Adventures with Buster by London Lake Pickett

Adventures with Buster is a charming true story written by London Lake Pickett and illustrated by Lynda Farrington Wilson.

The book opens with an explanation that the author has an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa that has caused blindness in one eye and loss of 90% of her vision in the other.  The author then shares how Buster came to become her Guide Dog.

I read this book with my 10, 8, and 6 year old kids. They loved the stories of the adventures of London and Buster. Throughout the book are sprinkled some of the commands that Buster learned to assist his master.  One command in particular had my children almost rolling on the floor: "Busy, Busy."  You'll have to read the book to find out what that means!

One part of the story that I found fascinating was that some of Buster's initial training took place at a correctional facility by a female inmate. Then he spent time with a family and then back to training school where London first met Buster.  She traveled from North Carolina down to Florida to receive extensive training with her new dog. Training involved practicing commands in all sorts of settings: inside, outside, in stores, restaurants, etc.  Included at the back of the book were all the commands that Buster and London learned to work together well as a team.

When I asked my kids what they thought of the book, here's what they had to say:

• 10 year old son: "I thought it was interesting that he was so smart and he didn't get distracted. It was very humorous."
• 8 year old daughter: "It was really good!"
• 6 year old daughter: "I liked the pictures. It was funny when he went 'Busy, Busy'!"

When we were done reading the book, my 6 year old wanted a copy of the list of commands in case she got a dog in the future.  

I hope that Ms. Pickett will write additional stories about her adventures with Buster. One suggestion I would make is to include a photograph of the author with Buster so kids can feel like they've really, truly "met" this adventurous duo.  It would also be fun to have the author upload some video on YouTube to demonstrate how Buster assists her.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any school, church, or home library to help kids better understand the role of a Guide Dog. The author did a wonderful job of explaining how hard her dog works and how people who meet her can best treat Buster so as not to interfere with his important job of keeping Ms. Pickett safe.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Adventures with Buster, contact London Lake Pickett at adventureswithbuster {at} yahoo {dot} com.


Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of the book for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.    

The House on Moody Avenue

If walls could talk, they would tell some interesting tales.  We live in a house nearly 100 years old and it's fascinating to think about what the walls of our home have witnessed--what sorrows, disappointments, or joys?

Cellestine Hannemann, the author of The House on Moody Avenue, has taken this concept and formed a saga of the lives that have come and gone from Moody Avenue.  The majority of the book is back story before the house even existed. Readers are introduced to Lisette who becomes orphaned and experiences the difficulties of life on the street. She providentially receives assistance in the form of an apprenticeship to a milliner.  Not a life in a loving family but some security nonetheless. Then in fairy tale fashion, she gets courted by a wealthy gentleman who is not concerned about social norms and the repercussions of marrying below his social class.

The House on Moody Avenue is built as a wedding gift to Lisette.  Tragedy, however, prevents Lisette from moving in as planned and she once again is forced to rely on others' kindness to help her through grief.  Then ensues a chronicle of the ways she seeks to find purpose in her life as a young widow.  She does eventually move into the House on Moody Avenue but not as its mistress, more as a voluntary servant. But with some additional hardships along the way, she once again beats the odds and marries well.  Twice lucky in love and fortune seem unlikely, but it makes for a sweet story.

The book then fast forwards to the roaring 20's and in this portion of the book, a crazy quilt of characters converge to live in the house on Moody Avenue, turned boarding house, after years of neglect.  I liked the concept and various "flavors" each character's story brought to the house but felt like this part of the book was hurried and not nearly as developed as Lisette's story.  I also felt that some characters escaped the consequences of morally wrong choices.

Finally the reader is transported forward to the 60's in which the house comes to a very abrupt and tragic end.  This final portion was quite disappointing as there was very little information on characters--they basically served as the means to the end of the once stately house.

