"Beneath the Surface" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present. She reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.
   Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer--one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Dive Team Investigations” series.


Spiritual Content- Psalm 19:14 at the beginning in the author’s acknowledgments; A few Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & mentioned; Prayers, Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Talks about God, trusting Him, & having faith; ’H’s are not capital when referring to God; Leigh feels like God has stopped answering her prayers or that maybe she had gotten too busy to talk to Him, but tries to pray again despite being mad at Him and thinking God has “beef” with her; Leigh doesn’t understand why God would allow bad things to happen when He could have stopped it all from happening & feels abandoned by Him (*Spoilers* After having all of these thoughts, she realizes that God was protecting her because she’s still alive despite multiple attempts on her life *End of Spoilers*); Leigh and Ryan have a conversation about God, praying, & sin causing deaths; Mentions of God, Jesus, Him being faithful, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, & worship/hymns; A few mentions of a chaplain; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of someone in the Bible; A mention of a Bible; A mention of the mission field; 
             *Note: The phrase ‘thank heaven’ is said once; Leigh’s sister-in-law converted from Islam to Christianity & it caused a major split in her family (ranging from disowning her to Leigh’s brother being concerned that they might try to kidnap her to recant); Mentions of evil (relating to a killer/serial killers); Mentions of luck & being lucky; A mention of Leigh handling her demons (from her past); A mention of a haunted house.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘wimp’, two ‘shut up’s, four forms of ‘idiot’, and four ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling & sarcasm; A few mentions of curses/implied bad language (not written); A car crash (due to cut breaks), Being trapped in a car (with air bags deployed), an Explosion, a Fire, Gunshots, Being strangled, Being drugged, Being abducted and tied-up, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Passing out, & Being knocked unconscious (up to semi-detailed); Bodies are found that are missing their heads, hands, and feet (it unnerves those who find it, but the actual condition of the bodies are not described besides a chainsaw was used; barely-above-not-detailed); Another body of someone who committed suicide is found (by poison, barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing someone who was drugged & others violently vomiting (semi-detailed); Leigh had a stalker previously (who was mentally unstable due to his health condition & came to her house at night and held her at gunpoint once); *Major Spoilers about the killer* At the end, Leigh is abducted by the serial killer who has killed over a dozen people; The serial killer says she is an “avenging angel” because she takes care of men who were like her father and leave their families for another woman while their original family struggles; The serial killer is killed by law enforcement at the end of the book when fleeing (barely-above-not-detailed) *End of Spoilers*; All about & many mentions of murders, murdered bodies, their conditions of being dismembered, how they were found, killers/serial killers, missing people, & stalkers (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of car wrecks/accidents, deaths, injuries, emergency surgeries, pain, possibly bleeding to death, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of deaths (cancer, heart attack) & grief (including for parents & a man for his daughter); Mentions of autopsies & decomposing bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of abductions & kidnappers; Mentions of being strangled, vocal damage, & major bruises; Mentions of bombs/explosions & fires; Mentions of crimes, criminals, jails, & arrests; Mentions of money laundering; Mentions of poisons, being poisoned/drugged, & someone in critical condition after being drugged; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & bars; Mentions of drugs, being drugged, being high, addicts, selling drugs, & drug rings; Mentions of throwing up & vomit; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of a suicide; A few mentions of gangs; A few mentions of divorces; A couple mentions of domestic violence; A couple mentions of blackmail; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of (not) being suicidal; A mention of tattoos; A mention of a severe allergic reaction (to an antibiotic); 
             *Note: Leigh was adopted from China when she was young and while she doesn’t remember the orphanage, she remembers being terrified growing up that her parents would leave her or send her back (as an adult, she learned about her issues with abandonment; Her father made it a point to teach her many Scriptures about the safety and security that were hers as a child of God to help combat the fear and anxiety she had); Leigh has previously gone to therapy and remembers some of her therapist’s advice and calming techniques; Ryan’s nephew has autism and doesn’t talk often; Leigh usually goes to yoga classes and does her “favorite yoga routine” in the book; Mentions of psychopaths (when referring to serial killers); Mentions of therapists, therapy, & needing therapy after traumatic events; Mentions of plastic surgery (such as “butt implants”, eye lifts, and tummy tucks); Mentions of brand names (Coke, LEGO, Trouble, & Special K cereal); A few mentions of Leigh doing yoga; A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of panic attacks; A mention of a place (Six Flags); A mention of Comic-Con; A mention of horror movies.
 
