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The Year the Stars Fell

July 18, 2022 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

18 Jul

The Year the Stars Fell by Elizabeth Wehman

Title: The Year the Stars Fell
Author: Elizabeth Wehman
Series: The Newburg Chronicles, book 1
Major Themes: Michigan, Pioneers
Synopsis: When the Baker family moved from Pennsylvania to Michigan in 1833, it was the hardest year of Betsey’s life—and yet, in some ways, the best.

After I signed up to review Crooked Paths Straight, I decided I really should read the first book in the series before reading that one! So, I bought The Year the Stars Fell. I was really attracted to this series because it is set in my home state of Michigan, only a couple of hours’ drive from the area in which I lived most of my life. Any book that tells part of the story of Michigan’s history is attractive to me!

Hosea Baker decided to buy land in Michigan and move his wife and daughters there from Pennsylvania in the year 1833. His son Ambrose was already in the new territory, and he was determined to reunite the family, no matter what his wife Sally thought. Their oldest daughter Betsey was already married, and could hardly bear the thought of her family moving away to a new land—and then her husband Aaron made the decision that they, and their unborn baby, would also make the move. Soon, everyone except Hosea wondered if they had made the wrong choice. Would they even make it across Lake Erie, let alone through the wilderness to the Shiawassee River?

Eventually, despite early spring mud and thieving Indians, the family arrived at their new home. Now, there were many more obstacles to face if they were to survive even their first year. Wolves, mosquitoes, and fevers threatened their lives and sanity. Trees had to be felled to clear land for planting, a barn was necessary, and the Indians kept showing up, stinking so that Betsey couldn’t stand it. Through everything, Hosea’s faith remained strong—but could the rest of the family trust God? What would happen to them?

I enjoyed the storyline for the most part. The grammar and punctuation need some more editing; I struggled with being jerked out of the story over and over because of punctuation errors. Also, I thought the description of the plague of mosquitoes was overdone—but then I looked up the location on a map after reading the historical note at the end and remembered being in that very area one hot summer Sunday about 12 or 13 years ago and decided that maybe that part is accurate after all! The threat of the wolves seemed a bit melodramatic as well, until I read the historical note. So, maybe it would be wise to read that note first! Apparently, a good amount of the story, including what I considered to be the more improbable parts, is based on historical records.

The Year the Stars Fell is an interesting story about an often-overlooked part of American history. I have rarely found books set in Michigan, so I really enjoyed that. If you can get past the poor editing (and I hope that will be corrected eventually), give this book a try. I really appreciated Hosea’s deep faith and the way he quoted Scripture. I also enjoyed the way his daughters sang so much—and that is a historical fact. One thing I did wonder about, though, as far as historical accuracy, was that the family often worked hard on Sundays.

No warnings!

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

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

Free at Last

July 15, 2022 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

15 Jul

Title: Free at Last
Author: Marcel Becker
Major Themes: Crime, Criminals, California
Synopsis: Marcel Becker led a life of crime and being hunted, in and out of prison—until the day he found himself a father and realized that his children would be destroyed if he didn’t make a drastic change.

I always enjoy a good memoir. It’s interesting to read what a person wants to tell about his or her own life, and what he or she emphasizes. When I see a memoir offered for review, I often take a second look at it. Free at Last sounded like a very interesting story, so I signed up for it.

Marcel grew up “on the wrong side of the tracks.” His father suffered from PTSD and took it out on his younger son, who found himself continually being beaten for no real reason. Though his mother loved him, Marcel left home as soon as he could find a way, and quickly became involved in a life of crime and drugs. Going into and out of prison was soon a way of life for him, and eventually, the FBI sent a whole task force after him. Then one day, two of Marcel’s children were dumped on him by their mother. What was he to do now?

Marcel’s life changed nearly overnight when he became responsible for two frightened children. He knew he did not want them to have the same kind of life he had always had; what should he do now? He began looking for honest work, and soon found he had to start at the bottom. He clawed his way to the top—only to find it didn’t satisfy.

