"Mandie and the Unwanted Gift" by Lois Gladys Leppard

About this book:

  “Mandie is excited about going home for Christmas, but she hasn't told her grandmother that she invited Jonathan Guyer and his father to visit them during the holidays. Will Mrs. Taft be angry with Mandie because she doesn't get along with Mr. Guyer? And Mandie hasn't told Joe that Jonathan is coming, and the two boys haven't gotten along well either. Will Joe be upset with Mandie?
  Then on a dark, cold night a mysterious gift is left on the doorstep of the Shaw house with an anonymous note attached that reads, "For Mandie." The box has fancy gift wrapping on the outside, but inside is what appears to be a childish jumble of holly and dirt and ribbons. Whatever could it be?
  Who sent Mandie the present? Could it be a treasure map?”


Series: Book #29 in “Mandie” series. (To read the reviews of the previous books in this series, click the number to be taken to that review: #1! #2! #3! #4! #5! #6! #7! #8! #9! #10! #11! #12! #13! #14! #15! #16! #17! #18! #19! #20! #21! #22! #23! #24! #25! #26! #27! #28!) {There also is the “Young Mandie Mystery” series, (Book #1 review Here and Book #2 review Here!) but they do not connect together well}

Spiritual Content- Set during Christmas; A Scripture is quoted & prayed; A few prayers; Church Going; Mentions of God; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, & hymns; A couple mentions of prayers & praying; A couple mentions of thanking the Lord;

*Note: Talks about & Mentions of spells, voodoo, the religion of it, witchcraft, & the devil {Liza wants to try a spell on someone (but Mandie is set against it)}.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and seven ‘shucks’; Mentions of deceit & being deceitful (Mandie realizes that she is); A couple mentions of lies.

Sexual Content- Mentions of girls (ages 13) interested in boys & boyfriends; Mentions of jealousy, liking someone, being interested in someone, & staring at someone; A few mentions of Joe asking Mandie to marry him when they’re older; A few mentions of mistletoe and being caught under it.

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
                                   P.O.V. of Mandie

                                              Set in 1901
                         176 pages (also available in a collection with two other Mandie books.)

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Ooooh! I reeeeally enjoy the rivalry between Joe and Jonathan (it’s bad, I know, I know). That last line gets me every time! One of my favorite Mandie books! :)

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.

"Payback" by Melody Carlson

About this book:

  “If your vision asked you to risk your life to save others, would you have the courage?
  When Samantha McGregor tells her friend Detective Ebony Hamilton of her disturbing visions of a brutal murder at a high school, Ebony asks her to go undercover to help identify the shooter before it’s too late. The stakes are raised when Ebony discovers that the potential crime may be connected to a larger terrorism threat!
  Meanwhile, Samantha realizes that her mother’s new boyfriend is a little too good to be true. Her unsettling visions, combined with Ebony’s investigation of Steven’s past, reveal him to be more interested in her mother’s money than her heart.
  To make matters worse, Samantha has been having visions of an unknown boy who is mercilessly being bullied by his peers. Who is this teen? Can she help him?”


Series: Book #4 (of four) in “The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor”. (Book #1 review, Here! Book #2 review, Here! and Book #3 review, Here!)

Spiritual Content- Joel 2:27-29 at the beginning; All about Samantha’s gift of visions from God; Many, many prayers & thanking God; A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Many, many, many talks about God, Jesus, His will, His help, gifts, peace, & forgiving; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Sam’s mom is still mad at God *Spoiler* That changes near the end *End of Spoiler*; Many, many mentions of prayers,  praying, & prayer chains; Mentions of Christians & witnessing; Mentions of church & youth group; Mentions of sermons & judging; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of Heaven; A few mentions of miracles.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a girl is called ‘a dog’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘TGIF’, two ‘butt out’s, two ‘duh’s, seven ‘crud’s, and fourteen forms of ‘stupid’; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; All About mentions of a school shooting, threats, terrorism, deaths, pain, & blood/bleeding (semi-detailed); All About mentions of bullies, hitting, kicking, & blood/bleeding (semi-detailed); Many mentions of blood/bleeding, being shot & killed (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of kidnappings, frauds, & wanted criminals; Mentions of murders & deaths: Mentions of suicides; Mentions of gunfire in video games; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, getting wasted, & parties; Mentions of drugs, rehab, & jail; Mentions of smoking & cigarettes; Mentions of wanting to have/give revenge/payback; Mentions of vomiting; Mentions of cheating; A couple mentions of divorces.

Sexual Content- A barely-above-not-detailed kiss; All About Proms; A bit of Noticing;

Three ‘hot’s; Mentions of overhearing about guys booking hotel rooms after prom, being rewarded with sex, & the girl still being a virgin; Mentions of crushes, dates, dating, boyfriends & girlfriends; A few mentions of a rumor of a woman being sold as a sex slave (not true); A couple hints of a girl visiting a guy’s place; A couple mentions of hormones;

              *Note: A mention of wanting a prom dress with no cleavage showing; A mention of Marilyn Monroe.

-Samantha McGregor, age 17
                                         1^st person P.O.V. of Sam
                                                        2216 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}

Final book in “The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor” series and “Payback” finishes it out with another big plot. Lots of intense topics and moments with tons of Spiritual Content gave me goosebumps! I still personally think that this is one of Melody Carlson’s best series yet! :)

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.