 
Sexual Content- Three hair/forehead kisses, a cheek kiss, an almost kiss (semi-detailed), two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, six semi-detailed kisses, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, Butterflies/Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes, Winks, & Flirting; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Ryan stays the night at Leigh’s house (implied multiple times, sometimes with another male officer) to protect her (they all sleep in separate rooms with her on a different floor); Ryan’s former brother-in-law left Ryan’s sister and their kids for another woman (Ryan wishes to punch the man and tries to avoid him); a ‘baby’ and a ‘hussy’; Mentions of affairs, cheating, a man leaving his family for another woman, a woman being called a “home wrecker”, & men having multiple mistresses/wives/families (including with a large age difference); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, dating, & exes; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a married woman acting in a “seductive way” towards another man; Love, being/falling in love, & the emotions; 
             *Note: A few mentions of a couple unable to have biological children & the heartbreak of it (they later adopted); A mention of a dress hugging a woman’s curves.
 
-Leigh Weston, age 30
-Ryan Parker, age 33
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        349 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

The main couple already knew each other in this book at the beginning, which was a nice chance of pace from most romantic suspense books I’ve read, but it did take me a bit to keep tract with all the names and information shared right at the beginning. This book had the brother’s best friend/best friend’s little sister trope which made their feelings towards each other feel a lot more natural than a rushed “we’ve only known each other for two weeks and someone was shooting at us the entire time” kind of plot-line that is common in this genre. The romance was decently balanced as well with the suspense parts, which helped my enjoyment as well because it wasn’t too romance-y for my tastes and didn’t have the usual poorly timed romance parts (like the couple having a dramatic kiss while a dead body is in the room). 

 

I will note that there were quite a few parts and comments about other characters’ families and pasts that had me checking to verify (and reverify) that this was book 1 in the series as it felt like I was missing some details like I had jumped into the middle of a series. 

 

I really liked the faith content in this book because even though the main characters had their moments of being mad at God and their situations—believing that He should have stopped any bad things from happening—but have to realize that God is still protecting them through the sinful and evil choices that others have may that unfortunately affect them and many other people. It felt realistic and they had to pray for God to help them to trust Him.

 

The pacing of this book kept me on my toes when reading. I had some theories about who the killer could have been, but wasn’t sure. While I don’t like knowing a ton about a serial killer’s mindset, I do wish there could have been more explained at the end as far as the motive because it felt like there should have been more shared. 

 

The bodies that were found were missing some major pieces, so while it wasn’t detailed, it still wasn’t the most comforting to read about at night. 😅 Gabe (who will get his own book in the series later) added a lot of humor to the plot, though, which helped lighten the book up a bit despite the more gruesome murders being mentioned. 

 

Would I recommend this book to older teens? Hm, not really because the serial killer parts and founded murdered bodies were missing parts. Even as someone who usually enjoys suspense books, there was a darkness to this book because of how the people were murdered. If someone age 17+ was interested in going into law enforcement, perhaps this could be an option, but it’s still not one I’m going to broadly recommend.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Out of Darkness" by Daniel J. Atkins

About this book:

  “Deep beneath the surface in the dark world of the Underground, best friends Fin and Sky risk everything to uncover a mysterious light that could shatter the darkness forever.
    Perfect for readers who love the heart-driven friendships of The Green Ember and the imaginative worlds of The Wingfeather Saga and The Chronicles of Narnia, Fin and Sky spend their days hunting for glowstones—until strange encounters push them far beyond the familiar tunnels of home and into an extraordinary journey.
    Armed with cryptic maps, improvised ziplines, and courage, they survive wild chases and encounter unforgettable allies: roly-molies, lidless lizards, giant lettuce farmers, and a bright-eyed truth speaker who challenges them to seek the light that can change everything.”


Series: Book #1 in “The Lightseekers” series.


