ARC Review: Waves of Light

Waves of Light by Naomi Kinsman

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz; Original edition (April 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310726662
• ISBN-13: 978-0310726661

Where is God when you need him? 

After struggling to fit into a new town and school, Sadie faces questions about her faith, family, and friendships, questioning all she has come to believe. Sadie's life is spinning out of control. Her friend moved away, her mom remains ill, and her dad wants to leave town. At least the play Sadie is helping produce appears to be going well. After all, she gets to create the sets with her art teacher's help. But even that falls apart when a flash flood destroys her teacher's home and art. 

How can she trust or even believe in a God who would allow all this? 

God isn't fair. With everything crumbling and her faith on the edge, Sadie must find strength in the God she's questioning in order to hold on in the midst of her struggles.

I choose to read this book just out of the blue, since I haven’t read children to young teen book for a long time. Sure the cover was creative, simple yet cute, but from the looks of it, the story dwells on younger or coming-to-age teens. Fortunately, I found this book easy to read and relate to even if I’m no longer on the ages 9 and up category..:D

Waves of a Light is the third book in the Faithgirlz!/From Sadie's Sketchbook series. But don’t worry, even I who hadn’t read the first two books followed the story well. They can be stand-alones I think.

Naomi Kinsman wrote the story in a simple yet nurturing way. We might find Sadie’s life/struggles boring but for a girl just starting to see life and finding her relationships with God, a lot’s been going on already. This is what the beauty of this book, creating a good story amidst its simplicity.

I enjoyed the emails in the book and I think it was written well. You might think the book is all about younger teens problems but actually the author also throw in grown-up topics, so basically the book is also for adult and young at heart..:)

Kinsman captured a young girl’s essence perfectly. As if she was Sadie herself. Sadie’s questions were genuine and honest. She was strong and mature for her age and yet the growing attraction to Andrew is pretty something I could relate to, I think anyone experienced having crushes for the first time, and it’s actually hard for Sadie since Andrew is her friend.

The author beautifully described faith even when we think God had left us. This book had a lot of subtle messages without appearing too preachy.

Waves of Light is an interesting book for tween readers, especially for girls ages 9 and up and even the younger ones.:) It’s about finding ourselves and our relationship with God. Highly Recommended!





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Book Review: The Whole Guy Thing

The Whole Guy Thing by Nancy Rue

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (April 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310726840
• ISBN-13: 978-0310726845

It’s time to deal with all those guy questions in your life.
Guys can make life complex. Sometimes they’re nice, sometimes they’re not, and when they’re cute they sometimes leave our brains in a jumble. On top of seeing them every day, we have to figure out how to interact with the male gender, and exactly what to do with any romantic feelings. It’s no wonder girls have so many questions about guys!

Well, here are answers to many of the issues and wonderings real girls like you have. The Whole Guy Thing explores how you can deal with boys now and in the future, as well as create self-respect that is rooted in God’s love. Featuring relationship topics, real feedback from guys, and even advice on how to talk to your parents about dating rules and guy-girl interactions, this may be the book you’ve been waiting for.

The Whole Guy Thing is an advice book for young girls concerning boys. It talks about not just the feelings girls feel with the opposite sex but also with behavior and understanding about guys.

It was a fast-read, with evaluation quiz that would determine what we have learned in the chapters. I had fun answering these questions. And true to the author’s word, it didn’t made me feel like I was being accused or something, rather it make me realize and understand what level of understanding I had not just with myself but as well as how I react with others around me especially boys.

Nancy Rue knew her thing well. This book comes just like talking to her one on one. The words were easy to understand and the whole book sounded conversational, making teen readers confide in it wholly and truthfully.

It also comes with advises on how to talk things like these with our parents, who knew and experienced everything that’s going on with us. We just have to do the right thing, and talk to them in a way that they’d see themselves in us.

As a teen myself, I appreciate how the author used Twitter-like phrases which pretty sums up the whole book. It makes reading easier, especially when the long paragraphs look tiring. :) And not only that, she also gives us tiny advices like “What the Guy’s Says” or “God on Guys”.

The Whole Guy Thing is not just a book about crushes, dates and anything concerning guys, it’s a book that will make us realize that even if it’s a girl-guy business, there’s still our parents and God who will guide us in this complicated yet enjoying stage in life- our teen life.

