Leah E. Good

May 10, 2013May 10, 2013

Book Review: Bridge Called Hope

Without raising his eyes to look at me, in a voice barely clearing the horizon of a whisper, he said, “I know you don’t love me…You just say that ’cuz you’re an adult and it’s kinda like your job. But I know you don’t really love me.”

Welcome to Crystal Peaks, the ranch of rescued dreams. Author Kim Meeder uses her gift of storytelling to capture the stories of the abused horses and needy children who come to her ranch for healing. From a young man convinced he cannot be loved, to horses fighting for their lives, the stories in this book show God’s grace as the dying light of hope is revived time and again.

I purchased this book two or three years ago at a homeschool conference. I can remember sitting on the hotel bed in the evening with tears streaming down my face as I read the first chapter, Proof. After reading the entire book and the companion book, Hope Rising, that first story remains my favorite. For a girl who grew up with “horse fever” and has grown into a deep caring for the fatherless, these books were great finds, and I continue to treasure them.

Author: Kim Meeder
Audience: YA to Adult
Genre: General/Inspirational Non-Fiction
Pages: 246

May 3, 2013

Book Review: A Horse to Love

“Young lady, and I use the term loosely, I’m tired of your despicable behavior. You have exhausted this court’s patience. I’m sending you to the Chesterfield Detention Center and throwing away the key!”

Skye Nicholson is trouble with a capitol T. At thirteen years of age she’s been in countless foster homes and has a record with drugs and theft. She’s on her way to juvie when the Chambers step in. Skye resents her new foster family’s faith and strict rules. The only thing keeping her at Keystone Stables is Champ, the horse she is learning to ride. What will it take for Skye to accept the second chance being offered her?

I first read this book in the summer of 2008. I’d read stories about adoption before, but this was my first foster care story, and it captivated me. I remember being slightly scandalized by the references to drugs. When I re-read it a few weeks ago, I had to laugh at that memory because the mentions are so mild. But, they are there, so keep that in mind. 😉 The author does a great job of showing Skye’s defiance as something unacceptable, yet tempering it by showing her internal turmoil. This book is a win for both horse lovers and those who enjoy adoption/foster care stories.

Fun Fact: I recently found the first few pages of a foster care/horse farm story that I started writing after reading this book.

Author: Marsha Hubler
Audience: 10 and up
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 144

P.S. The older edition I read was titled The Trouble With Skye. I used the updated title and cover for this review because I think that’s what is mostly available now.

May 1, 2013

Book Review: Precisely Terminated

Her teeth chattered. “I don’t care about being free. I want things to be normal. I’ve looked for the paper enough.”

In a futuristic society, everyone has a microchip implanted in the back of their heads. There is only one exception to the rule. When her home was destroyed, Monica barely escaped with her life. Now a wall slave serving the higher class nobles, Monica represents the slaves only hope for freedom. But being a chipless slave has its downsides. Monica must continuously risk her life on missions she doesn’t even understand. Will her courage fail when she faces her biggest challenge yet?

My favorite part of this story was the way Monica struggles with the risks she is asked to make, yet always ends up making the right choice. At the beginning of the story she takes the risks because she is given no option, but as the story progresses she becomes more and more proactive. My main frustration was the fact that Monica moves around so much that there is no consistency in the supporting cast. The ending opens the door for the inclusion of more overt Christian themes in book two. Overall I have no complaints about inappropriate content and will be keeping my eyes open for a copy of book two.

P.S. The cover of this book looks like it’s some kind of creepy, haunted ghost story or something. At least it does to me. Don’t worry. It’s not. 😉

Author: Amanda L. Davis
Audience: Tweens to Young Adults
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 464

April 19, 2013

Book Review: The Giver

Good morning everyone! We have a slight change in plans. Jill Williamson’s book Captives was on the schedule to be reviewed today, but, as you can tell from the title, I’m breaking away from the schedule. My dear sister-friend, Melody, recently asked me if I planned to review her favorite dystopian novel, The Giver. It had totally slipped my mind when I planned the schedule. When I asked Melody if she would be willing to review The Giver she graciously agreed. So, here you are. Enjoy. (P.S. The quote should sound familiar. If you know what I mean, you can take credit for it. ;))

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”

Jonas’ world is perfect. From birth until the day of their Release, every member of his Community moves through life following the same patterns of progression and change that have been in place for generations before them; patterns which keep them safe and contented. But when Jonas is selected to be the new Receiver of Memory, he steps into an entirely new world – one full of experiences and realities he never knew existed. As he receives the memories that have been passed down through generations of Receivers, Jonas must learn how to handle the experiences of the world, and he must decide what affect they will have on his life…as well as on the lives of the Community around him.

When I first found The Giver sitting inconspicuously dwarfed by two other Newbery Award-winning books on my schoolroom shelf, I never imagined for a moment what an incredible book I was in for. The Giver draws you in from the very first sentence, and continues to surprise and please all through to the end. The story is intriguing and entertaining – partially because of the dystopian society presented, but partially
because of the characters’ lovable personalities. You will identify with and root for Jonas all the way through! The book is a fairly easy read, although once you reach the end you will be very glad to know that there are three sequels! Overall, The Giver is a classic that is worth re-reading over and over again – which is why I was thrilled a few years back when Leah gave me a copy signed by the author herself. It remains one of my all-time favorite books!