Spiritual Content- Some of the discussion questions at the end of the book have references to Scriptures; Some 'H’s are capital when referring to the “All Mighty” (God); A handful of prayers/requests to the All Mighty (including Fin and Sky asking for Him to help them if He is real); Fin hears a voice “deep within” tell him negative things like he is trapped in the darkness forever and that everything is hopeless, but also another voice tell him that “I am with you” and he feels comfort from it; Fin and Sky meet a man who is called “crazy” because he believes in the “Old Way” and the “All Mighty”; Those that follow the All Mighty are called “Seekers of the light” and those that do not call those people “crazy” and “superstitious”; It is forbidden to believe in the All Mighty (Fin tells Sky that all he knows about it is that He is “some sort of god” that “helps [those who believe in Him] or something”); Sky and Fin call out for the All Mighty to help them to see if He is real (*Spoilers* and they have their request answered plus feel something good when asking *End of Spoilers*); Sky believes that she’ll see her deceased parents again one day; Sky feels peace when singing a song that mentions light shining in the darkness; A man tells Fin and Sky about a frequent dream he has had, how he asked the All Might for wisdom regarding it, and it was referencing him helping them out of a situation; Someone says that the All Mighty has “all kinds of ways” of getting someone’s attention (such as through a dream, a still small voice, or even an animal sometimes); Mentions of the All Mighty, trusting Him, & seekers of the light; A couple mentions of the place where “the All Mighty takes you when you die”; A mention of praying (used more of liking wishing or hoping for something than praying to God); 
             *Note: Fin, Sky, and everyone they know live underground and there are two versions of how their people originally started to live underground: 1- their ancestors always lived underground since the “dawn of time” and came from stone or 2- people used to live above ground, but at some point the world up there became dangerous so everyone moved below (this is often deemed a myth or fairytale); Fin tries to fight against the dark thoughts in his mind and wonders if there is more to life than what he knows; Some believe there is an “eternal stone” out there that can restore the light to any other “glowstone”, but others say this is a myth or fairytale (*Major Spoilers* At the end of the book, Fin finds a stone that could possibly be this “eternal stone”, but calls it a “lightstone” for the time being because of the strong light it has *End of Spoilers*); *Major Spoilers* Towards the end, Fin finds a stone that casts extremely bright and pure light; When he touches it, he feels a “wave of energy and lightness” go through his entire being, making him feel strong and confident; He brings it to Sky and when she touches it, it heals her major wound and brings her break from the brink of death and she thanks the All Mighty for helping her; When Sky holds the stone and sings a song about the light, a waterfall stops moving and a room behind it that is full of paintings (with implied Christianity references) is discovered; Sky feels peaceful when holding the stone *End of Spoilers*; *More Major Spoilers* When trying to leave the abandoned mine, Fin and Sky fall in a way that takes them above ground and they see the sky for the first time in their lives *End of Spoilers*; Sky crosses her heart when making a promise; Talks about luck & being lucky/unlucky; Sky later says that she doesn’t think that luck helped her and Fin out of a dangerous situation, but that they are getting extra help (from the All Mighty); Sky refers to Fin as a “map wizard” because he is good with maps; Mentions of luck & being lucky/unlucky; A few mentions of things possible being “magic” (not confirmed or denied); A couple mentions of superstitions;  A mention of someone seeming to have a sixth sense for finding something.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘holy smokes’, a ‘stinkin’’, and four forms of ‘darn’; Sky exclaims “jumping jackhammers!” once; A few mentions of people cursing at others or anything that annoys them (some are written out as insults like “you clumsy giant mole-rat”); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Lying (to protect a secret); Fin thinks he might die in a few dangerous situations, Being chased by giant and deadly snakes (one illustration shows this), Nearly being eaten or killed by giant snakes, Being trapped in collapsed mines/tunnels, Falling through the floor of mines and into rapid waters, Being chased by authority figures, Going into forbidden/locked-up areas, Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (semi-detailed); Helping someone who was bitten by a poisonous snake & Fear that the person might die (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a giant snake eat sheep (barely-above-not-detailed); Grief (Sky and her grandparents for her parents; Because of this grief, Sky longs to hear and learn more about her parents); Sky goes up to talk to a man who is deemed “crazy” by others to find out if he really is crazy (she doesn’t think he is dangerous after talking to him and quickly trusts him, follows his words, and goes to talk to him again); Sky and Fin follow the advice of another man and run off to another underground city for more answers about the things he told them about (Sky leaves a note telling her grandparents where they will be; Fin isn’t sure about this plan as they barely know these “crazy” men, but Sky wants to know more about her parents and believes they are connected to this); A woman tells Sky that a “crazy” man did something worse than killing someone, explaining that the man tried to disturb the peace by “poisoning the minds” of others (the man was previously arrested and the government-like officials warn others about him and anyone else that talk about similar things); Fin doesn’t tell her mother about his and Sky’s dangerous, near-death moment (the narrator notes that moms don’t “particularly enjoy hearing about the dangerous escapades and near-death experiences of their children”); An older boy bullies/taunts Fin, so Fin and Sky try to ignore the boy; An animal sacrifices himself to protect the main characters (no details); Many mentions of collapsed mines/tunnels, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of deaths and possible deaths & grief (including Sky for her parents that were killed in a mining accident); Mentions of giant snakes, their poison, someone being bitten by one, & attacks by them (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of punishments given from the government-like officials (such as jail, banishment, public floggings, or “worse” which is implied to be death); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of stealing & thieves; A mention of Fin previously stealing books for information; A mention of eavesdropping.
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A.
 
