"Friends in Strange Places" by Nell Branum

About this book:

  “Every dog needs a good home. And Riley and Noah are on a road trip with Grandma Suzie to meet a fluff ball perfect for their grandma. But when they visit and fall in love with the adorable pooch, will their hopes get unexpectedly dashed? What’s more, the kids’ quest for a canine companion takes a turn when they make a discovery. The town they’re visiting once included a camp for prisoners of war . . . and it’s gearing up for a reunion. Army guards, former German prisoners, and townsfolk together again? Maybe that’s not such a good idea. When suspicion and sabotage begin to take place, the kids, along with a new friend, are on the case. But after they track one suspect into a corn maze, they realize the danger is as high as the corn stalks. Will the friends make it out in time to confirm their suspicions? What began as the best road trip ever is quickly becoming an adventure in trusting God through disappointment and danger—and the kids just might find a surprise ending after all.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Heroes on the Homefront Mysteries” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & talked about; Prayers; Talks about God, Jesus, & loving out enemies; ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches/chapels, church going, church events, & Sunday school class; A couple mentions of a man saying he hasn’t thought much about God or praying for a while, but will think about it; A couple mentions of Jewish people; 
             *Note: Mentions of aliens & alien invasions (Noah is planning to make a movie about this and films clips for it on the trip).
 

Negative Content- Being trapped in a corn maze that seems to be on fire; A bit of sarcasm (from a side character); Because of Riley wanting to stop a man from adopting the dog she wants, she tries to find out why he is so suspicious & keeps her eye on him and his surly attitude (this includes one time with her asking him a pointed question and him getting close to her which makes her nervous; *Spoiler* Towards the end, he rescues her and Noah from a fire and they agree the culprit is not him *End of Spoiler*); Riley disappears to snoop and tells her brother to tell their grandma that she’s looking for the bathroom (and truly does look for one when snooping to keep it from being a lie); Riley goes to eavesdrop on adults’ conversation, but because they are yelling, she doesn’t think of it as eavesdropping; Later, she eavesdrops on another conversation; A side character around Riley’s age gets annoyed when her mom makes her to something (she groans and seems annoyed by it); Riley’s father is in the Army and deployed months prior to places her and her family don’t know & she misses him greatly; Riley’s dog passed away a year before the book starts and she misses him as well (barely-above-not-detailed); All about many mentions of World War II, Prisoners of War, prisons where the POWs were kept (including being shot at if they tried to escape), fighting, & deaths (including Riley and a side character not being sure about a reunion of both the POWs and the guards being a good idea which leads to a discussion about it with her grandma; barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of an event being sabotaged (such as vandalism and break-ins, reservations being messed with, items going missing or being stolen, and posters destroyed), crime scenes, & the culprit; Mentions of deaths & grief (including for a great-grandma); Mentions of fires, someone being called a “fire bug” (someone who likes to play with fire), & bombs; A few mentions of guns & shooting; A few mentions of the Great Depression; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of other wars; A couple mentions of the possibilities of burying a body; A couple mentions of the death of a beloved pet dog & grief; A mention of a mob possibly killing their enemies (this is what a POW thought would happen to him); A mention of being concerned about a man being mean to a dog; 
             *Note: When Riley talks to her grandma about the reunion of the German POWs and their American guards giving her the creeps and not understanding why there should be a museum about the awful things that happened during World War II, her grandma tells her that “Museums help us remember what happened in the past, the good and the bad, even greed and hate. And if we remember, we might not make as many terrible mistakes in the future. It’s a museum’s job to show us the truth.”; Mentions of a car brand; A few mentions of The Wizard of Oz & fictional characters; A couple mentions of brand names (Frisbee, Monopoly); A mention of Steven Spielberg; A mention of goat yoga; A mention of Noah walking “zombie-style”.
 
 
Sexual Content- A couple mentions of a couple breaking up (adults); A mention of a man staring at a young woman like “she was a shiny new bicycle on Christmas morning”; 
             *Note: A couple mentions of underwear.
 
 
-Riley Abercrombie, sixth grade
                               1^st person P.O.V. of Riley 
                                                        197 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

After greatly enjoying the first book in this series, “Keep ‘Em Flying”, I’ve been looking forward to reading this second book! 

 

At first, I did think that Riley jumped to conclusions a bit more in this book compared to the prior story, but there was a lesson in that for her by the end about doing such things and thinking the worst about people you want to think the worst about. There’s also a really neat perspective about POWs and their guards having friendly reunions, which I had never heard about or even thought about happening. I was a little concerned going into this book with it discussing POWs, but the author kept it very clean and safe for middle-grade readers for sure. 

 

As a note for parents, Riley and her brother (who is a grade younger) both have their own phones. 

 

I can’t wait to see what the next book in this series will be!

 

 

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.

