Nickerbacher

Nickerbacher The Funniest Dragon

Terry John Barto

Nickerbacher is a young dragon guarding a castle. His father gave him the assignment, but he really wants to be a comedian. He confides his wishes to the young princess that he is currently guarding. She encourages him to follow his heart and talk to his father.

Bright, colorful artwork fills each page and help tell the story. The message of taking chances, being true to oneself, and acceptance is prominent throughout the story. Children will enjoy the humorous illustrations. Parents will appreciate the opening provided by the story for further discussion.
My children, especially my daughter, really enjoyed the story and wanted me to read it to them again. So it was a hit with our family.

I received this book free of charge from Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

The Adventurers of Bubba Jones

The Adventurers of Bubba Jones

Time Traveling Through the great Smoky Mountains

Jeff Alt

Bubba Jones and his sister Hug-a-Bug are on a backpacking trip with their grandpa, Papa Lewis. He wants to show them the Smokey Mountains and pass on a family secret. It's a very closely guarded secret that the children are delighted to inherit. This secret lets them literally step into history and experience it for themselves.

The story is a fiction setting with facts about the Smokey Mountains and it's history thrown in with the time travel element. The story is set up for the next book in the series by not ending one of the mysteries. At the end of the book is a curriculum guide and discussion questions for further review and study. Elementary school children will enjoy the story type approach to learning about history. My son (4th grade) liked it, but didn't love it. He said it was a bit boring in places.

I received this book free of charge from Direct Contact in exchange for this honest review.

It's Good to Be Queen

It's Good to Be Queen

Becoming as Bold, Gracious, and Wise as the Queen of Sheba

Liz Curtis Higgs

There isn't a whole lot written about the queen of Sheba. We know that she was wise, but sought out Solomon because of his reports of wisdom. The author has taken these few scriptures and other verses throughout the Bible to pull together a women's Bible study on how to be a woman of wisdom like the queen of Sheba. The author takes a personal approach and adds her story telling talents to make those few verses about the queen come alive. The book ends with study guides for each chapter so the book can be used in a small group setting or for personal study.

The writing style lent a more fictional feel to the book, while capturing the reader's attention. I liked her frequent use of scripture and enjoyed the thoughts she brought out about the strengths of the queen. The study guide in the back was a plus that makes it helpful for further reflection. This isn't a typical topic for a women's study and I think readers will appreciate that.

I received this book free of charge from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

House on Fire

House on Fire

Revival Begins in the Home

Antonio and Christelle Baldovinos

If you want to see change in the world, you must begin at home with your own family. Only by changing the family can the world be changed. The authors have a lot of experience in the ministry, but also in their family. They have a healthy marriage and five children, so drew from their personal experiences to write a book about reviving the heart at home. They touch on quite a few aspects of the home life - such as parenting, marriage, dating, and the different aspects of the mother and father.

The writing is simplistic in style, without flowery words or verbose chapters. The authors use practical, useful illustrations and ideas to bring across their message. It's a refreshing and on-point look at how we can make a difference for God in our own home. I enjoyed the more personal approach and the suggestions were helpful. I appreciated the frequent use of scripture to back up their points. I think this would be a great book for a young family starting out, but it will be just as useful to those of us with more "experience" in life.

I received this book free of charge from Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

God's Smuggler

God's Smuggler

Brother Andrew

 Andrew grew up in a poor, but loving family in Holland. Years later found Brother Andrew sneaking behind the Iron Curtain to secretly deliver Bibles to the believers trapped there. Smuggling Bibles isn't without peril and hardships. But Brother Andrew was granted miracles and beautiful friendships with people all over the world that enabled him to spread the message of love to people who were starving for the message.

I read this book years ago and couldn't put it down. So I was delighted with a chance to read the newest addition with the extras that were added to it. It's still a captivating story that inspires and convicts the reader. The writers have written the story to thrill the reader, but also to show the depths of love and great lengths that God will go to, to read His children. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story, but also those who have a burden for spreading the word of God.

I received this book free of charge from Chosen in exchange for my honest review.

Pass It On

Pass It On

Building a Legacy of Faith for Your Children through Practical and Memorable Experiences

Jim Burns and Jeremy Lee

One of the greatest things that we as parents can pass on to our children is our spiritual legacy. It is the only thing of importance that we will leave behind and the only thing that will benefit them in the long term. The authors have joined together to and written a book using the concept of rites of passage that the Hebrews used with their children. The traditions and ceremonies were specifically designed to bring to remembrance God and what he meant to them. These rites of passage that are outlined in this book are to help the parents make faith real and lasting into the next generation. They are broken up by grades and each chapter is a separate grade beginning with Kindergarten and ending with twelfth grade.

I was really impressed with this book. The layout is user friendly. The writing is simple in the approach, but the concepts have depth. Lots of Bible verses are used to back up the ideas and thoughts. Each chapter describes what a child of that age period will be experiencing, discussion questions, suggestions for instilling faith based rituals, prayers, etc. Each chapter a wealth of information, but doesn't come across as overwhelming. I really enjoyed the book and intend to implement things into our family. I would highly recommend this to Christian parents.

I received this book free of charge from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.

Counting on a Cowboy

Counting on a Cowboy

Four of Hearts Ranch Romance Book 2

Debra Clopton

Abby was inspired by Maggie's column where she talked about Wishing Springs. Maggie had given her great advice and Abby was in desperate need of a change in her life. So she picks up stakes and moves to Wishing Springs. But from the very beginning things do not go as planned. Abby meets Bo and despite her desire to keep her distance she keeps meeting him to help. She hopes to keep her heart intact and her secrets safe. But sometimes God has other plans.

This book was the second in the series, but could definitely work as a stand-alone. I enjoyed this book and it was fun to reconnect with the characters from the first book. It's part romance and part small-town novel. The story was a little on the heavy side as far as emotions and some of the deep topics brought up. But the author kept the romance front and center and lightened up the heavy topics with the zaniness of the towns characters. My only complaint was that it didn't really feel like a Christian book. There wasn't a lot of talk about faith or any of the aspects of it. But overall, it was a story that I really enjoyed and I would definitely recommend this author.

I received this book free of charge from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.