Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening

by Carol Wall
Rated PG

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening is a tender memoir about an unlikely friendship, combined with a little lesson in facing our trials with dignity.

When Carol Wall tentatively approaches the man who has made her neighbor's yard so beautiful, it is with some serious misgivings. After all, she has always had an aversion for flowers, dirt, and all things horticultural.

But as Carol and Mr. Owita (Giles) come to know and trust each other, Carol not only finds comfort in watching the way her friend responds to heartache, she also learns to appreciate the beauty that surrounds her, in her very own yard.

The First Phone Call From Heaven

by Mitch Albom
Rated PG

The small town of Coldwater, Michigan is turned upside down when residents begin receiving phone calls from the dead. Suddenly, daughters are getting calls from mothers, mothers from sons, businessmen from partners...is it real, or some sort of complex hoax?

It would seem much of the world believes the phone calls are real, as strangers from all over begin flocking to Coldwater to get a glimpse of the "chosen ones" who receive the calls. Sully Harding, however, is one man who does not believe. A single father whose wife died tragically and recently, Sully is determined that his little son not be duped into thinking his Mama might pick up the phone and call him from heaven. There's enough hurt without that.

As Sully quietly investigates the calls, he finds things he never expected. And that's the premise at the heart of this whole book - what would it mean if the unexpected happened?

A fun, clean mystery, this book is rated PG for suspense and mild references to violence and suicide. This book is really completely clean - thank you Mitch Albom!

Great choice for book club.

Interrupted

by Rachel Coker
Rated G

Already dealing with the loss of her beloved mother, Allie Everly's life is further uprooted when she is suddenly sent to the adoptive home of a woman she's never met, in a state she's never been to. Always something of a loner, Allie struggles to adjust and can't seem to open her heart to those who are trying to love her.

When Sam, a childhood friend / pest, suddenly shows up one summer, Allie has to decide if she is finally going to trust someone, or let her past forever weigh her down.

Although it's set in the 1940s, if the teenage dialogue in this book rings true, it may be because the author herself is still a teenager!

This book is squeaky clean (thanks, Rachel!) and Allie's conversion to Christ is a part of the plot, making it a good candidate for our General Christian category.

I Am David

by Anne Holm
Rated PG

A blog reader wrote to tell me that this is her all-time favorite book, and although it was written for 9-13 year olds, I will be posting this under our Favorites also.

David is about 12 years old when he is given the chance to escape from the concentration camp that he has lived in all his life, or at least for as long as he can remember.

With no known family and nothing but a parcel of bread and matches to sustain him, he sets out for freedom and a place where he can belong.

Imagine what the world would look like if you'd seen nothing but the dreary surroundings and deathly countenances of a concentration camp your whole life! I found myself newly discovering the truly important things in this world through the eyes of David, as he sees and feels everything for the first time.

The profound sacrifice of a friend will either propel David to live or die...I let you discover which it is for yourself.

This book is perfectly clean in language and inference. I rated it PG because the subject matter can be kind of intense - he is a boy all alone and living in constant fear of being caught by evil people. However, this book begins on the day David escapes the concentration camp, so you won't find any of the brutalities you'd expect from a book set during war-time. Great, clean book club choice - Chapter 8 will give you plenty to discuss!


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The Boy Who Dared

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Rated PG-13

A friendly blog reader emailed me to recommend that I read this book. Thank you, we always love a good recommendation!

The Boy Who Dared is a short historical novel about Helmuth, a young Mormon boy growing up in Nazi Germany. As Hitler rises to power and Helmuth begins to witness more and more atrocities against his own neighbors, he must decide whether to protect himself by keeping silent, or to speak out against evil. With the help of an illegal shortwave radio, a typewriter, and three courageous friends, Helmuth chooses to take a stand. How long can he keep it up without getting caught? And can he really trust the boys he's confided in?

Because this book is based on a true story, there are no magical happy endings here. But there is a wonderful message of doing what's right even when it's hard, and of being cared for by God when men are working to destroy your body and spirit.

If your teens pick up this book, they will quickly get involved in the intense story and probably finish it in one day.

This book does not contain any bad language or sexuality. I rated it PG-13 because man's inhumanity to man (including beatings and interrogations) can be really hard for younger readers, so I do think this book is for ages 13 and up.

The theme of speaking out when the cost may be great and when everyone around you is silent makes this a good choice for book club.


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Same Kind of Different As Me

by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

Rated PG

Sorry for the hiatus on posting books here, I was sick...the bad part of that was I didn't feel like doing much, the good part is that I got some extra reading in.

This book was a loaner to me by my friend OS, and I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for a good true story, and this fits the bill. It's the story of a wealthy art dealer and his wife, accustomed to all the luxuries life can offer, who feel compelled to give their life to God and to serving His children. As part of that journey they begin volunteering at a homeless shelter, where they meet Denver, a man who is as accustomed to being down-and-out as the Halls are accustomed to money.

An unusual and enriching friendship ensues, and the story is marked by surprising, and sometimes heartbreaking, twists.

