

I know some people think all Amish books are alike but I can assure you this book is a very different sort of Amish themed story.  The young hero, Jonas has a lot of thoughts on what is truly the way to serve God with all your heart.  To complicate matters he is engaged and the Civil War is is full swing.  Amish traditionally do not engage in any type of warfare.  Yet Jonas feels compelled to help in the cause of abolition.  Is becoming a soldier so wrong if it is for the right cause?  Would God expect him to let others take a risk he himself isn't willing to encounter?  His convictions are
mish-mashed with doubts as he thinks on his love Katie.  Where does duty begin and end for one's country?  And how does God fit into all of this?  Jonas and Katie are authentic characters that Drexler makes the reader feel compassion and angst with.  Her descriptions of home and frontline of war are realistic and heart rending.

I received this book from Revell but was not required to write a positive review.

Second -Chance Dogs (True Stories of Dogs We Rescue and the Dogs Who Rescue Us) Edited by Callie Smith Grant

The dog stories contained in this book are written by more than thirty different authors describing their unique and intriguing experiences.  Each beloved canine has a special bond and God given mission for the human lives he touched.  What a wonderful collection of true stories told by the people whose lives were touched and changed often by a dog that others felt was worthless.  From unwanted to beloved these dogs demonstrate the detailed way God is involved in our lives.  You will be touched by the plight of these creatures, but even more so by the way that God uses them to intervene in the lives of His children.

I received this book from Revell publishers but was not required to write a positive review.

Thirsty for More: Discovering God's Unexpected Blessings in a Desert Season by Allison Allen

If you're looking for a "quick fix" devotional then keep on looking.  But if your soul is "thirsty for more" keep reading.  Allison Allen doesn't mince words.  She tells it like it is.  Sometimes making you feel uncomfortable as she gets down to the nitty gritty.  But as you read about her sojourn in the "desert" I bet you'll be nodding your head and even wiping away a few tears as you see yourself in her questions and wanderings.  This author digs deep because she lived through a deep, dark time or two - not just one!  Because she lays herself open so vulnerable to be examined by the reader it is easier to trust her words, advice and caring tone in this book.  Depth, sincerity, spiritual truths and comfort are found in these pages.

I received this book from Revell but was not required to write a positive review.

A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson

Wendy Harper and her son travel back to her grandparents seaside town to inherit the old cottage by the sea.  Wendy is dealing with stresses at work, financial stresses of piled up bills and the stress of raising a teenage boy without a father.  The loss of her husband has sent them both reeling into depression.  But while Wendy sees the cottage as a way out of her financial woes her son Jackson grasps on to hope.  Hope of a new start in a nostalgic seaside town that feels instantly like home to him.  As they settle into life in the simple and laid back town peace begins to seep into both of their souls.  Maybe this really could be something more.  Maybe this could be home.  This is a cute holiday story filled with hope and good cheer and dash of romance thrown in.

I received this book from Revell publishers but was not required to write a positive review.

Little Book of Thanks by Jean Fischer

Who can resist the Precious Moments characters?  They grace the pages of this sweet little book on giving thanks.  Each page is filled with children of different cultural backgrounds doing "kid stuff".  Young children will recognize their own daily activities in these colorful and smile winning drawings.  The book is filled with scripture from the Bible and poetry.  Simple verses that bring out thankfulness in every day living from a child's perspective.  Perfect book for short nighttime readings each evening.  It would also be a lovely way to help a child memory scripture and short poems. 

I received this book from the publishers but was not required to write a positive review.