Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Hidden by Olivia Gold

 


Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review

This is a great middle grade book.

Xander is not happy to begin seventh grade with a flip phone. His parents don’t want him to have anything that might put him in danger. Both of his parents have government jobs that could attract the attention of unsavory people. Xander doesn’t really have any fear of this happening. His life changed in the blink of an eye.  Xander overhears  two men who were posing as dog groomers in his parents office across from his bedroom.  They are obviously looking for something. Xander’s mom ushers the two men out of her house as she and Xander try to clean up the mess they left. When Xander tells his mom what the men were doing and the next thing he knows they are in the witness protection program. Now he has to start school in a new state and try to fit in. This is not something Xander is real good at.  To make matters worse he is enrolled in the “Soda Club”. The members are trying to create a new soda flavor for a competition.

This was a fun book to read. Maybe it is because I teach middle school and see some of their antics each day. The story rang true in so many ways.  If you want to read something that is a fun book with an element of mystery then this is the book for you. Step into the story with Xander where it seems the disasters just keep coming his way.


Sunday, January 19, 2025

From Turmoil to Peace by Delia Hayward

 


Genre: Adult, Christian, Memoir
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

What an awesome, God-inspired memoir. The author takes us through her life and its hardships and shows us what it is like to walk with, and rely on God.  From the time she was a young child she faced hardships. She grew up thinking that no one truly loved her. She, like so many people tried to find that love in different places. She married and had three boys. However, her marriage was in just as much turmoil. She not only learned to love and follow God in her daily walk; she learned that God will often tell us what we need before we know we need it.

There were so many things I could relate to in her story. I went the route of a single parent after my divorce. I had no intentions of ever marrying again. Then one night my daughter asked me if I would pray with her for a new daddy.  Boy did God ever answer that prayer. This June will be thirty-two years.  I understood how hard it was to forgive her husband for what he put her and the children through. 

This story makes your heart ache yet lifts you and lets you see the possibilities with God in control of your life. I was raised in a strong Christian home. Sometimes, God wants us to be reminded that he is in control of things if we just take our hands off the wheel and let him handle it. This book came at a time when I must have needed that reminder. A time when I needed to pray for the one I see as causing some turmoil in my life. My mother used to tell me you can't be angry with someone if you are praying for them. This book reminded me of that.  I want to share this book with everyone I know. Its message is one for all people to hear.


Friday, January 17, 2025

Drawing Freedom by Felicia Ketcheson

 



Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is the second book in this excellent series. Reading it reminded me of "The Hunger Games", and "The Giver" all rolled into one. Breel is a young girl  who managed to fight back against the President and his rules. The only thing she wanted to do was be free to draw. Unfortunately, anything you can think of that you do for fun would be a crime in her world. This second book gives us more background into the early years of President Tatum's rise from poverty to President of Lexum. We get to see how wicked and corrupt he has always been. 
This group of rebels have gone all out in their mission to take down the President. They have a new ally willing to help them. Clonis is President Tatum's only surviving brother. It is obvious he believes his brother needs to be taken out. Why?  Well you will need to read the book to find out why. Breel gets to use her drawing abilities to try   to persuade others to join their cause.  This is one of those books that will stick with you long after you have finished it. The tension in it is high to keep you reading. The only thing that makes me sad is that I will now have to wait for the next book to come out.  If you like dystopian books then you are going to love this one.