I’ll have to say, I didn’t enjoy the first 33% or so of Free at Last. It is not fun to read about crime and prison life and beating people up and getting beaten up. Marcel did not go into too much graphic detail, though, so it wasn’t too bad. I appreciated seeing him become an honest working man and making good in business, but by the time I reached 78% through the book I was starting to wonder if this was really a Christian book! I’m glad to say that the change in Marcel’s life, the candor with which he describes his Christian walk, and the church challenges he faced, are inspiring. At one point, he says, “I stopped going to church. And in retrospect, that turned out to be a very, very bad decision.” I would say that if anyone had a good reason for quitting church, he did—and yet after a time he saw the need for fellowship.

Here are a few more quotes that stood out to me:

But to say that I struggled is to say that I was alive and kicking. You only struggle when you’re fighting against something.

Let me tell you something; freedom isn’t just roaming around doing whatever you want to.

And when you’re trying to do the right thing, that’s a breath of fresh air because you don’t have anything to hide.

If you are interested in hearing a man candidly telling about his life, the good and the bad, the struggles, the failures, and the triumphs, read Free at Last. This book is inspiring. When I first started reading it, I wasn’t sure I would like it at all; I mentally prepared myself to struggle through it. It turned out to be very interesting, though, and a fairly quick read for me.

I received a review copy of this book from CelebrateLit, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Chapter 11—beating up a prison guard. Heck and dang and hell are used occasionally throughout the book.

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Adults

Links to buy this book:

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

Kavik the Wolf Dog

July 13, 2022 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

13 Jul

Title: Kavik the Wolf Dog
Author: Walt Morey
Major Themes: Dogs, Alaska, Survival
Synopsis: Kavik, a sled dog who is a throw-back to a wolf ancestor, finds himself fighting for his life over and over, and faces a 2,000-mile journey on foot if he is to return to the boy he loves.

One of my sons has a new favorite author. The last two times he has had the privilege of choosing a story for me to read aloud, he chose a book by Walt Morey. This time, we read Kavik the Wolf Dog. Everyone enjoyed it very much! In some ways, this story reminded us of Lassie Come-Home, but in other ways, it was quite different.

Kavik was born to be a sled dog in Alaska, but his master recognized that this animal was a throwback to wolf ancestors and had the potential to become a leader. He trained Kavik to be ruthless and to think for himself, and never gave him any kindness. Sure enough, Kavik won a race—and a man from Seattle immediately bought him to show off back home. Catastrophe struck the airplane in which Kavik was being transported, and the dog found himself fighting for his life. He also experienced the first kindness he had ever felt in his life.

Soon, Kavik was well, and the man from Seattle came back to claim him from the boy who had saved the wolf-dog’s life. Kavik was soon confined in a small kennel in the city, far from his home—and then the man decided his expensive dog was worthless and was going to dispose of him. However, Kavik saw a chance to run, and he took it. How could he possibly get across the wide stretch of water on the north edge of Seattle, and get back to the family he loved in Alaska? Two thousand miles of mountains, glaciers, and icy rivers were between! Was it even possible?

Kavik the Wolf Dog had us on the edge of our seats at times. This is an exciting story! Kavik found himself in one dangerous situation after another. No one really wanted me to stop reading this book when our time was up each day. It’s not just a story about an animal, either; human nature, both the pleasant and unpleasant sides, plays a large part in this book as well. I felt like I knew more about Alaska after reading this book, too; Walt Morey does a good job with his descriptions of the landscape. If you want a book that boys will enjoy, this would be a good choice!

WARNING: Chapter 6: holy mackerel. Chapter 13: for Pete’s sake, holy mackerel twice

Age levels:

Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Read Alouds
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15

Links to buy this book:

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

Live the Impossible

July 11, 2022 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

11 Jul

Title: Live the Impossible: How a wheelchair has taken me places I never dared to imagine
Author: Jenny Smith
Major Themes: Disabilities, Wheelchairs, Quadriplegia
Synopsis: After an accident when she was 16, Jenny Smith became a quadriplegic—but her life was not ruined!

