"Katie Sue: Heading West" by Eleanor Clark

About this book:

  “Set in the mid 1800's when Americans were heading west.
    Nine-year-old Chelsea Marie isn't happy about the fact that her family is getting ready to move all the way across the country. Why does she have to start all over again, making new Friends? When Grand Doll shares the story of Katie Sue – a young relative who traveled by wagon train with her family from Tennessee to Texas in 1850 – Chelsea learns that she can truly trust the Lord with all of the changes in her life, even the really big ones.”


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


Spiritual Content- Proverbs 3:5-6 at the beginning & also quoted many times throughout the book; Other Scriptures are read, remembered, quoted, mentioned, discussed, & thought over; Many Prayers, Praising God, & Thanking God; Church going, singing hymns, & sermons; Many talks about God, God being trustworthy, trusting Him, & witnessing to others; Most ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Katie’s parents feel lead to go west to start churches and make disciples (her father will be a pastor); When a tragedy strikes a family, Katie Sue asks her mother what that family will do and her mother responds that “They will go on living, sweetheart. That’s what you do when tragedy strikes—you go on. And somehow in the midst of it, you remember that God is for you, not against you. You keep on trusting Him, even when things are really, really hard.” (Katie Sue asks if God could have healed the family, but her mother tells her that while yes, He could have, trusting God makes the most sense during times like this); Katie witnesses to a friend and leads her to accepting Christ; Many mentions of God, Jesus Christ, trusting Him, being called by Him, & having peace; Many mentions of prayers, praying, praising God, & thanking God; Many mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, hymns, & preachers; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events from the Bible; Mentions of God healing someone’s heart (a physical heart problem); A few mentions of different Christian churches/denominations (Baptist, Methodist, & Catholic; This is brought up by Katie Sue’s father and she remarks that the people on the wagon train “were from different kinds of Christian churches, but they all seemed to love the Lord just the same!”); A few mentions of Heaven (and how going there as nothing to do with good deeds); A mention of being Blessed; At the end of the book, in bonus content, there is a devotional-like lesson about trust with many Scriptures and Biblical events shared.
 

Negative Content- Both Chelsea Marie and Katie Sue do not want to move, but neither of them share with their parents about their feelings (Chelsea Marie shares with her grandmother and says it’s not fair she has to move; Katie Sue is very sad and her heart hurts just thinking about it); Mentions of wars/battles & deaths; Mentions of illnesses (yellow fever), injuries, deaths (including a pregnant woman and her baby), & grief; A few mentions of a raid & kidnappings (Fort Parker in 1836); A couple mentions of a mule having to be shot after a broken leg (which Katie Sue overhears two men talking about it); A couple mentions of a grandfather who recently moved to a nursing home; A couple mentions of cigar smoke & tobacco; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of hunting & a deer; A mention of the possibility of a wagon catching on fire; A mention of a bank robber; 
             *Note: Katie Sue is frightened to hear stories about Indians and freezes when she meets a group of them (they are afraid of her as well, but the meeting goes well); Mentions of historical figures (Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, Francis Scott Key, & Corrie ten Boom). 
 
 
Sexual Content- N/A; 
             *Note: A woman comments about Katie Sue’s dress making her wish she was “young and slender again” and pats her own hips. 
 
-Chelsea Marie, age 9
-Katie Sue Herod, age 11
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                            Set in 1851
                                                        220 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was another sweet story with great lessons in it! A major part of this book is that Katie Sue has to learn to trust & fully rely on God during her family’s travels. She was a sweet girl with a good heart and attitude, which made me like this book more. 

 

The events of this book (like the prior books in the series) do have a slight rose-tint to them. I would compare them to the “American Girl” books in that way, but I appreciate and enjoy them better than the “Sisters in Time” series. The emphasis on Christian morals, lessons, and good attitudes is definitely making the “Eleanor” series stand out in my mind.

 

 

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.

"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.