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Left to Tell: Discovering God Amid the Rwandan Holocaust

by Immaculee Ilibagiza

Rated: PG-13

Imagine a world where your friends, people you've had dinner with and worked side by side with for years, turn against you and hunt you down like an animal. In 1994, this is what happened to Immaculee and her Tutsi family in Rwanda. This book is a true story of one woman's struggle to survive during the Rwandan holocaust and how she found God in the midst of horror. This journey of faith takes place without a physical step being taken during Immaculee's 90-day sojourn stuffed in a tiny bathroom with 7 other women, afraid at every moment they would be discovered by the opposing tribe and killed.

This war resulted in many deaths in both the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. However, this book is not about the political realities of this conflict and the overwhelming number of innocent deaths that occurred on both sides. It is a story of one woman's survival and is therefore very one-sided. The purpose of this book is not to give an unbiased view of the conflict but is a very personal narrative sharing Immaculee's journey of faith and how she found the strength to forgive those who killed her beloved family.

This book describes graphic and disturbing scenes of violence and hatred and is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. This is a book strictly for adults only. If you can stomach the stories of the atrocities, though, it is an incredibly moving book about overcoming anger and hatred through faith in God.

One Simple Act

by Debbie Macomber

Rated G

This non-fiction book was a pleasure to read. Heartfelt true stories, scripture verse, and the author's own insights weave together a timeless reminder of the value of generosity.

Going beyond the simplicity of giving money or time as a definiton of generosity, Macomber shows how listening, encouraging, being hospitable, sharing hope, and more are also generous acts. She writes often of listening for the "God nudges", those gentle feelings that tell you when someone needs a helping hand or an encouraging word. I echo her belief in the importance of following those feelings. It never hurts to do something kind, and often it helps more than we know.

A big thanks to my mom for loaning me this book, it had some good reminders for me and made me want to be better.

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A Rose by the Door

by Deborah Bedford
Rated G
Bea Bartling is famous for her yellow roses, said to be cultivated from the original planting left by settlers on the Oregon Trail. People come from miles around to see her roses. In fact, in seems like everyone comes but the one person she'd really like to see - her estranged son. When this son is killed in a tragic accident, Bea is overwhelmed by grief and bitterness. The arrival of two strangers on her doorstep, suitcase in hand, doesn't help matters. But it may be through these two people that the greatest help of all arrives.
This is a Christian novel that is perfect if you ever feel your faith floundering, or wonder what to make of those unanswered prayers. Even in hard times, God's hand is revealed if you look in the right places.
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Danger in the Shadows

by Dee Henderson

Rated PG

Sara lives life in the shadow of fear. Hunted by the man who kidnapped her and killed her twin sister more than two decades ago, and under FBI protection, Sara's days are marred by the constant suffocation of wondering who might be lurking around the next corner. And now she's falling in love - with a former pro football player, of all people. His high profile just might cost Sara her life.

Mysteries that aren't too gory, and romances that aren't too explicit, can be hard to find, but Danger in the Shadows is both. Henderson brings faith and God into all the complex equations in her book, which makes for a very clean read. Although the subject matter is a little scary, I would let anyone 12 and up read this book.

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Covenant Child

by Terri Blackstock
Rated PG
Twins Kara and Lizzie are heirs to a billion dollar fortune, but they've grown up in a run-down trailer with relatives who care a great deal about money but not at all about little girls. The twins have been told all their lives that when their father died when they were three, their stepmother, Amanda, stole their inheritance and is just looking for an opportunity to kill them so they can't take her money when they turn 18.
But when Amanda comes into their life and tells them a completely different story - a story of love and loss and longing for the family they used to be - the girls don't know who to trust.
Covenant Child is a novel that will keep you up late reading to finish it. The losses the characters suffer feel personal, and you'll find yourself rooting for these girls all the way. Terri Blackstock is a prolific Christian author, and this book is part of the Women of Faith Fiction series. This is the first of her books I've picked up, and I enjoyed it. Rated PG due to a couple unsavory characters and one instance of violence.
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Resting in the Bosom of the Lamb

by Augusta Trobaugh
Rated PG
As the name implies, this novel reads like an old Southern spiritual. Four women wearing out the floorboards on the front porch as they rock and tell their family stories to each other, over and over. Only there are some stories that have never been told, stories that hurt too much, stories that no one should have to remember. And if nobody remembers them, perhaps they never happened.
But secrets have a way of making you feel like they have to be told, and that's how it is for Pet. Pet has always considered Miss Cora her family, even though they have different skin colors and Pet has "kept her place" in Miss Cora's house her whole life. Now she is old, Miss Cora is old, and Pet has to decide whether speaking of their secrets will protect her "family" or ruin it.
This book is rated PG because it alludes to some disturbing events, but never graphically.
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One Tattered Angel

By Blaine Yorgason
Rated G
Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE this book! I hate to be cliche, but this really is a "touching true story" about a family who adopts an amazing little girl, Charity. Charity was born without a brain stem, and was not expected to live. Not only did she live, but she lived to demonstrate the startling power of spirit over body, finding ways to communicate with the people she loved even with most of her brain missing.
If you're like me and completely neglect your house and family when you're in the middle of a good book, then this book is for you. It's a quick read, and, although a bit of a tear-jerker, it will leave you feeling totally uplifted.
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