"Sketchy Behavior" by Erynn Mangum

About this book:

  “Drawing Conclusions or Drafting Disaster?
  Other than harboring a somewhat obsessive fondness for Crispix and completely swearing-off boys after a bad date (don’t ask), sixteen-year-old Kate Carter is about as ordinary as they come, except for her two notable talents: art and sarcasm. After an introduction to forensic sketching in her elective art class, Kate discovers a third and most unexpected gift: criminal profiling. Her photo-quality sketch helps the police catch a wanted murderer and earns her celebrity status in South Woodhaven Falls. But when that murderer appears to be using his friends to exact revenge, Kate goes from local hero to possible target. Will she manage to survive? Will life ever be normal again? And will local news anchor Ted Deffle ever stop sending her flowers?”


Series: No.

Spiritual Content- A couple Prayers; A few Scriptures are read & mentioned; Bible reading; Church going and Hymns & Songs; Talks about God, His plan & Heaven; Some ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Kate’s parents aren’t religious (but they try to be spiritual), so she doesn’t know what to believe about God; Kate asks many questions & is truly curious; Kate’s father doesn’t believe Heaven is real, her mom believes it’s a state of mind; Kate’s dad mumbles a couple prayers over food; Mentions of a Christian camp, Bible reading & books for the Bible; Mentions of church;

*Note: A mention of a cult; A mention of a caveman.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’, a ‘heck’, a ‘holy cow’, a ‘how in the blazes’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘wimp’, two ‘sheesh’s, three ‘gosh’s, three forms of ‘stupid’, five ‘dumb’s, seven ‘oh my gosh’s; Kate’s mom says “Crumbs!” as her curse word; A couple mentions of words that can’t be repeated; Pain & Guns are aimed (up to semi-detailed); Many, many mentions of blood, being shot at & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of murderers, murders, crimes & jail (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of nightmares & screaming (including a nightmare about almost being made into meatloaf, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of suicide & thoughts; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of drinking, drunks & driving; A mention of club.

Sexual Content- Mentions of blushes, cute boys, boys, dating, bad dates & break ups; A couple mentions of eating disorders; A mention of teenage hormones; A mention of an actor who goes shirtless too much (Kate isn’t a fan); A mention of an article about men cheating on their wives; A mention of reproducing;

              *Note: A mention of the short-shorts men wore in the 80s; A mention of guys’ pants being lose in the legs & rear (Kate’s dad thinks that’s how they should be).

-Kate Carter, age 16
                                         1^st person P.O.V. of Sam
                                                        214 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Okay, that was excellent. At least in my opinion. ;) Yet another great Erynn Mangum book. When reading “Sketchy Behavior”, I’m sure I laughed even harder than most with all the local news & politician parts (my family is very political). I’m sure that if I knew Kate in real life, we would be friends because honestly? I love sarcasm & Kate is just great. I’m very disappointed that this is just a stand-alone though! I want more! I love that Kate was very curious about God & asking questions. When I don’t even try to predict what will happen in a book, I know I’m completely absorbed into the story and that’s exactly how it was with this YA book. :)

See y’all on Wednesday with a special posted filled with Excitement & Giveaways and an important announcement!  

*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.

"Crunch" by Rick Bundschuh

About this book:

  “It took real faith and courage to get Bethany back on a surfboard after losing her arm to a shark. The Soul Surfer fiction series is based on the life of surfer star Bethany Hamilton, as she and her friends discover God's love and guidance as they tackle the waves life hands them. In book four, Crunch, Bethany meets a soccer-loving little boy who captures her heart in an unexpected way while on a mission trip in Mexico. Bethany helps him discover the father of his dreams, but because of a promise she makes to him, Bethany's spot in a prestigious surf competition is threatened.”


Series: Book #4 (of four) in “Soul Surfer”. (Reviews of Book #1 Here! Book #2 Here! Book #3 Here!)

Spiritual Content- In the Introduction, two Scriptures are quoted & mentioned; All about a mission trip; Many Prayers; Many Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, read & remembered; Many, many talks about God, seeing God, trust, promises & words being worth something; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; A devotion is written out; Many mentions of God; Many mentions of youth group & Christian tattoos; A mention of a Bible study.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘geez’, a ‘sucker’, and two ‘oh my gosh’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A mention of everyone going to the bathroom after eating; A couple mentions of buying and selling drugs & violence; A couple mentions of beer bottles; A couple mentions of tattoos; Mentions of lice; Mentions of dumps & foul smells (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of pain & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of & Talks about Bethany’s shark attack (barely-above-not-detailed); A child is run over by a dump truck (he is alive, barely-above-not-detailed).

