Review: Heaven is for REAL for kids

About the book:

Heaven is for real, and you are going to like it!

Colton Burpo came back from his trip to heaven with a very important message: Jesus really, really loves children. In effort to reach even more families with this eternally significant story, this runaway bestseller is now told from Colton—kid to kids! Children will receive the same comfort and assurance that so many adults have received from the trade book.

Beautifully illustrated, under Colton's direction, this book is uniquely written from a child for a child. Colton tells of his experiences in first person and comments on things that will be important to kids. A letter to parents is included to guide them in talking to their children about heaven. Scripture along with Q&A section with answers from the Bible are also included in the book.

My thoughts:

I had heard so much about the adult version of this book that I was eager to read the kid version.  True to the hype, the book did not disappoint.  I did read it several times though, just to make sure that I did not skip over any thing!  Colton speaks directly to what another child would want to know and the book reminds me of the beginning of 90 Minutes in Heaven.   The illustrations are beautiful and the use of Scripture on each two-page layout would be helpful as you talk about each point with a child.  I think this book would be beneficial in helping children understand about heaven when they have questions, especially if they have recently lost someone they love.  

4 stars

I was provided this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers through the BookSneeze program in exchange for my honest and fair review.  As always, my opinions are my own.

Sports Trivia Devotional - Inspiration for Kids from Sports and Scripture

Full of interesting facts about every sport you can imagine, this book captures your attention from the beginning.  The main stories are varied and will introduce the reader to interesting atheletes from across the globe.  In addition to the standard sports stories, you will read about the disabled golfer, the pro women's bowler, and the one-legged mountain climber just to name a few.  Each day's reading includes Birthdays, "On This Day" section and a "Fun Fact".  Mixed in with all of these cool readings is a weekly quiz so that you can see how much you remember from the readings.  Sadly, though, where is the devotional message within the book?  It is in one small verse on each page.  Easily missed if you are not looking for it.  Occasionally the devotional thought is tied into the reading for the day...maybe making the last sentence of the last paragraph.  Disappointing especially when the back cover of the book indicates that "you'll discover points and principles from the Bible and sports for your own life and competition."  This book is strong in sports information and trivia; weak in Biblical application.

I would not purchase it as a devotional.  However, if I had a child who loved sports trivia I would purchase it for the triva information alone!

Rating:  2 stars

I r         I received this book for free from ZonderKids Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to give a positive review and my opinions are my own.  

Book Review: The Charlatan's Boy

The Charlatan’s Boy

by Jonathan Rogers

More colorful than the book cover is the life of huckster Floyd and orphan Grady on the island of Corenwald.  Rogers is an amazing storyteller as he weaves the adventures of these two and tells the story from the viewpoint of Grady, a young boy.   “Perfessor” Floyd has convinced Grady he is a “feechie” and hails from the “Feechiefen Swamp” .  When this scheme plays out, what will Floyd and Grady do next to “make a coin?”  

Rogers is so good at the art of writing that he is able to successfully weave two story lines together with such skill that you are not aware what is happening as you read.  First, the active story of Floyd and Grady’s life as huckster and helper.  But secondly, and much more importantly, the underlying story of the yearning of this young orphan boy to know just who he is and where does he hail from.  And don’t we all want to belong?  You will find yourself wanting to know the answer, too and not wanting to put the book down until you do.  Will Grady ever know from whence he came?  "I don't remember one thing about the day I was born. It hasn't been for lack of trying either...I only know one man who might be able to tell me where I come from, and that man is a liar and a fraud." 

This is an excellent book....a rare treasure in the tween and teen literature age group.  For parents looking for good reads and wanting to find books with good content, this is a keeper!  It is humorous, yet sad; fantasy-filled yet realistic; entertaining yet truth prevails.  What more would you want in a good fiction read?  

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to give a positive review and my opinions are my own.  

New Book for Homeschoolers: Passport to the World

Passport to the World
Your A to Z Guided Language Tour
by Greg Froman

More than just a geography book, Froman takes your child on a journey around the world using different languages as the hook. He introduces you to the language, country, children, social customs and much, much more as you travel around the world! You and your child will not want to put this book down. It is colorful, eye-catching, easy to read and flows well. I placed the book on our kitchen bar to see who would pick it up in our family. Everyone did! From my dear husband, the 23 year old and the teens. We learned common phrases in the language (complete with phonetic pronunciation guides) and then read those same phrases in the context of a paragraph. Froman has images from the country as well as pictures of traditional and current dress. He includes cultural customs in a listing format so you can focus on one or all. To top it off, included in the front of the book is a removable “passport” booklet that your child can complete as they study each language/country. Stickers are included as well.

This book is under the category of homeschooling for ages 9-12 and I can see how it can be utilized in various ways. One, it is written from a Christian perspective. Thus if you are studying a certain people group or country in your Bible time or missions time, this book would be a helpful resource. It could be used as a prayer focus where you prayed through the book by focusing on each language/people for two weeks. Two, it is in the format of an atlas. It has a two-page spread for each language and country with a map. It includes pictures, interesting facts, basic words (hello, goodbye, thank you, and peace), and basic demographic information. Thus you could use this book as part of a geography curriculum especially if you have some blank black-lined maps you could add so your child could place the country within the context of its continent and the whole world.

Overall, I would give this book 5 stars!
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I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.  However all my opinions are my own.  I was in no way compensated for my review.