"Victoria Grace: Courageous Patriot" by Eleanor Clark

About this book:

  “Eight-year-old Sara Elizabeth has just started a brand new year of school, but doesn't like it. If she had her way, she would just quit and never return. She's just too scared, to be honest. However, when Grand Doll visits the school and shares the story of Victoria Grace, a little girl from their family who lived during the time of the Revolutionary war, Sara learns that God can give her the courage she needs to face life's many challenges.”


Series: Book #2 in “The Eleanor” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Joshua 1:9 in the acknowledgments; Scriptures are read, remembered, quoted, mentioned, & thought over; Many Prayers; Church going, singing hymns, & sermons; Many talks about God, Him helping us and being with us, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Victoria Grace renews her commitment to follow Christ; Many mentions of God, Jesus Christ, trusting Him, & His will; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & praising God; Many mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, hymns, & a reverend; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events from the Bible; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of the freedom to worship as one chooses; A couple mentions of schools no longer have the Ten Commandments hanging up or a prayer at the start of the day nowadays; A mention of a godly man. 
 

Negative Content- Crying over a death & Fainting (barely-above-not-detailed); Set during the Revolutionary War & many mentions of the war, battles, fighting, deaths, grief, injuries, & Victoria Grace helping the wounded (barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoilers* One of Victoria Grace’s classmates goes off to join the army to fight and ends up dying, which Victoria Grace witnesses when he is brought in with other wounded soldiers for treatment; Victoria Grace sees the boy’s mother sobbing and she also cries *End of Spoilers*; Victoria Grace is teased by a classmate (calling her “teacher’s pet” and “carrot top” plus also pulling on her hair and dipping her braid into his inkwell; She does not tell the teacher as the boy had already been to the corner as a punishment that day; He later apologizes); Mentions of giving stitches, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of brothers fighting & injuring the other; A few mentions of other wars & deaths; A couple mentions of Indian uprisings; 
             *Note: The famous quote “Don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eyes!” is said twice and explained; Victoria Grace wants to be a doctor and when her brothers tell her she can’t because she’s a girl, she moans inside her head that “she would never understand why boys got to do so much more than girls” (one brother says that a teacher is a suitable job for a girl, but Victoria Grace still thinks it’s unfair she can’t be a doctor; She starts to be an assistant to her town’s doctor and works alongside him taking care of injured people and wounded soldiers; Later, she realizes she can never be a real doctor, but wants to continue working alongside the town doctor); A couple mentions of a husband/grandfather having to live in a nursing home (Sarah Elizabeth’s grandfather); A couple mentions of a quote from author & book series (Mark Twain & Little House on the Prairie). 
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A.
             *Note: Victoria Grace’s best friend says that she wishes she was half as smart as her and Victoria Grace responds that she wishes she was half as pretty as her friend; A mention of a couple that was “never blessed with children” (said by the wife).
 
-Sarah Elizabeth
-Victoria Grace McElyea, age 11-13
             P.O.V. switches between them (Jennifer in Prologue & Epilogue only)
                          Set in present day (prologue & epilogue) & 1775-1776
                                                        209 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Set before and during the Revolutionary War, this was a great book to read around the Fourth of July! 

 

Like the first book in this series, the prologue and epilogue are in a modern girl’s POV and the majority of the book is following a young girl living in a historical time; in this book, we follow Mary’s daughter, Victoria Grace, living in 1775-1776. 

 

This story was very faith-filled and had a major emphasis on trusting in the Lord and being courageous. While I’m not usually a big fan of reading this time-period (I’m more of an early 1900s fan), I truly appreciate my American freedom and enjoyed seeing Victoria Grace’s passion and her story. There was also bonus content like questions to ponder, historical facts, how to play pretend with creating a one-room schoolhouse supplies and setting, and even a devotional-like section about courage.

 

 

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.

 

"Chaos we Unravel" by Chelsea Michelle

About this book:

  “A woman’s scream. A mysterious fire. And an entire town of suspects.
    Fourth of July is a day twins Chelsea and Michelle look forward to every year. In Maple Springs, it means a day of community, celebration, and family fun.
    When chaos erupts in the heart of the town picnic, Michelle cannot resist the urge to straighten it out. While she starts to chase down leads, Chelsea tries hard not to be drawn into the chaos.
    As sunset falls, Michelle is determined to unravel the chaos before the real culprit escapes. With each clue she discovers, the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, turning an ordinary Fourth of July into an adventure that Chelsea didn’t sign up for.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Watson Twins Mini Mystery” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Prayers & praising God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; A couple mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A mention of church; 
             *Note: Chelsea & Michelle share a twin connection where they can have internal conversations with the other; The phrases “hotter than blazes” and someone running like the “devil himself” was after him are both said once; A mention of being lucky.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crap’, a ‘duh’, a ‘geeze’, a ‘sheesh’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘suckers’, two ‘drat’s, and four ‘stupid’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); All about & many mentions of a fire, thieves, stealing, & stolen money; Mentions of guns & gunshots; A few mentions of gossip & rumors; 
             *Note: A mention of brand names (Under Armor); A mention of Scooby Doo.
 
