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"Samantha Learns a Lesson" by: Susan Adler

This   is the 2nd book in the  American Girl Samantha  series   by Susan Adler.   Recommended Age : 8+ 61 pages Description :  Samantha is determined to help Nellie with her school work and learns a great deal herself about what it is like to be a poor child.   My Rating: 5/5 I really loved this book! I love Samantha as a character and think she is an amazing role model for young girls!   (SPOILER!)   I, personally, think Samantha should not have won the speech contest. I think it would have been better for her character but also for the reader to have something unexpected. After all, she did change her speech from the one she submitted.   (END OF SPOILER!)   Notable Quotes: “I think it is a mistake to assume that change means progress.” - Grandmary Things to be aware of in “Samantha Learns a Lesson” Language: - 1 “what the dickens” (it is described as an “almost swear-word”) - 1 “I swear it” - 1 “dummy” Violence: - Mention of ...

"Annie's People" trilogy by: Beverly Lewis ("The Preacher's Daughter" | "The Englisher" | "The Brethren")

Recommended Age: 16-17+ Book 1 : 352 pages Book 2 : 354 pages Book 3 : 354 pages Description : Author Beverly Lewis Three Book Bundle Of The Annie's People Series The Preacher's Daughter - The Englisher - The Brethren . Annie Zook is forced by her father, the bishop, to choose between her forbidden art and joining the church, the only life she knows. Beverly Lewis is a Christian fiction novelist and adult and children's author of over 80 books. She was born Beverly Marie Jones, and is a former schoolteacher and musician. My Rating: 3/5 I enjoyed this book, but I do have some things to note: Annie, the protagonist can be quite whiny at times. (-2 stars) (For no spoilers stop reading here.) First, she is whiny at any mention of Louisa leaving. I understand they’re good friends (almost like sisters), but she has to have a more mature understanding of Louisa’s visit. She certainly can’t expect it to be forever. I guess I’m saying that for a girl Annie’s age, she ...

"Les Miserables" by: Victor Hugo

Recommended Age: 18+ 1,488 pages Description : Considered to be French novelist Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Les Miserables , which was published in 1862, is a sprawling historical and philosophical epic that covers from 1815 through the Paris Uprising in 1832. Notable for its many subplots and digressions from the main storyline, the novel's stated aim is a progress from evil to good, from injustice to justice, from falsehood to truth, which can be seen most clearly in the story of the central character Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who struggles to shake the sins of his past and become a good man. Widely adapted, the novel inspired the blockbuster musical and movie colloquially known as Les Mis. My Rating: 5/5 Les Misérables by Victor Hugo has been considered classic literature for decades. Expertly written, Hugo delves into various themes of morality and forgiveness all while maintaining his audience’s attention. First, Les Misérables delves into the theme of morality. ...

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" by: Emma Orczy

Recommended Age: 16-17+ 182 pages Description : Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel. But the ruthless French agent Chauvelin is sworn to discover his identity and to hunt him down. My Rating: 5/5 Set during the Reign of Terror in France, The Scarlet Pimpernel is an action-packed story of adventure, romance, and mystery. Written by Baroness Emma Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel has been read and enjoyed since 1905. This story covers the exciting life of Sir Percy Blakeney as he masterfully organizes creative endeavors to rescue French aristocrats from the guillotine. He has received the name “Scarlet Pimpernel” from the hand-drawn flowers that he leaves at the sight of his rescues. Another key character in this story is Percy Blakeney’s wife, Marguerite. At the beginning of the stor...

"Just Friends" by: Haley Pham

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Recommended Age : 16+ 352 pages Description :  This heartwarming and swoon-worthy second chance romance about childhood friends reconnecting as adults is the highly anticipated debut novel from YouTube creator Haley Pham . Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up—best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence. Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race. As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sp...

“Point of View” by: Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Recommended Age : 15+ 224 pages Description :   Recognized from her roles on  Survivor, The View, and FOX & Friends , celebrity Elisabeth Hasselbeck presents a deeply intimate journey of faith, told through the important moments in her life. "Point of view," by definition, is a particular attitude or way of considering a matter. Through her nearly two decades of broadcasting, Elisabeth learned the necessity of extracting the point of view of the person being interviewed on a particular topic or subject or experience. Doing so allows you to see issues and truths through another's eyes. It requires a shift in perspective to see the story through their lens.  In this illuminating book, Elisabeth walks through the times--from her national celebrity days to her newest role as CBO (Chief Breakfast Officer)--where she saw something differently than how God wanted her to, and the path back to His point of view was sometimes rocky but always revealing. Sometimes God's inte...

“Thanksgiving Thief” by: Carolyn Keene

This is the 16th book in the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series by Carolyn Keene. Recommended Age:  5+ 96 pages Description :  Wild turkeys are running loose in River Heights! Can the Clue Crew round them up before they ruin the Thanksgiving feast? River Heights Elementary School is having a Thanksgiving pageant, and Nancy, Bess, and George want to dress up as Native Americans! But when the town starts preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, the girls end up smelling a mystery instead of turkey. As Thanksgiving food around town starts to disappear, the Clue Crew realizes that someone is trying to destroy the holiday! Can they catch these birdbrained bandits? Or will Thanksgiving dinner be a recipe for disaster? My Rating: 5/5 I love how inclusive Nancy and her friends are! They invite the girls around them to join in on solving the mystery. This is a great role model for young readers to imitate! I also appreciate that when the girls do not obey, there are consequences. My only co...