-Fin, age 12
-Sky, age 12
                                P.O.V. switches between them & the narrator/author
                                                        286 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

That was interesting! I wasn’t sure about the writing style at first because of the author/narrator breaking the fourth wall by talking to and explaining things to the reader and adding footnotes throughout the story. As the book continued, though, I found these parts helpful to understand about the world and setting. Some of these breaks felt a little quirky or strange timing, but they were mostly helpful and added to the story. 

 

Like many Christian fantasy books, this one had a major emphasis on Light vs Darkness. It was done in a more literal way with the main characters and everyone they know live underground, never seeing actual light. This book ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m curious to see what happens next for Fin and Sky as their adventure still has more to come, I’m sure! I liked seeing their friendship—even if the big sister in me was panicking at all the near-death scenarios that kept happening to them! This wasn’t my favorite type of a middle-grade story because of those many perilous parts, but the concept of this world was interesting and I liked the main characters, so I was curious to see what would happen. I really appreciate that there was no romance or anything like that in this book as most days it feels rare to find that!

 

I do want to note for parents that Fin and Sky run off, talk to, and trust men they’ve just met who their town leaders call “crazy” because of their beliefs in the “Old Way” (ie. Christianity). Thankfully, these men aren’t dangerous and are good guys, but my strange danger radar was concerned at these two kids running off and trusting “crazy” men! Also, another note: there is a special stone that emits light and when touched, can heal and give peace. One of our main characters believe it’s from the All Mighty and thank Him. I’m nearly positive that this will be tied back into the All Mighty in the next book and explained more then. I don’t think a New Age concept of healing stones/gems was meant, but because it’s not explained yet, I want to give a heads up about this element so potential discussions can be brought up with a young reader if needed.

 

While there is no technical “magic” in this book, there are unexplained fantasy elements like creatures that do not exist and a lizard that changes colors and grows in size. I personally would consider this book to be a true fantasy rather than magical one.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

"100 Extraordinary Stories of Prayer for Courageous Girls" by Jean Fischer

 The formatting of this review has been altered from our standard layout to make it easier to read.
 

About this book:

  “Praying girls are world-changers! And this deeply inspiring storybook proves it!
    Just for the girls in your life, ages 8 and up, this collection of 100 extraordinary stories of praying women of faith--from the Bible, history, and today--will empower girls to know and understand how praying women have made a difference in the world and how much smaller our faith (and the biblical record) would be without them. Featuring full-page, colorful illustrations alongside the true stories of praying women like Anna, Esther, Hannah, Anne Bradstreet, Shirley Dobson, Lottie Moon, Ida Scudder, Corrie ten Boom, Phillis Wheatley, and dozens more, the stories of these 100 women will encourage and inspire girls to become the praying world-changers God created them to be!”