 
Sexual Content- A bit of touches & fluttering (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Women are called “chicks” (by main characters’ and their brother); Michelle is concerned that she might fall out of love again and wants chemistry with a guy; A comment about college girls being “notorious” for falling in love with older men, but another says “Wrong. they fall in love with hunky college professions”; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, interest in someone, break-ups, & exes; Mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of winks; A mention of cheating.
 
-Michelle Watson
-Chelsea Watson
                                1^st person P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        114 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

It was fun to read a mystery set on the Fourth of July on the Fourth of July. 🇺🇸🧨 🎆

 

As far as the story, I liked how this mystery was a bit low-key and had no murders. It took a little bit for me to remember the characters and their backgrounds—and I pretty got Michelle and Chelsea mixed up a few times at least, but it eventually came back to me. There were enough suspects that could have felt overwhelming, but the authors did well on making it easy on my brain to keep straight. I will say that I’m finding Michelle a little annoying though, particularly because of her messy dating life and wanting chemistry with a guy. I’m going to need her to get it together or it’s going to be difficult to read the next book in the series. 😅

 

 

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 Will and a Way" by Johnnie Alexander

About this book:

  “Spring has arrived, and Harriet Bailey teams up with wildlife rehabilitator Garth Hamblin on an intriguing quest—tracking down an injured European pine marten. No one has seen more than a glimpse of the elusive endangered species for many years. Garth hopes that together they can find and protect it. But can they do it quickly and quietly before someone else finds the creature?
    Meanwhile, Harriet is happy to meet White Church Bay’s newest arrivals, Elena Hunter and her son, Jack. When the two move into a neglected seaside cottage, the local gossips invent outlandish stories about them. But then the newcomers’ lives are threatened, and Harriet rallies to their defense…although she cannot deny that she is curious about them. Why are they in town in the first place? Why is Elena so cagey about her past and Jack’s? And will their secrets put Harriet and her loved ones in danger?”


Series: Book #11 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to the prior books’ reviews: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, and Book #10!


Spiritual Content- 1 Corinthians 13:13 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & remembered; Prayers; Talks about God & those and events in the Bible; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, church events, children’s church, Bible studies, & a pastor; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of faith & having faith; A mention of miracles; 
             *Note: Mentions of luck; A mention of a movie showing a cat going to the “feline afterlife”. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘dumb’; Some eye rolling; A fire, Trying to rescue someone in a fire, Injuries, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone faint & another trapped in a fire (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of injured animals, mistreated animals, blood/bleeding, broken bones, & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including her doing surgeries & a dog that was hit by a car, a cat that was rescued from a burning trash can, and dog being left to starve to death, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including from a boating accident & cancer; for wives, siblings, & parents); Mentions of accidents (including a biker being hit by a car and someone being trapped in a fire), injuries, pain, passing out, & it being touch and go for someone due to injuries; Mentions of poisons & someone being poisoned by someone who wants them ill; Mentions of crimes (including a hit-and-run), criminals, & arrests; Mentions of a break-in & intruder; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of the events in Book #4 that involved sibling rivalry and a near tragedy; A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of a pub; A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of car accidents; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of a woman hiding from her abusive husband; A mention of being bullied;
             *Note: Harriet thinks about women she knew that had relationships with others that were full of competition and backstabbing rather than the “unconditional love and support that characterized healthy friendships”; Mentions of authors, books, & fictional characters and events (The Brontë Sisters’ books); Mentions of a movie (The Three Lives of Thomasina); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of comedians (The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, & Jerry Lewis); A mention of BBC; A mention of Queen Elizabeth; A mention of a horror movie. 
 
 
Sexual Content- A barely-above-not-detailed kiss; A bit of touches, embraces, butterflies, smelling, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Harriet thinks about her broken engagement and is concerned that she could be mistaken again about being in love; Mentions of dates, dating, break-ups, & a broken engagement; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of being smitten; A mention of a woman throwing herself at a man; A bit of love, being in love, & the emotions; 
             *Note: Harriet has a moment of self-consciousness when around a glamorous woman.
 
-Harriet Bailey, age 34 (?)
                                P.O.V. of Harriet 
                                                        240 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Book eleven in this cozy mystery series introduces new characters, some familiar faces, and also a couple mysteries with a lot of details to keep up with. I will say that it did take me a bit to get into this mystery, but I kept reading and found the plot interesting as different things were revealed. 

 

It was interesting to learn about the pine marten which aren’t actually endangered but are adorable. This book had a lot more of Harriet being a veterinarian and fixing up hurt animals, probably the most out of the whole series so far. There was a some suspense at the end too that I wasn’t expecting and I look forward to seeing what happens next for these characters.

 

 

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.