Author: Lowis Lowry
Audience: Tweens–Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 192

By the way, I just realized that I completely missed announcing the winner of the book giveaway yesterday. Sorry about that! I’ll do it tomorrow.

April 12, 2013May 22, 2013

Book Review & Giveaway: The City of Ember

*giveaway closed*
This months giveaway is a copy of The City of Ember. To tell the truth, the reason for the dystopian theme this month is because I had an extra copy of the book to give away. 😛 As usual, the giveaway is only open to residents of the US because of shipping expenses. (I’m hoping to post a poll soon to see how many of you have e-readers so that I can look into a giveaway that could include my international readers.) To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below saying why you want to read The City of Ember or why you enjoy the dystopian genre.

The box ended up at the back of a closet, shoved behind some old bags and bundles. There it sat, unnoticed, year after year, until its time arrived, and the lock quietly clicked open.

The city of Ember is an island of light in the middle of the great, unknown darkness. But the light is failing. Tension among the citizens grows as the store rooms begin to run out of essential items and the electricity threatens to fail at any moment. Hope seems lost until young Lina finds ancient instructions and recruits classmate Doon to help her figure them out. Can they save the people of Ember before it’s too late?

Shortly after this book was suggested to me I found a copy at the library’s used book store. Curious, I purchased it and took it home to read. I discovered a sweet story about determination, friendship, and hope during difficult times. The story was easy to read and I found the ending satisfying despite a few story threads left open for the sequels. I chose not to read the sequels because of an apparent anti-religious theme in book three. That said, there is no objectionable content in this book, and readers in search of a gentle dystopian read will find it enjoyable.

Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Audience: Middle Grade to Young Adults
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 270

Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of this book!

April 9, 2013June 5, 2020

Youth, Homeschooling, the Past and the Future

He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.

Do you know who said this? Keep reading and I’ll tell you.

A few days ago I made a post titled Support the Romeikes. The Romeike’s are a German family who came to the states to escape persecution in their homeland. Several of you clicked through to the petition started on their behalf. Thank you. Today HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) published a video about the Romeikes. I’m embedding it here if you want to watch it.

As soon as Mr. Romeike said, “The government wants the right to impose what they think children should learn.” I knew I’d heard that sentiment before. You read it in the quote posted above. Those words were spoken by a government leader in Germany. Have you guessed who? It was Adolf Hitler.

That’s right. A lot of people don’t know that governmental control of the German youth was a huge part of Hitler’s devastating plan for the Third Reich. And now the German people are fighting this war again. What’s even scarier is that we here in the United States need to fight it too because our government wants the same power. And Hitler was right, whoever controls the education of the children controls the future of the country.

To quote Hitler again:

How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think.

We need to think. English statesman Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” He also stated that, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” He was right. On both counts.

Whether or not you support homeschooling, it’s important to recognize that absolute control over education should not be handed over to any government. It led to disaster in Germany and it can easily do the same again. Except this time it could be the downfall of our “bastion of freedom,” the US. Let’s not make the same mistake made by so many people before and during WWII. The mistake of silence. To close, consider this quote from another English statesman, William Wilberforce.

You may chose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know.

April 5, 2013

Book Review: Among the Brave

Great, Trey thought. I do one brave thing in my entire life, and now it’s like, ‘Got anything dangerous to do? Send Trey. He can handle it.’ Doesn’t anyone remember that Cowardice is my middle name?

In the world Trey lives in, families are only allowed to have two children. Third children–shadow children–live in fear of being killed if they are discovered. Right after saving the life of Lee, another shadow child, Trey finds himself launched into another adventure. Lee is still in danger, and Trey joins forces with Lee’s brother, Mark, to try to rescue him. But when the Population Police catch Mark, Trey must come up with a new plan of action. Will he be able to rescue his friends? Or will his actions put all the shadow children at risk?

Among the Brave is book five in the Shadow Children series. Each book can be read separately, but I would recommend starting at book one and working forward. I chose to review this one because it happens to be my favorite. It took me a while to understand the world the shadow children live in, but after reading two books I realized that the population control concept is pretty similar to the one used in China. After making that comparison, the books made much more sense. All of the characters are relatable, and you’ll find yourself rooting for the third children as they fight to overturn the Population Police and win a place as legal citizens.

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Audience: Tween to Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 228

Dawn for My Soul

Lord, I know You’re dead and buried,
For I saw You wrapped and carried.
Of these tears I’m growing wearied,
But my hope with You was buried.

So on this morn I make my way,
My final homage now to pay,
And find the stone now rolled away,
The body there no longer lays.

And then I see a ray of light,
A man in garments radiant, bright.
He tells me death has turned to life,
And brings the dawn to soul’s dark night.

The tears again flow down my face,
They’re streaming as I homeward race.
The tears of joy for endless grace,
The goodness of my God I taste.

My Savior lives, so join in song,
For death is weak and God is strong.
All pow’r and praise to Him belong,
His vict’ry is the angels’ song.