The tone throughout the story reminded me Louisa May Alcott or Grace Livingston Hill.  Also a female sort of Horatio Alger tale.  But I felt where this book fell short was the opportunity to include messages of redemption. Several characters would have benefited from the influence of a strong Christian who could have helped them along a better path.  All in all, I was disappointed with how empty each life really was. The book is really a collection of "orphans": people who felt isolated and alone for one reason or another and abandoned either by family or society.  And instead of being able to find significance in Christ, they just sort of wandered through life.

If you like an old-fashioned story without a preachy message, then this may be the book for you. It will certainly cause the reader to examine the course of their own life and ponder what the walls of their house might say once they are gone.

The House on Moody Avenue can be purchased as an ebook ($3.99) or softcover volume ($24.95) directly from the publisher, WestBow Press.

Disclaimer: I received an e-book version of The House on Moody Avenue for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Kregel Tour: David Sticker Book

Sticker books have been a perennial favorite in our home. All six of my children have enjoyed putting sticker to paper but not every book has lasted the test of time. Having purchased a variety of sticker books over my almost 18 years of parenting, I can say with confidence that all sticker books are not created equal. Some stickers are so difficult to get off the sticker sheet that the child has very little to do with actually using them.

Other sticker books claim to be "repositionable" which translates into: "BEWARE--these stickers will stay on the right page for maybe 5 minutes and you will then find them all over the house filled with so much lint that they will never stick to anything again!"   I much prefer a sticker book in which stickers stay where you put them--just the kind used in the David Sticker Book.

The David Sticker Book has stickers that were easy to peel off and the lines were all thoroughly cut so that there were no ripping of images (an event sure to produce tears). The stickers had good stick so they will stay put!  A must for any book that is going to be read more than once.

One thing I particularly liked about the David Sticker book was that the stickers not the entire point of the book. Rather the stickers complemented the story.  The reader has the thrill of contributing to the illustrations by filling in the stickers in the correct places. I love how this fosters cognitive reasoning--matching the correct outline of the shape on the page with the correct sticker. And although the stickers are a one time activity, the book itself is so beautifully illustrated and simply told, that kids will enjoy looking at it over and over and either read or ask to have it read to them repeatedly. The stickers add an almost three-dimensional aspect to future readings.

There are four pages of stickers to apply. A very nice quantity especially in our household with multiple children. My youngest three kids aged 5, 7 and 9 were all thrilled to help put in the stickers. With so many to use, they each had plenty to apply.  I liked that the stickers were in the middle of the book allowing for easy removal of those pages once the stickers were completed--leaving just a beautiful story book without empty sticker pages.

Each page had several images to apply--both large and small.  The image on the book page is faintly present giving some help to the child applying (sort of a white shadow of the sticker image).  The sticker has the main image as well as part of the background of the page.  This really helps the sticker fit right into the illustration.  A few stickers did have some more complicated backgrounds so if you have a perfectionist child, you may want to help guide them in getting the sticker situated just so.  Because the stickers are sticky, you'll want to make sure of its placement before patting it all down.

I liked that the reference in the Bible was given at the end of the book so that parents and children can look up the origin of the content directly from the Bible. This also helps provide additional information and details for older readers. This book would be a great complement to family devotions or a family night as the Bible version is read and the David Sticker Book helps to bring Scripture alive.

You can purchase David Sticker Book directly from Kregel Publications for $5.99.  The book can also be purchased from one of the following retailers:

• Amazon (includes free shipping for Prime members)
• Christianbook
• Barnes & Noble

This book provides a very fun and inexpensive way to make some great memories with the children in your home while instilling in them a greater knowledge of Bible heroes!

Disclaimer: I received David Sticker Book from Kregel Publications for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Fire Prophet by Jerel Law

Jonah and Eliza Stone return in the second book in the Son of Angels series by author and pastor, Jerel Law.   It's been a year since their last adventure and they are in New York with their parents and younger brother, Jeremiah.  After meeting a prophetic street preacher their life gets pretty exciting.