Series: Part of the “Courageous Girls” line by the publisher. A connecting book is “100 Extraordinary Stories for Courageous Girls” which has been reviewed Here!


Spiritual Content- Not only are women from the Bible (Anna, The Canaanite Woman, Deborah, Esther, Hannah, and others) discussed in this book, but also influential Christian women like Fanny Crosby, Bethany Hamilton-Dirks, Corrie ten Boom, Harriet Tubman, and more) along with missionaries (Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, Faye Edgerton, Lottie Moon and others) martyrs (Betty Stam), and female pastors are also discussed; Each woman from the Bible has the references of where to find her in the Bible; Fifteen women in this collection are from the Bible and two of them are called “Prophetess” (Anna, Deborah); Hildegard of Bingen is also said to be a prophet after receiving visions from God; Each courageous women in this book has one page about her, how prayer affected her life, what the reader get gain from the woman’s prayer, a Scripture correlating, & the page next to it has a painting-like picture; Over a dozen of the women in this book hear from God and Jesus through prayer, dreams, visions, & Him speaking to their hearts; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; 
 
All about God, Jesus, becoming a Christian, prayers/praying, & these women’s faiths; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & Bible studies; Mentions of churches, church going, ministers/pastors, worship, sermons, & Sunday school; Mentions of praising & thanking God; Mentions of witnessing to others & missionaries; Mentions of hymns/songs & those who wrote them; Mentions of salvation & sins; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of convents, nuns, & priests/bishops (there are a handful of women in this book that were nuns); A few mentions of Quakers teaching that both men and women can talk to God (Margaret Fell who was later put in prison for speaking up about this); A few mentions of when King Henry led the Church of England and anyone who didn’t obey his church’s teachings (including that women cannot read or teach about the Bible) were arrested and put to death; A few mentions of the Church of England deciding what people should do and say; A few mentions of a woman being honored as a saint (long after her death, Saint Birgitta of Sweden); A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of miracles Jesus did;  
             *Note: Most women in this volume are called Christian, even if online research claims that the woman was a devout Catholic (such as well-known Catholics like Saint Augustine and Mother Terese being called some of the “greatest…Christian[s]” who lived); In one prayer, “Oh, my God!” is exclaimed (Thérèse of Lisieux); 
 
One of the women (Antoinette Brown Blackwell) wanted to become a woman minister and went to school for it, but some men “shouted and stamped their feet”, which didn’t stopped her and she later became the first woman minister in the United States (the message at the end of her page says that her story “inspires other little girls to become ministers or whatever else they wanted to be”); 
 
In the page about Catherine Booth (co-founder of the Salvation Army), it is said that after reading a lot about Jesus, she wanted to preach, so both her and her minister husband preached together in their church (it’s added that “maybe someday God will lead you to preach, like Catherine, or maybe He has a different plan for you.”); 
 
Six other female pastors/ministers (Esther Ibanga, Hildegard of Bingen, Jarena Lee (the first female African American preacher), Phoebe Palmer, Amanda Berry Smith, Sojourner Truth), are shared about in this book with all having their own page; The author says that it’s not usual today to see “pastors of every nationally, both men and women”, but in Jarena Lee’s time, most pastors were “white men” and because of women like her and others, “women fill many roles in the church as group leaders, teachers, counselors, and pastors”); 
 
In Esther Ibanga’s page, it is shared about how she reached out to Muslims in Nigeria and how there is no peace between Christians and Muslims there, so she created an initiative to one day have peace between the Christians and Muslims of Nigeria through Jesus; 
 
It’s shared in Shawn Johnson’s page that God spoke to her saying “…you’ve been afraid of disappointing a lot of people…it’s okay to follow your heart.” and the author notes that being perfect and winning doesn’t matter, how that only thing that does matter is God; 
 
In Julian of Norwich’s page, it’s shared that she asked God for a near-death experience and when suffering a life-threatening disease, she claimed to saw “sixteen visions of Jesus and heaven”; 
 
When sharing about Monica of Hippo, it’s said that her son, Augustine, grew up to join a religious cult and many years later left it (the author says that Augustine became “one of the greatest Christians in history!”); 
 
