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Light of Mine

May 17, 2023 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

17 May

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Light of Mine by Allen Brokken

Title: Light of Mine
Author: Allen Brokken
Series: Towers of Light, book 1
Major Themes: Spiritual Warfare, Fantasy
Synopsis: When their parents suddenly disappear, can the children survive and keep the light shining in the tower on their farm?

For the past three years, I have been reading reviews of Allen Brokken’s Towers of Light series of books. All the reviews I have read have been glowing, with mothers reporting that their children were competing for the books. I never signed up for any review tours because I personally don’t like fantasy very well, but I’ve been realizing lately that several of my children really do like it. So, when I had the chance to sign up for the Light of Mine Unit Study—Premium, I jumped at the chance, especially since Towers of Light Christian Resources LLC was willing to ship us a physical copy! The package we were sent included two copies of Light of Mine, two unit studies, two mp3 players preloaded with the audiobook, and a thumb drive with the audiobook. 

Light of Mine is almost a cross between The Chronicles of Narnia, Pilgrim’s Progress, and The Little House on the Prairie. As the story begins, Lauren, Aidan, and Ethan are enjoying life on the farm with their family. Then, father shows them plans he has drawn up for a tower. Soon he tells them it is actually a lighthouse. Why would they need a lighthouse here, though, so far from any water? The next thing they know, after the lighthouse is built and a special lantern is installed, which shines the Light, Father has to go away to help conquer the Darkness that is spreading across the land. Then, when Mother disappears as well, the children must care for each other and take care of the farm. 

When they have some strange dreams, the children know they need to go to church and ask the advice of the pastor. When they arrive there, however, the pastor is missing and the Bishop has taken his place. He preaches the opposite of what their Pastor preached, and some other strange things happen. The children don’t know what to think, and when the Bishop sends someone to “help” them, things get even stranger. Can the children keep their light shining and push back the Darkness, or will the Darkness overcome them? And, who can they trust? Many things are not as they seem!

Although I do not enjoy fantasy for the most part, I found myself quite engrossed in this story. After about the halfway point, I did not want to put it down but had to keep going and find out what happened, and whether the children were able to keep their light shining. Would they figure out the truth before it was too late and the darkness overcame everything? Would they see their parents again? Many fun animals with special powers come alongside the children to help them, such as Sparkle Frog and Daddy Duck.

Both of my schoolboys absolutely loved this book. They listened to the audiobook as fast as they possibly could. After working through half of the study, both of them told me they wanted to do unit studies of the other four books in the series, too, just so they could get to read those books! With that kind of enthusiasm, I bought the other books, and they are looking forward to reading them when they arrive. Before I read the book, after they had listened to it, they told me they didn’t think it was suitable for their seven-year-old sister. After I read it I had to agree; there are some pretty graphic scenes when the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness battle each other. Some demonic creatures enter the battle, and a person is killed. The boys seemed to be fine with this story; they are 10 and 13.

I highly recommend Light of Mine to any child who enjoys fantasy. It does not feel “moralistic,” but the point of the book, to let your light shine by doing what God wants us to, is quite clear. I asked the boys if it felt preachy, and both quickly said no, but both had easily picked up the main focus of the book. It would be easy to do a book study with this; there are study questions at the back of the book for each chapter.

WARNING: As mentioned above, there are demonic creatures (“hell hounds”), and a fight in which someone is killed.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Keywords: Allen Brokken · Books for Boys · Books for Girls · Christian Fiction · Fantasy · Spiritual Warfare · Towers of Light series

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Beowulf

May 15, 2023 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

15 May

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Beowulf by Rosemary Sutcliff

Title: Beowulf
Author: Rosemary Sutcliff
Major Themes: Legends, Monsters, Dragons
Synopsis: When a monster terrorized the people of a mead hall in Denmark, the hero Beowulf came from England to the rescue.

We have been working through a study of the Middle Ages this year, and are nearing the end of our textbook. Because we still have a few months in the school year, we decided to go through a list of books set in the Middle Ages to finish out the year. We do all our history by reading aloud together, so this list fits us perfectly. Our first choice from the suggestions given was Beowulf by Rosemary Sutcliff. We have enjoyed many great books by her, so everyone wanted to hear this one. 

In the Great Hall of Hygelac, in the kingdom of the Geats, the story was told of how Hrothgar of the Danes had built a new hall in which to feast with his warriors. The first night in which they slept in it, however, a monster came in during the night and brutally slew many of the warriors. Now, Hrothgar and his warriors lived in fear of the monster, Grendel. Beowulf, in honor of Hrothgar’s friendship with his own father, is determined to go to the kingdom of the Danes and deal with the monster. After a fierce fight, the monster was slain—but then a new terror appeared. Would Beowulf be able to conquer this monster as well?