This book comes with lessons that will surely leave a print in our minds and hearts. Highly Recommended!..:)

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Book Review + Sample Read: Replication: The Jason Experiment

Replication: The Jason Experiment by Jill Williamson

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (December 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310727588
• ISBN-13: 978-0310727583

When Your Life Is Not Your Own 

 

Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky. 

 

Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars.

As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known.

“Life isn’t how many days I live, but how I live the days I have”

“Listen, Dad, you spent your marriage trying to find a cure for Mom and you missed out on what little life she had. You took her joy, Dad, and yours, trying to save her”--- “Now you work for more people with that same philosophy. They want to take the lives of others because of their fear. They don’t understand, so they try to find a way to control things. But God will always get His way. No scientist can change that. The only way to really live is to give up fear and trust God.”

This is one excerpt that made me pause and realize life deeper.

Replication is a book about human cloning and how inhuman it could be. Giving life to someone just to kill them someday for other’s benefit is strictly not a good thing.

When I was younger :), I heard about animal cloning and the sheep clone Dolly. At that time, I heard too about the issue of human cloning, and I was in favor of it. But after reading this book, I realize that life could only be given and taken by God. No man should try to control it. I realize that even though, let’s just say human cloning exist, clones breath, they have lives and so, they’re not as far to being human no matter what reasoning any scientist could give.

Jill Williamson weaved another wonderful story of a clone- Martyr/J:3:3, who found out, what his purpose really is. What God’s purpose for him is. It’s a journey and an adventure to grow closer to God and to help his fellow clones escape the fate the scientists thrust into them.

I was grip right from the beginning until the very end. Sci-fi this might be, but I didn’t feel the heavy terms of science this kind of book usually has. Replication is very understandable and engaging. There’s no boring part of the book, every turn of the page, something unexpected happens.

The best part I love in this book, are the subtle inspiring messages about love, life and God. I also love all of the characters, whether villain or not. Williamson has this technique of turning a supposedly evil man into someone a reader could sympathize. And of course, the main characters are lovable and have their own unique personalities.

Replication is a book I’d give up a night of sleep for. I laugh, cried and feel for the characters all throughout the end. A real page-turner, this action-packed book would leave you breathless and blessed!

I’m not so into sci-fi books but REPLICATION is another one of this genre that made me love sci-fi more..:) Very Highly Recommended!

SAMPLE READ

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Halflings

Halflings by Heather Burch

• Reading level: Ages 15 and up
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (January 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310728185
• ISBN-13: 978-0310728184

Split.

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings.

Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret---and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls.

As the mysteries behind the boys' powers, as well as her role in a scientist's dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

First and foremost, I really loved the cover..:)

Another angel book, which I may say is very different from others I’ve read… but I enjoyed nonetheless..

I loved the boys, they’re brothers, halflings, but each of them is totally different…. I don’t even know which one Nikki should really be, I loved Mace, his kindness and sweetness, but I also loved Raven, his mysterious and dangerous feel…(sigh- really engage in their love triangle..)

As for me the good is book, it’s a good prequel for the next book which I’m sure would really be great… Halflings talks about the theme of the book, it’s a good preparation for a big story..this isn’t boring at all but quite enlightening, I loved how Ms. Burch made her own version of Nephilims, not much action on the book, just enough to keep you reading..

What I loved most about the book, is it’s Christian sub-theme, there are a lot of phrases which I memorized and locked in my heart..there are times I cried with the characters…

….“If you choose anger as your path, you will not hear the quiet voice. When heaven whispers, I hear. But I see through a dark glass. To utter the images and echoes that before my eyes would only muddy your path. Clarity is in faith. And despite your guise, faith is an attainable for you as the next breath”…-Will

..”you know, sometimes I get sick of living for the day ahead. Sometimes I just want to live for right now”…-Raven

“As do all”,…. “There is no crime in that. To feel that way is human. To act upon it is sin”…-Will


I totally loved the book, and I admit the end would keep readers hanging, but I guess, I’m not that satisfied with the book, Nikki had finally chosen whom to trust, but it lacks action there, maybe I was just expecting some action at that part, wherein the halflings and that man( not yet revealed what he is) would fight over for Nikki… well, maybe this was due to the fact that it was written in Nikki’s viewpoint, which was pure inner turmoil…there we read about the halflings that had come for her and Damon urging her to take his hand… other than this, I really enjoyed and loved the book, maybe the prologue of the next book would show this in a more-action packed prose…

All in all, a must-have book, pack with wings(:D), romance, an interesting story, and to-love-for characters… Recommended to everyone..:)!



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