In Flannery O’Connor’s page, it’s said that she wrote books that were not expected of a Christian author, but wrote books that were centered on sin and were “dark, violent, even shocking. She wanted readers to realize they needed God’s grace.”; Similarly, in Dorthy Sayers’ page, it’s noted how she wrote books about there being consequences for “choosing evil over good” and left her readers thinking they needed to be “saved from making bad choices”; 
 
A bit about Hinduism is shared in Pandita Ramabai’s page (about her growing up in a Hindu family and worshiping “gods, goddesses, tress and animals” and going to temples where these gods were supposed to live; Because of the gods not answering her family’s prayers, she lost faith in the Hindu religion); 
 
In the page about Mary Slessor (a Scottish missionary in Africa) it’s shared how some native African tribes believed in superstition and “demons, spirits, and false gods”; 
 
Some of the women featured in this book questioned if God really existed (or faced people who thought this like their parents (Simone Weil)), but ultimately believed in God later; A mention of Buddhism.
 

Negative Content- In the page about Bethany Hamilton-Dirks’, the shark attack is described (“Bethany felt a pressure on her left arm. A hard pull joggled her arm a few times, and the water around her turned red. Bethany saw her left arm was missing at the shoulder.”); 
 
In Lauren Scruggs’ page, it’s shared that she “walked into the plane’s spinning propeller. She was badly injured…she lost her left eye and her left hand…”; 
 
Many mentions of wars (including World War II, Nazis, & concentration camps), tribal wars, slavery (referring to when it was legal for “white people [to own] slaves”), & former slaves; Mentions of massacres/genocides, murders, & an assassination (Immaculee Ilibagiza, Coretta Scott King, Corrie ten Boom); Mentions of deaths, murders, torture, executions, & prisons (no details; Anne Askew, Darlene Deibler Rose, Betty Stam (the latter who was murdered)); Mentions of deaths & grief (widows for husbands, for parents, a mother for her child and multiple babies that passed away, & for a sister); Mentions of criminals & being treated like a criminal; Mentions of kidnappings & ransom (Betty Stam, Phillis Wheatley who was kidnapped as a child and sold as a slave); Mentions of cancer (Tamara Jolee Metcalfe) & a mention of a child’s death from cancer (Barbara Bush’s daughter); A few mentions of car accidents, death, & almost dying in one; A few mentions of fires & homes being set on fire; A few mentions of divorces & separated parents (Maya Angelou, Shirley Dobson, Niki Taylor); A few mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of the Pharaoh ordering all baby boys to be drowned; A couple mentions of partying; A mention of a diving accident that left someone paralyzed (Joni Eareckson Tada); A mention of bullying; 
             *Note: Racism was faced by some of these women and mentioned in their sections & they also fought against it by fighting for equal rights for African Americans and against slavery (Maya Angelou, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Coretta Scott King, Amanda Berry Smith, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Phillis Wheatley; This includes mentions of African Americans’ homes being burned and bombed & black people being killed because of the color of their skin); 
 
In Coretta Scott King’s page, the author tells the readers to “pray for peace and acceptance for everyone”;
 
Comments about some of these women originally living in ways that were “not pleasing to God” (Maya Angelou, Dorothy Day) and some that have “messed up” (Amy Grant) before becoming a Christian; 
 
Mentions of gender equality and speaking up about it (in historical settings and/or in the church; Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Margaret Fell, Anne Hutchinson); Mentions of depression, anxiety, & eating disorders (Elana Meyers Taylor, Niki Taylor, Simone Weil); 
 
Mentions of TV shows & movies (Hallmark movies, Make It or Break It, Full House, Touched By An Angel, The Bible, Son of God, The Voice, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Shark Tank, The Facts of Life, Dancing With the Stars, Bridge to Terabithia, Letters to God, & American Idol); Mentions of politicians (Bill Clinton, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, & Martin Luther King Jr.); Mentions of singers (Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, & Elvis Presley); A couple mentions of magazines (Vogue, Seventeen).
 