What a retelling of this ancient legend! It was interesting to read this and talk about what the truth may have been that started this legend. I have heard it proposed that the monster Grendel was actually some sort of dinosaur. We discussed how that could have been, and then as people told and retold the story, it grew into the form which has been related in this account. Though this is a very bloody story, we enjoyed reading it.

WARNING: Three times, Beowulf has to fight a monster/dragon, and these scenes are very bloody and tense.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Keywords: Dragons · Europe · Historical Fiction · Legends · Middle Ages · Monsters · Rosemary Sutcliff

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Beneath the Cloak

May 12, 2023 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

12 May

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Beneath the Cloak by Chautona Havig

Title: Beneath the Cloak
Author: Chautona Havig
Series: Annals of Wynnewood, book 3
Major Themes: England, Fantasy, Middle Ages
Synopsis: When Philip was kidnapped while attending the University of Oxford, Dove traveled across England to rescue him—but can Lord Morgan move fast enough to rescue both of them?

I think all of us who read aloud together have been enjoying the Annals of Wynnewood. We are all a little bit sad to see the series come to an end with Beneath the Cloak. At the same time, it is quite satisfying to know all about Dove. This book, the longest of the trilogy, contains a lot of adventure.

As Lord Morgan’s protege, Philip has begun his many years of study at Oxford. He is excited about the chance to learn, but knows it will be hard to be away from his family for seven years. Life in the university town turns out to be very difficult, and suddenly Philip finds himself kidnapped and nearly killed.

Dove can hardly handle the loss of her only friend, Philip, and is working on building herself a life independent of everyone else. Then, the Maete tell her she must hurry to Oxford to save Philip, and she sets off on a dangerous mission across England to rescue her friend. Suddenly, Lord Morgan learns that he needs to save both of his young friends. Can he rescue them in time?

Meanwhile, Dove is also wrestling with thoughts of faith. Phillip’s stories of I AM still seem like fairy tales. How can she possibly have faith in someone she can’t see, when she can’t even trust people she can see? 

Chautona Havig has woven a brilliant story in this trilogy. Annals of Wynnewood, I’m sure, will be one of our family’s favorite read-alouds for this year. We even enjoyed the headings of the two epilogues in Beneath the Cloak: one for serious readers and one for “connoisseurs of mush.” So fun! These are stories that can be read on a number of different levels. Children enjoy the dwarves and dragons and unicorns, and the adventure, while older people can get a lot out of the discussions Philip and Dove have about the Bible and I AM. Some of Dove’s questions and observations about Bible stories are quite thought-provoking. She has a unique perspective.

WARNING: Chapter 10: Philip punches someone in the nose. Chapter 16: One of Philip’s friends is knocked unconscious by ruffians. Chapter 28: some criminals are hung.

Age levels:

Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Keywords: Annals of Wynnewood series · Books for Boys · Books for Girls · Chautona Havig · Christian Fiction · England · Europe · Family Friendly · Fantasy · Middle Ages

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A Lineage of Grace Series

May 10, 2023 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

10 May

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A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers

Title: A Lineage of Grace Series
Author: Francine Rivers
Major Themes: Women, Biblical Fiction
Synopsis: Five separate novellas tell one continuous story of the coming of Jesus, told through the lives of the five women who are named in His genealogy. 

Last year, I read the Sons of Encouragement series aloud to my sons. We really enjoyed these novellas. We found them accurate as far as sticking to the Scriptures, and they really made the Bible come to life. When I saw a book advertised containing all five of Francine Rivers’ books in the A Lineage of Grace series, I immediately bought it. I soon decided that this was not a series to read aloud to my sons, but they are good for women and older girls to read.

Unveiled is the story of Tamar. There is one chapter in the Bible that tells her story. She married one of the sons of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, and God killed her husband because he was evil. So, the next son married her—and refused to let her have a child for his brother, so God killed him, too. Then, because Judah wouldn’t give Tamar to his third son, she ended up tricking Judah into making her pregnant. Amazingly, one of the sons born to her through this act became an ancestor of Jesus! How did Tamar learn to trust the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Unashamed tells the story of Rahab the harlot in Jericho. Why did she invite the two spies into her house and then give them information and help them to escape? This story shows her as a woman who had faith in the God she had heard of from people who were terrified of His power in parting the waters of the Red Sea and making it possible for His people to conquer the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. After hearing those stories, Rahab desperately wanted to become part of the nation of Israel—but would they accept her?

I loved the retelling of Ruth’s story in Unshaken. Naomi remained faithful to God while her husband and sons turned to the gods of Moab, and Ruth learned to love Naomi and her God. When Naomi returned to her hometown of Bethlehem as a destitute widow, Ruth went with her and cared for her despite the animosity of the people around them. She found herself gleaning in Boaz’s fields, and we all know the end of the story. One thing that really stood out to me was a possible reason that Boaz was attracted to her; he was the son of Salmon and Rahab, who was also a foreigner.