Sexual Content- A mention that some of the orphans have seen sexual abuse;

               *Note: A mention of “freezing my butt off.”.

-Bethany Hamilton, age 15

-Eduardo, age 5
                                     P.O.V. switches between them, Anne, Noah & Cheri (once each)

                                                        125 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Well, this was an excellent conclusion to this series! The starfish story is a very favorite of mine, so I was very excited to see it talked about in “Crunch”. This was a really cute series and I can see many girls enjoying them. :)

See y’all on Monday 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.

"Playing With Fire" by Melody Carlson

About this book:

  “If your vision led you straight into the fire, would you follow it anyway?
  Samantha’s brother, Zach, is finally home after a ninety-day rehab for his meth addiction, and life seems to be getting back to normal. That is, until Sam starts having dreams about dangerous situations involving drugs. But her visions are so vague that she doesn’t know who needs help. Of course she’s worried about Zach staying clean, especially since he’s hanging with the wrong crowd. But the whole school seems to be buzzing about drugs, and Sam doesn’t know who’s using and who’s not. What is wrong with these people anyway?
  Then Sam has a vision of a burning cabin, and this time someone has been shot. Convinced that Zach is involved somehow, Sam chooses to leave Detective Ebony Hamilton out of the loop. If Zach really is involved, this will land him in jail for sure! But her own investigation is getting too hot to handle, and Sam must decide whether to risk getting Zach in trouble with the law– or ultimately risk his life.”


Series: Book #3 (of four) in “The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor”. (Book #1 review, Here! Book #2 review, Here!)

Spiritual Content- Joel 2:27-29 at the beginning; All about Samantha’s gift of visions from God; Many, many prayers; Scriptures are mentioned; Witnessing; Many, many, many talks about God, trusting Him, gifts, judging, & sinners; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Sam’s mom is still mad at God; Many, many mentions of prayers; Many mentions of church, youth group & sermons; Mentions of Bible reading; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of Christians & religious people;

*Note: A mention of a demonic sound & evil; A mention of “going through hell”; A mention of going to “hell and back”; A mention of someone wanting someone else to burn in Hell; A few mentions of Hell; Mentions of a witch.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, a ‘TGIF’, two ‘duh’s, two ‘sheesh’s, three ‘shut up’s, three ‘sucker’s, ten forms of ‘crud’, thirteen ‘stupid’s; Sarcasm; A mention of a middle finger salute; Many mentions of curses (said, not written); All about drugs (meth and ecstasy), dealers, highs, overdoses, addictions, rehab, fire, heat & smoke (up to detailed); An overdose death; A party with drunks (Sam nor her friends drink); Many mentions of Book #2’s almost suicides & murders; Many mentions of wild parties & fights; Many mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, fake IDs, bars & pubs; Mentions of those who have been shot & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of smoking, cigarettes & weed; Mentions of jail, crime & criminals; Mentions of lesions; Mentions of vomiting; Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of cheating & gossips; A few mentions of tattoos & pierces; A few mentions of divorce & parents separating; A mention of a violent movie;

              *Note: Mentions of Starbucks, Adidas and Gap.

Sexual Content- a not-detailed kiss; a ‘hot’, two ‘butt out’s; Sam is asked if she’s lesbian (she’s not); Mentions of who-likes-who, dating, dates, jealousy, proms, boys, boyfriends & girlfriends; Mentions that Garrett is trying to figure out if he’s gay or not (his abusive father put the thought in his head, Book #2); A couple mentions of prostitution & a girl sleeping with a guy for meth; A mention of one-night stands; A mention that Sam knows girls her age that have had babies;

              *Note: A mention of Jennifer Knapp.

-Samantha McGregor, age 17
                                         1^st person P.O.V. of Sam
                                                        229 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{Add a star for girls in Public School}

“The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor” series deals with some hard topics and “Playing With Fire” was no exception. Lots of Spiritual Content, which is always nice! The ending leads very well into the next & final book of 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.