 
Sexual Content- It’s noted on Hannah’s page that in the time of the Bible, men often had more than one wife; When discussing The Woman at the Well, it’s noted that she had “five husbands, and now was living with another man”; 
 
When sharing about Ruth Bell Graham and her prayer for marrying her “Mr. Right”, the author asks the reader “would you like to get married one day? Think about the kind of man you would like to marry. Start praying now and ask God to send you His Mr. Right.”; 
 
In Amy Carmichael’s page, it’s noted that “young girls in Indie were often kidnapped and used in evil ways”;
 
When sharing about Catherine of Siena, it’s said that Catherine had a “huge disagreement” with her parents because they wanted her to get married, so she rebelled;
             *Note: In the page about Lauren Scruggs, it’s shared that after her accident, she learned that “many girls don’t like something about their bodies. She wanted them to know that appearance doesn’t define who they are.”; 
 
In Elana Meyer Taylor’s page, it noted that in college she fell into depression which led into an eating disorder, “Elena decided that eating—or not—was the one thing in her life she could control. It was a bad decision.” and that when she gave her life to Jesus, the depression and eating disorder went away.

                                Written in a bedtime story/devotional format
                                                        208 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

—Not rating due to some theology concerns—

I think there’s good lessons and stories shared in this book, but there’s also some that might not be for all Christian families due to some questionable theology parts. At the risk of opening a can of worms about theology and controversial topics in the Christian world, I’m reviewing this book and sharing what I liked and also what I found to be a little concerning.

 

There is a wide variety of women shared about in this book. There are Protestant and Catholic women & also women from our current time to women who lived back in the Bible time period. I knew the majority of them, but had to research about others while reading and reviewing this non-fiction book. My head is spinning after reading about all of these women and researching them as I read during these past couple of days. 

 

There were some theology parts that I disagreed with, so it’s hard for me to rate this book. Some pages were fine, but there were other ones I would probably skip if I was reading this book to a young reader—or at least read with her to explain more context and Biblical thoughts. Some concerns besides the features of eight different female pastors, are comments like God telling one of these young women that it’s “okay to follow your heart”. There’s very well-known Catholics being called some of the “greatest Christians who ever lived” (like Saint Augustine and Mother Teresa) and a couple other women were known for Christian mysticism which caused me to go down more rabbit trails that I expected with this book.

 

Some of these felt like stretches to fill a page of information about. Such as Anna from the Bible, she’s only mentioned in two verses in the Bible, so this book adds to it by assuming how she felt about her widow status and death of her husband. As a technical note, while all of the women from the Bible in this book have a reference on where she is mentioned in the Bible, two of the women’s Scriptures references do not have her actually named in that part. For example, Jochebed (Moses’ mother) is said to be in Exodus 1; 2:1-10 but her name isn’t mentioned in the Bible until Numbers 26:59. Salome (Jesus’ disciples, James and John’s mother) is in Matthew 20:20-25, but isn’t named in that section either (she is in the Book of Mark’s account of this event). I think this could be confusing for young readers. 

 

While any details that could be questionable or not appropriate for middle-grade readers were removed, some of these women had lives that were not “pleasing to God” (as the author of this book put it a few times) so I would caution about young readers researching about some of these women and their stories/pictures as these are highly edited versions shared. Because they are so condensed, some of the stories felt choppy or poorly written. 

 

I didn’t love that there were more than a handful of women in this collection that had the emphasis of speaking up and rebelling against her time period’s rules. While I can be grateful for those who have lead the way into recognizing that women can read the Bible for themselves and speak about it, there was almost a feminist tone to some of these entries with highlighting the “rebelling” part of their stories. Perhaps it’s really just because of it being around the 1600s (and earlier) which was just how it was back then, but it started to feel repetitive with the same words of “speaking up” and “rebelling” being used. 

 

I’m honestly not sure how many young, middle-grade aged readers would be interested in all of these stories. Besides a few from the Bible that are shared about, I would imagine that most 8-12 year olds would probably only know about a dozen of these women. Some of the TV shows and books mentioned in these women’s stories aren’t ones I would recommend for this age group.

 

I would highly suggest for a parent to read this book with their girl rather than give this book to her to read by herself. I enjoyed the connecting book “100 Extraordinary Stories for Courageous Girls” as it featured more well-known figures and had better summaries, but would probably pass on this book due to some concerns listed above.