Unspoken is the story of Bathsheba. She loved David from when she was a small girl, but ended up married to another man. As anyone who has read the Bible knows, she committed adultery with David and he ordered her husband murdered as a result. One thing that really stands out in this story is the results of adultery. This is a sin that not only affects the people immediately involved, but everyone around them—and the results, in David’s family, were disastrous. Could Bathsheba ever find forgiveness for her terrible sin?

Unafraid wraps up this collection of stories. This one tells the story of the coming of Jesus through the eyes of his mother, Mary. Mary was astounded and found it almost impossible to believe when the angel announced to her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. She believed her son would set the nation of Israel free from the Roman yoke, and found herself constantly frustrated that he was not doing what she expected him to do as soon as she thought he should. Then, when he did begin his life’s work, he did not act as she thought he would, still. How could she convince him to hurry up and free their people from Rome?

These five novellas make up one continuous story, A Lineage of Grace. Tamar was drawn to what she had heard of the God of Jacob, who had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of her grandfather Abraham. Though she was a Canaanite, she believed in God and became part of Jacob’s family. Rahab, too, had heard of the works of the God of the Israelites, and she desperately wanted to become part of them, too. Ruth saw God in the life of her mother-in-law Naomi, and knew that she wanted to be with Naomi’s people, even if they rejected her for being a Moabitess. Bathsheba was already part of the people of Israel, but she desperately wanted to be in David’s family. Although she sinned and brought much trouble to David’s family, God used her to continue the line that would eventually lead to Jesus. And we all know how Mary was used by God to bring Jesus into the world.

Francine Rivers has done an excellent job of bringing the stories in the Bible to life and showing how God works even in the lives of the most unlikely people, people who have done bad things or who are looked down on and rejected. The stories in A Lineage of Grace are very accurate as far as sticking to what the Bible says, although they are very fleshed out, of course. The one thing I noticed that is not Biblically accurate, as far as I am concerned, was in the story of Mary. In this story, one of Mary’s daughters is sick, and when Jesus puts his hands on her she immediately becomes well. This is when he is a young man, many years before his public ministry begins. He also kept their family from being hungry by multiplying their food during times of want. I have an issue with this because John 2 clearly says that turning the water into wine was the beginning of miracles.

WARNING: Unveiled: Occasional mentions of temple prostitution, references to marital intimacy (no more than the Bible describes), and description of a birth. Unashamed: As a harlot, Rahab took men into her bed—this is the extent of the description. Unspoken: as many mentions of sleeping with each other and rape as the Bible makes, with very little more description. Unafraid: as stated in the last paragraph.

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Keywords: Ancient Times · Asia · Biblical Fiction · Books for Women · Christian Fiction · Francine Rivers · Historical Fiction · Israel · Middle East · Women

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Goodness and Mercy

May 8, 2023 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

8 May

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

Goodness and Mercy by Patti Hill

Title: Goodness and Mercy: A World War II Homefront Novel
Author: Patti Hill
Major Themes: Orphans, Orphanages, Colorado, World War II
Synopsis: When her family was about to be split up, Lucy kidnapped her brother and sister and ran with them to Colorado to find refuge with an aunt who didn’t want her.

Goodness and Mercy is one of those books that I read without knowing anything about it when I started. I pretty much picked it out at random from the choices on my Kindle, and liked the cover. Pretty soon I discovered that I liked the story very much, as well.

At eight years old, the twins, Goody and Mercy, were not doing well in the orphanage. Mrs. Nadel, who ran the orphanage, liked Mercy but did not like Goody. Their older sister Lucy knew she had to get the twins out of there before their family was completely broken up—but how could she do that? She was not old enough to care for them legally and knew she would get in trouble for kidnapping if she just took them. Her Aunt Ada way out west in Colorado seemed like their only option. But Aunt Ada had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with the children. What could Lucy do?

When she ran out of all other options, Lucy headed to Colorado anyway. Aunt Ada informed her that she should be writing to soldiers, as World War II was raging. She did not want to write to random soldiers, so she chose the two she knew personally. A lot of the story is told through these letters, and letters Aunt Ada wrote to her many years later. During that first year in Colorado, Lucy learned a lot about relationships. She learned how to cope with loss, and how to get along with people. When German POWs were sent to work in the peach Orchard, Lucy learned more about trust in God and his love from one of them.

Goodness and Mercy is a very complicated story. There are so many levels to it that it kept me turning pages to find out what happened next. Some things surprised me just as much as they surprised the characters—I sure didn’t see at least one of the things coming! While this won’t make it to the list of my top ten favorites this year, I certainly did enjoy it and it was worth reading.

WARNING: The word heck is used at least 11 times, and dang is used once. 

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Keywords: 20th Century · Books for Women · Christian Fiction · Colorado · Historical Fiction · North America · Orphanages · Orphans · Patti Hill · US History · US History 1900-1950 · World War II

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