Faced by bullies at school (influenced by demons in this case), Jonah gets escorted home with his siblings only to find out that all quarterlings (descendants of nephilim in the Bible) are under attack and will need to be taken to a safe house.  After frantically packing, the family is on their way. With some close calls, they make it to where the kids are left--a convent in New York. For the first time, Eliza and Jonah meet other children like themselves. And Jeremiah finally gets to find out how he has been gifted.

Dubbed "Angel School," the quarterlings are assisted in developing their spiritual gifts as well as learning the power of prayer and Scripture memory in defeating the enemies of God. The young people are being prepared for battle because Abaddon [Satan] has vowed to kill them all as well as their parents.

Sort of a celestial Spy Kids, Fire Prophet has pretty intense battle scenes; the demise of fallen angels was particularly gory in spots. I would caution parents to pre-read before giving to younger readers. Reading as a family would be my first recommendation so parents can help explain some of the spiritual aspects. For a read alone, I would suggest 12 and up.

One aspect that was a bit confusing was that some of the quarterlings had not yet received "Elohim" (as God was referred to in the book) as their Savior (which was evidenced by a lack of Elohim's glow while in the hidden realm). I personally do not believe that someone who has not been covered by Christ's blood can effectively engage in spiritual warfare with the enemy. Aside from that, I found the book an exciting read that will open young people's eyes to the reality of the angelic forces all around us.  The book would be a great introduction to studying more about the armor of God and how it protects us.

I thought the second book was much more engaging than the first and had a greater emphasis on spiritual disciplines such as prayer and meditation on Scripture.  You can visit the Jerel Law website to learn more about the author, story line and characters. You can also watch the book trailer.

Purchase your copy of Fire Prophet directly from Thomas Nelson or from one of the following retailers:

• Amazon (print)
• Amazon (Kindle version)
• Christian Book Distributors (print, ebook, audiobook or audio download)
• Barnes & Noble (print, ebook)

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Fire Prophet from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Gift From the Mikado

Looking for a great family read aloud? Interested in getting a glimpse of what missionary life is like? Curious about the culture and customs of Japan?  Then pick up the book Gift From the Mikado by Elizabeth P. Fleming. This book was a fabulous family read aloud that I just finished with my 5, 7, and 9 year old kids (2 girls, 1 boy).  They all loved it and were begging to keep reading day after day.

I loved the glimpse into daily missionary life: hosting call to prayer each evening, entertaining other missionaries (who weren't always patient with children), making connections with dignitaries and being favored with gifts from important people.  There were some very tender answers to prayer and some interesting conversion stories.  The author is the youngest of the children in the family and recounts the tales she grew up hearing (even though she ended up moving back to the states with her family when she was quite young).

After the book was done, I was really wishing there had been a sequel. The family characters were so vivid and heartwarming, I would like to have learned more about their adventures in growing up.  

We learned a good deal about Japanese holidays, cultural norms as well as superstitions.  All told in a fun and lighthearted way. Grab your copy so you can find out what exactly the "gift from the mikado" was. You can pick up a copy from Amazon:

Kregel Tour: The Tainted Coin

The Tainted Coin:

 The fifth chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon

by Mel Starr

Publisher's summary:

It is the autumn of 1367. Master Hugh is enjoying the peaceful life of Bampton when a badly beaten man is found under the porch of St. Andrew's Chapel. The dying man is a chapman--a traveling merchant. Before he is buried in the chapel grounds, an ancient, corroded coin is found in the man's mouth.

Master Hugh's quest for the chapman's assailants, and his search for the origin of the coin, begins to make progress--but there are men of wealth and power in league with his old nemesis, Sir Simon Trillowe, who wish to end his search . . . permanently.

But Master Hugh, and his assistant, the groom Arthur, are determined to uncover the thieves and murderers, and the source of the chapman's coin. They do, but not before they become involved with a kidnapped maiden, a tyrannical abbot, and a suffering monk--who needs Master Hugh's surgical skills and in return provides clues that assist Hugh in solving the mystery of the tainted coin.

