"Nellie the Brave" by Veda Boyd Jones

About this book:

  “Nellie Starr’s world is falling apart.

The young Cherokee girl is caught in the political upheaval of America’s westward expansion. Forced by U.S. soldiers to leave their home in Tennessee, Nellie, her family, and thousands of other Cherokee travel the long, dangerous “Trail of Tears” to a new home in the western Indian Territory.

Will Nellie’s courage bring her through this ordeal? Can her faith lead her to forgive those responsible—the white politicians, settlers, and soldiers who uprooted her family from their peaceful, productive home?”


Series: Book #10 in the “Sisters in Time” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to that review: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, & #9.


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Prayers, Blessings over food, Thanking God, & Praising God; Church services; Talks about God, peace, & forgiving; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of missionaries & Christians; Mentions of churches, services, hymns, pastors, & prayer meetings; Mentions of crosses; A few mentions of Heaven & angels; A couple mentions of blessings & being blessed;

             *Note: Mentions of shaman chants & ceremonies to ward off evil spirits; A mention of feathers that are said to have ceremonial medicine & special powers (Nellie doesn’t believe it).

Negative Content- Nellie, her family, & her people are forced off their land and she fights feelings of bitterness and hatred towards the white government; Nellie nurses a woman, but unfortunately she dies (barely-above-not-detailed); Nellie gets bit by a copperhead & feels pain (up to semi-detailed); A wagon accident, screams, & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of sicknesses & deaths (including some close to Nellie, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a family owning black slaves & Nellie’s family being against it; Mentions of thieves & stolen items; Mentions of copperhead snakes, poison, & Nellie getting bit; Mentions of alcohol; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of hunting & skinning squirrels; Mentions of going to the bathroom outside; A few mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of draft mules being killed for their meat; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of an assassination; A mention of animal droppings;

             *Note: A mention of an author.

Sexual Content- A couple mentions of Nellie being of marriageable age soon & wondering if a certain boy will be her future husband; A mention of a married couple kissing;

             *Note: Nellie helps deliver a baby (including cutting the umbilical cord with an ax, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a baby coming early and dying shortly after; A couple mentions of wives dying in childbirth.

-Nellie Starr, age 12
                                P.O.V. of Nellie

                                            Set in 1838-1839
                                                    141 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Even though this wasn’t my favorite story (so sad in many ways), I believe it’s important to learn about this time in history. Those interested or studying about the Trail of Tears should look into this book.

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.

"The Best Friend" by Melody Carlson

About this book:

  “Sometimes being popular isn't all it's cracked up to be.
  Lishia Vance is totally baffled. One day she has friends. The next day everyone has turned against her. No explanation. Just complete social isolation. Even her best friend Janelle isn't giving her the time of day.
  Now she has one goal for her junior year at Kingston High: make a new best friend.
  When Lishia makes a connection with Riley Atkins, a popular cheerleader, things start looking up. But is Riley really as good a friend as she seems? Or is Lishia better off without her?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Life at Kingston Hill” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are read & thought over; Praying for forgiveness; Going to youth group & sermons/lessons; Talks about God & Being witnessed to; ‘H’s are not capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God & His plans; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & the Fruits of the Spirit; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, & youth groups; Mentions of faiths & Christians; A few mentions of being blessed; A few mentions of Christmas; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of being a good Christian; A mention of miracles;

             *Note: A few mentions of selling our soul to the devil; A mention of a voodoo doll.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘bug off’, a ‘crud’, a ‘what the—‘, a ‘wimp’, three ‘dumb’s, three ‘idiot’s, and sixteen forms of ‘stupid’; Lots of Sarcasm, Snark, & Eye rolling; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Lisha wishes something would happen to Chelsea (not truly harmful, but more embarrassing things); Lisha goes to a party with underage drinking (she does not drink until towards the end of the book when she tries a “screwdriver” that a guy tampered with); Lisha learns major lessons about being careful about choosing friends & their influence on her; Riley is very manipulative; All about many mentions of parties & underage drinking; Many mentions of drugs, alcohol, drinking, & drunks (including a student coming to school drunk once); Many mentions of hatred & jealousy; Mentions of jail & arrests; Mentions of threats & blackmail; Mentions of lies & lying (including to the police); Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of cheating; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of smoking & cigarettes; A couple mentions of divorces; A mention of a guy asking Lisha if she wants a “little something” in her Coke (he clarifies that he meant a little rum, not something illegal); A mention of eating crow;

             *Note: Going to Starbucks; Mentions of clothing brands & designers; A couple mentions of celebrities & actors; A couple mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of TV shows.

Sexual Content- two ‘babe’s, two ‘hot’s, and two ‘slut’s; Three barely-above-not-detailed kisses; A guy tries to kiss Lisha when she’s under the influence of something he put in her drink; Touches & Embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Lisha and a guy go to his parents room alone at a party (he says he wouldn’t try to get her in his parent’s bed because that would be gross); Many mentions of boys, boyfriends/girlfriends, exes, crushes, dating, & dates; Mentions of date rape drugs (the guy never planned to rape the two girls, just get them very drunk and out of it); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of flirts & flirting; Mentions of a knock-out gorgeous girl (Chelsea from Book #1) & guys drooling over her; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of prom & dates; A few mentions of wondering if a girl is pregnant (she is not); A few mentions of a girl trying to bag a guy for years & that night being her lucky night; A few mentions of a girl sleeping with another girl’s boyfriend; A few mentions of girl-crushes; A mention of a (drunk) couple possibly going upstairs; A (teasing) mention of a girl asking if another girl has a crush on her; A mention of a girl throwing herself at a guy;

             *Note: Riley tells Lisha ways to get another girl mad (like commenting on her acne, big bottom, & body order) and while Lisha feels uncomfortable at first, she begins to talk herself into that it’s the right thing to do as the other girl is breaking rules; Mentions of butts, figures, girls gaining weight, & body order; A couple mentions of plastic surgery & digs at other girls for getting it or needing to get it; A mention of breast implants; A mention of catching a guy’s attention with a low-cut top; A mention of telling someone to butt out of a conversation.

-Lisha Vance
                                P.O.V. of Lisha
                                        215 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating-

{Add a full star for older girls in Public/Private School}

This is definitely one of my least favorite books by Melody Carlson for different reasons but mainly because of content and how I wish Lisha would have been quicker to tell the truth. It does end well with a good lesson, but not a series I plan on rereading again.

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.