40 Lives in 40 Days by John MacArthur

Genre: Christian, Inspirational, Informational

Source: I purchased a copy

The author takes us on a trip through the lives of forty different Biblical people. He starts with some of the disciples and continues to other important people. I found his description of Thomas, also known as “Doubting Thomas” funny. He said that Thomas was a worrier. It was pointed out that he was so connected to Christ that he would rather die with him than be apart from him. The author compared him to “Eeyore” from the “Winnie the Pooh” book.  He speaks of Abraham’s wife Sarah as an example of what happens when we try to take matters into our own hands. It never works out right.  Rahab is an example of how God reaches down to the lowest of the low.  I was surprised by how many women he spoke about. This is a wonderful book that can be applied to all of our lives.

Student Saturday: Tales From a Not-So-Smart Miss- Know-It-All by Rachel Renee Russell

 

Student Reviewer:  Sabrina S.

Genre:  Middle Grade Realistic Fiction

This is a great series and overall a good book. The author Rachel Renee Russell does an amazing job of making you feel like you're involved with the drama.

The main character, Nikki J. Maxwell, is a teenage girl who has two best friends, Chloe and Zoey, and her biggest enemy Mackenzie, who is a snobby rich girl that thinks she's better than everyone. Her crush, Brandon, is popular and nice but Mackenzie likes him too! Nikki and Makenzie have a big rivalry against each other. They are always trying to outdo one another. In this book, Nikki wants to join a newspaper club for her school, mostly to get closer to Brandon but also for fun. All goes well until her position in the news crew has no action and no one writing messages to it, so she makes it better and gets very well-known across the school. Then comes Brandon's birthday party and Nikki has waited forever to get him his gift but a few problems happen while trying to afford his present. This book is good for anyone who likes high school drama and plot twists. Rachel Renee has written a very good series. 

Rain Falling on Embers by Liana Gardner

 

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I won a copy for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Katie McCabe is a rebellious teen. Her father is the town sheriff. She loves him dearly. She lost her mother at a very young age. He is all she has. She and her best friend Tommy accidently set a shed on fire. When she gets home she explains to her father it was an accident. She is made to pay for the damages. Then the next morning she is put on a bus and shipped to her uncle’s house. Her dad tells her it is because he has been sick lately and the doctors want to do some tests. Her beginnings with her uncle and cousins is rocky. She meets  a young man named Logan who seems to have her back even when she is trying to sabotage herself.  When her father dies and they pack up her former house and move her into her uncle’s house permanently she really rebels.  She has convinced herself that they have taken her in out of obligation and not out of love. What will it take to prove her wrong?  What happens when she makes enemies with someone who believes  they are powerful because of their family name? What will it take to survive?

I read this book in just a few hours. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I have read other books by this author and highly recommend this book and all her others.  I will tell you that you will need a box of tissues all through this book.