A Series Worth Reading

The Tainted Coin was my first introduction to Hugh de Singleton and my first impression was outstanding. The book gives the reader a glimpse of not only medieval village life but also medical practices of the time period. Starr's years of teaching history and studying medieval surgery and English provided realistic detail and historical authenticity. While some of the vocabulary may be unfamiliar, Starr thoughtfully included a glossary for the reader's convenience.

The book begins with a hasty summons of Hugh to attend to a corpse. Having been beaten badly and dying with the cryptic words, "He didn't get me coin," Hugh's additional role as bailiff to Lord Gilbert sets him on the course to find the murderer. The author provided a very helpful map of the villages in the area so you can follow Hugh's travels.

The victim's life slowly unfolds as Hugh begins to investigate. Readers are introduced to a cast of memorable characters--many unsavory.  Told from Hugh's perspective, the reader is taken along on a winding and often perilous journey to the book's satisfying conclusion. Hugh is an entirely likeable and witty protagonist. Not without weaknesses but persistent in pursuing justice.

Although the book is the fifth about Hugh, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale on its own merits and look forward to reading Starr's previous books about the surgeon's adventures (references were made to them but not enough details given to spoil the reader's experience). I certainly hope that Starr will continue writing future installments about Hugh de Singleton.

I found the book to be a delight in every way and highly recommend it to others. If you'd like to have a taste of the tale, then download an excerpt from the book. You'll want to know how it ends!

Quality Publication

It's worth noting that the book is printed on very nice, sturdy paper with a thicker than normal paperback cover. What was particularly notable was the cover is scored to protect the binding as well. The thicker cover also prevents the annoying curling that often happens to softcovers. The superior quality is important as this will be a book you'll want to read more than once!

Grab Your Copy Today

You can purchase The Tainted Coin directly from Kregel Publications for $14.99 or purchase from one the following retailers:

• Christian Book Distributors
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble (print and nook versions)

Hurry! For a limited time, you can get the Kindle version for only $5!

Author Information

  

You can learn more about author Mel Starr at his website.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The Tainted Coin from Kregel Publications for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

A Christmas Home

A small rural town in the midst of some financial struggles means making some hard cuts.  Unfortunately, the local animal shelter is one of the casualties. The building has been sold and all the animal occupants are in need of some quick adoptions before Christmas.

The caring staff does everything they can to place as many dogs and cats as possible before the shelter closes. In addition to that stress, Todd McCray, the assistant manager, also needs to figure out where to find employment once the shelter closes. May not seem like too much for the average person but Todd has some special needs and so things don't come quite as easily for him.  What he excels at, however, is working with animals. Todd trained a service dog to assist a friend with physical handicaps, and he'd really love to continue training animals.

It's fun to see the town pull together to try to solve the dilemma. Todd makes some calls and works some magic to arrange to showcase the animals at a local mall. Several animals find new homes that day. Just as things seem to be going so well, a freak accident renders the shelter uninhabitable and the clock seems to have run out of time. Will the dogs have to be put down? Where can they even find a temporary place to house the remaining animals?  And where is Todd going to work?

Read the book to find out what happens to the shelter and with Todd. I'm hoping that Mr. Kincaid will continue the story in another book.  If you are looking for a quick, feel-good read for the holidays, this is one to pick up for yourself or someone else. Any pet lover would enjoy it, or perhaps gift it to someone laid up over the holidays--it will be a great encouragement to them.

You can pick up your copy from the following retailers:

• Amazon
• Christian Book Distributors (e-book)
• Barnes & Noble

Visit the author's website for information on more books in this series (this was the second but can be read on its own).  Watch an interview with the author about the book:

[The movie scenes were from the Hallmark movie made from the first book, A Dog Named Christmas.]

Disclaimer: I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of review. No additional compensation was received. The views expressed are my own.