 

"Mary Elizabeth: Welcome to America" by Eleanor Clark

About this book:

  “Mary Elizabeth's life undergoes a dramatic change when she leaves the only home she has known for another world far away in a place called America. The journey aboard the ship not only teaches her about perseverance but also that making a home in a a new world has its share of challenges. Join Mary Elizabeth as she lives one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime and learns the importance of family and the value of perseverance.”


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


Spiritual Content- James 1:12 in the acknowledgments; A few Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; In bonus content at the end, there are over a handful of Scriptures shared and a lesson on perseverance while telling about Joseph from the Bible; Prayers & Blessings over food; Talks about God, being able to worship Him freely, & Jesus dying for our sins; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mary Elizabeth’s family is moving to America to be able to worship God freely; Mary Elizabeth’s father leads her younger brother in a prayer to ask Jesus to come and live in his heart; Mentions of God, loving Him, & being able to worship Him freely; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking and praising God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those and events in the Bible; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of churches;
             *Note: A mention of something smelling “heavenly”.
 

Negative Content- Some grief and missing family members and friends; Seasickness; Mary Elizabeth helps her mother kill chickens (which she dreads doing but preserves through it; barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of possible and near drownings & injuries; Mentions of grief & homesickness; A few mentions of deaths & illnesses (including the death of a child to smallpox); A couple mentions of Jennifer’s parents going through a divorce & her concern about possibly moving away; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of a tavern; A mention of tobacco; A mention of gamblers; A mention of jealousy; A mention of rumors;
             *Note: Mary Elizabeth and her family see slaves being forced to board a ship and she is very bothered by how they are treated (they are in chains, Mary Elizabeth cries when one is whipped, and when she asks why that is happening, her parents are sad as well and tell her that there are “a great many things we won’t understand in this life”; Mary Elizabeth’s heart breaks and feels heavy, wishing she could do something and has the idea to pray for them); Mary Elizabeth’s mother is concerned about Indians in their new area, but it’s recalled in a letter later that when they met Indians for the first time, they were “quite nice”; In the Prologue, Jennifer thinks going to a tea party at her grandmother’s is immature for her age and doesn’t want to go (she rolls her eyes once and also says she’s too old for dolls; By the end of the Prologue, she is having fun with her cousins); In bonus content at the end, there is a mention of perseverance is being faithful to a friend “even when they have hurt you”, a quote from Helen Keller about perseverance, and mentions of classic books (Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Gone with the Wind); A few hints to a grandfather not doing well (forgetting things and calling someone by a different name); A mention of a Raggedy Ann doll.
 
 
Sexual Content- Seeing married couples share a few kisses (no true details; Mary Elizabeth blushes when her father kisses her mother and her mother says “not in front of the children”, but Mary Elizabeth’s father says that “I want them to know that I adore their Mam.”); Mary Elizabeth noticed a young woman blushing around a man and the man stammering when he speaks to her; A beautiful young woman attracts the attention of fellows in the ship;
             *Note: A couple mentions of labor pains.
 
-Jennifer Jean, age 11
-Mary Elizabeth Powell, age 10
                                P.O.V. switches between them (Jennifer in Prologue & Epilogue only)
                   Set in present day (prologue & epilogue) & 1635
                                                        118 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was a very solid middle-grade story! There’s also bonus content at the end that has some great tips and recipes for having a tea party that could work great for a book club too. 

 

This book follows two girls: Jennifer Jean and Mary Elizabeth. Only the prologue and epilogue are in Jennifer Jean’s POV and the main part of this book was about Mary Elizabeth. At the beginning, I didn’t care for Jennifer Jean’s attitude and thinking she’s too old for hanging out with her grandmother and cousins with their dolls, but I was glad she started to have fun. We see her again in the epilogue and learn a little bit about how hearing about Mary Elizabeth’s perseverance helped her. 

 

I’ve never really been interested in the 1600s time-period or books set then, so I was very surprised to have enjoyed Mary Elisabeth’s story so much! She was an absolute dear and the story was very wholesome. There was an emphasis on perseverance and having a good attitude. 

 

This was a lovely start to a series I’m looking forward to continuing soon!

 

 

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.