Approximately 35 years ago, we heard the startling news that a friend from another state, the father of eight young children, had been in a car accident, had broken his back, and would never walk again. We often crossed paths with him and his family, and it was always inspiring to see his smile and hear his cheerful laugh. I remember one day, probably 5-10 years after the accident, when a very old lady in our church was commiserating with this man about how terrible it was that he was now confined to a wheelchair. I’ll never forget his response. He exclaimed, “It was the best thing that ever happened to me!” That was the feeling I got from Jenny Smith throughout her story in Live the Impossible. She didn’t feel that way at first, and I’m not sure she would actually say that now, but she certainly sees what she has gained through her disability.

Jenny was only 16, and an accomplished gymnast, when she slipped one day while doing a flip and broke her neck. Her life changed completely. She had to accept that she would never feel her body below the waist again, she needed help with the most intimate functions of life, and she had to relearn how to do the simplest things with her hands. She also had to learn how to trust that God still loved her and was in control of her life and what happened.

Through the next 30 years, Jenny found herself doing things she never imagined doing. She made up her mind to try anything—once, at least. Some of her new activities became lifelong sports. She also found herself going to other countries and distributing wheelchairs to those who needed them. She also learned how to live by herself and do almost everything for herself—I was astounded at what she was able to do, with very limited mobility in her arms and nothing below her chest!

Live the Impossible is a very inspiring story. I really appreciated Jenny’s attitude about counting her blessings and praising God for everything possible. Her acceptance of what God was doing in her life, though she allowed herself to grieve her losses, is something we can all learn from and put into practice in our own lives. I also learned a lot from this book about life as a quadriplegic. Jenny is very frank about the challenges she faces, and how she copes.

I received a review copy of this book from CelebrateLit, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Chapter 8: my gosh; Chapter 21 contains a discussion about sexuality; Chapter 29: scares the heck

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

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

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Civil War Soldier

July 8, 2022 by Emma Filbrun · Leave a Comment

8 Jul

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Civil War Soldier by Thomas Ratliff

Title: You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Civil War Soldier
Author: Thomas Ratliff
Series: You Wouldn’t Want to…: American History
Major Themes: US Civil War
Synopsis: The history of the American Civil War is briefly described in this comical picture book.

I have been working through American history with my 7-year-old daughter. We have been reading a lot of interesting books and stories about American history, and have just gotten past the Civil War. The book that was assigned to us for this topic was You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Civil War Soldier. I hadn’t read any books in that series before, but this one makes me think I would like to find more of them!

This book begins with a timeline of the Civil War, and a map of the major battles. Most of the entries on the timeline have a picture with them. After that, the introduction sets the scene for the rest of the book, telling you that you are a farmer from Connecticut who decides to join the Union Army. The rest of the book tells about the war from that point of view.

Each two-page spread describes a different aspect of the war, such as what life was like in the Union Army, the first battle, weapons, and a few of the major battles. One page talks about your counterparts in the Confederate Army, and another tells what happens if you are wounded. At the end of the book is a glossary of potentially unfamiliar words, some random facts about the war, and lists of some of the important battles and the bloodiest battles.

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Civil War Soldier is illustrated with colorful paintings, done in a slightly cartoonish style. This is a good introduction to that war, helping children understand what it was like without glorifying war. My daughter didn’t like this book, because she doesn’t want to read about war, but I noticed that my 12-year-old son has been picking it up and reading it at odd times, because it’s been laying around the living room. As I said, I would like to have more books in this series. If this one is a good sample, I think they are a good way to introduce children to various parts of American history.

WARNING: Pages 22 and 23 show injured soldiers, and a lot of blood.

Age levels:

Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Library Binding
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com