 

Parents please note:

* This book does have a story of martyrs (Anne Askew and Betty Stam), others who have faced concentration camps (Corrie ten Boom and Edith Stein), and those who were tortured (Darlene Deibler Rose). While it never is detailed in how deaths or torture happens, there might should be caution for reading it at night to young girls with overactive imagination in case of nightmares. Instead, choosing a different woman’s story to read at night or reading theses more difficult stories during the day and discussing it then might be an idea.  

* There is some assuming on the Biblical women (like with Anna is only mentioned in two verses in the Bible) in this book. Homeschool parents could expand on the overall story or add about these women to their curriculum when studying the chapters of the Bible the women are mentioned in.  

* If researched online, there are photographs of models in this book (Kathy Ireland and Niki Taylor) shown in skimpy bikinis or provocative photos.

* There is a total of eight women in this book who are said to have preached and/or are called female pastors/preachers.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"A Little Latitude" by Johnnie Alexander

About this book:

  “When an antique map appears on the doorstep at Heavenly Presents, Sarah Morgan wonders if it's a hoax. Or could it really lead to a rumored treasure hidden near a lakeshore cottage?
    The remote building was once used to store ice cut from the lake to provide residents with refrigeration during the hot summer months. But local folklore claims that it was also used for smuggling in the nineteenth century. Sarah finds herself teaming up with Flint Carroway, her handsome park ranger friend, to learn who left the map for Sarah and, of course, if the treasure rumors are true. But will someone with nefarious motives beat them to where X marks the spot?
    Meanwhile, Sarah is invited to speak at a prestigious event hosted by her alma mater. She feels underserving of the honor and is hesitant to accept for fear of speaking in front of a crowd. Can Sarah give herself a little latitude and prove to herself that she is exactly where she belongs?”


Series: Book #4 in the “Gift Shop Mysteries” series. Reviews of Book #1 Here, Book #2 Here, and Book #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- Matthew 6:19-21 at the beginning & mentioned a few times throughout the book; A few Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & referenced; A couple Prayers; Church going; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God;  Sarah feels peace from God after making a decision; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & thanking God; Mentions of church, church going, a pastor, a sermon, & worship; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of a Bible & Bible studies; A couple mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of a prayer garden; A mention of Heaven; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of an item possible being cursed (which Sarah nor the person who suggested it actually believes); A couple mentions of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Some eye rolling; A bit of pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Sarah panics for a moment that she could end up going missing when meeting with someone she doesn’t know (but tells herself to stop thinking that way; Everything goes fine); Many mentions of stealing, stolen items, thefts, thieves, criminals, crimes, smuggling, & break-ins; Mentions of wars, historical figures (Hitler & Napoleon) deaths, grief, forced enlistment, & battles (including a young woman grieving for her brother); Mentions of kidnappings & ransom notes; Mentions of fires; Mentions of bullies, threats, & blackmail; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of eavesdropping; A few mentions of arrests & jail time; A few mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; A mention of hunting; A mention of jealousy; 
             *Note: A side character is a recluse due to being anxious around people (but tries to get out more thanks to Sarah and her aunt); Mentions of a book, fictional characters, & authors (‘Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stevenson, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie, ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Jane Austen, & Shakespeare); Mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of brand names & items (Tiffany lamps); A couple mentions of painters (Rembrandt & Vermeer).
 
 
Sexual Content- Some butterflies/flutters & noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple winks & blushes; Sarah says she doesn’t have time for a romance right now, but does have flutters and feels delight when around Flint (this is a potential budding romance); A few mentions of secret relationships (including a young woman marrying a man her parents do not know about); A couple mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends; A mention of flirting.
 
-Sarah Morgan, age 41
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        273 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I’m always interested in a book that has a treasure hunt, so this one was definitely intriguing! I liked that the secret code that Sarah and Flint were trying to decode was shared in the book where a reader could also try to figure it out—none of my guesses went anywhere, but it was fun nonetheless!

 

I do have to say that I found all the details in this book shared about people, extended family members, their appearances, and places a little tedious at times. There were multiple scenes of this and most of the time it didn’t add anything to the mystery. Besides this, I overall enjoy this story and the mystery of the treasure map.

 

 

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.