Title: Mixed Bags
Author: Melody Carlson
Primary Audience/age group: Young Adult, ages 13-16
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
# Of pages: 219
Year of Release: 2008
Part of a Series? Yes. The Carter House Girls Series
Rating: 5 (View Scale)

Description: From book jacket: Mix six teenaged girls and '60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian era boarding home. Add boys and dating, a little high school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two... and you've got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson's new chick lit series for young adults!

Review: In this, the first book in the series, DJ is forced to live with her grandmother when her mother dies. They do not see eye-to-eye on things since DJ would rather wear her basketball uniform than haute couture as her grandmother wishes. As the girls begin to arrive for the school year, each one tries to discover exactly how they fit into their new home.

Rating: 5, although there is a situation dealing with alcohol and some situations of affection (please read recommendation below)

Positive: Each girl comes from different circumstances. One girl is a Christian and tries to be a good influence. The others try to figure her out. Though the girls don't always agree, they do try to work their way through their problems. This book does a good job of showing that situations that arise in teens' lives are not always what they seem and are not always cut and dried.

Spiritual Elements: Mixed Bags is not overly religious. It is a fresh, modern take on each individual girl's walk through her teen life. The professing Christian, Rhiannon, is misunderstood in the household for her forgiving nature.

Violence: none, though there are instances of anger
Language: none

Sexual Content: Dating is a topic in this book, so attraction and one instance of heavy kissing occurs. There are accusations tossed around of some girls being "easy."

Other: While it would be more comfortable for the alcohol and dating issues to have been left out, that would not have been realistic. They are woven in as part of the storyline and not overwhelming or out of place.

Recommendation: I enjoyed this book that is clearly intended for young adults and not children. I do believe it handles a few weighty issues quite well. It would provide an open door as a conversation starter in helping young people decide how they would handle certain circumstances if they were faced with them. I was glad that this book has a sequel.

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Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Jesus

Title:Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Jesus
Author: David Vaughn Parry Sr.
Primary Audience/age group: 14 and up
Genre: Non-fiction
# Of pages: 58 pages
Year of Release: 2007
Part of a Series? no
Rating: 3 (View Scale)

Description: We teach our children to believe in fictional characters like Santa Claus and then we teach them about Jesus. But, how are they supposed to differentiate between what’s real and what’s fake? “Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth fairy, and Jesus” helps logically explain how out of all four characters Jesus cannot be a myth.

Review: In the author’s words, the book is a “back-doored” approach in teaching the gospel message. It is intended for non-believers who may not be willing to open a Bible but be willing to read a simple, comical book with a godly message. It is unique in its presentation of Christ and asks to the point questions that encourage the reader to think logically about Christ and His life.

Rating: 3 for some crude language

Positive: The book uses humor along with comical sketches to grab the reader’s attention. It presents a simple gospel message and gives suggestions for additional reading about faith.

Spiritual Elements: The book deals with Jesus’ life and uses Scripture to teach the gospel message.

Violence: Mention of the crucifixion

Language: The book uses some phrases like “Crap!” and “Darn it!” in a comical way. One line in particular says “He was God for C***** sake!”

Sexual Content: The book talks of the virgin birth of Jesus. It also mentions the Jewish custom of having the hymen checked prior to marriage to make sure the woman is a virgin.

Other: none

Recommendation: Some of the language is a bit colorful and may be offensive to some parents, especially the line, “He was God for...” Although I do not think the author meant this phrase as offensive. It was used in a humorous context, but I would have preferred he use a different saying. I wouldn’t want my child repeating it. I do not think the book was intended for younger children, especially with the reference of the female anatomy because they may not understand the concept.

All in all, I feel one of the book’s best assets was in encouraging the reader to really think for himself about Christ and the miraculous events surrounding His life. It could be a useful resource for some older teens and young adults who have never been introduced to Christ.

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The A-List

Title: The A-List
Author: Zoey Dean
Primary Audience/age group: Grades 9 and up
Genre: Young Adult Chick Lit
# of Pages: 228
Year of Release: 2003
Part of a Series? Yes
Rating: Shortlisted (Not Recommended) View Scale here
Description: From book jacket: After twelve years od exceptional grades, Waldorf-Astoria teas, and 'working well with others,' Anna Percy has had it with her perfect academic record and her perfectly boring prep school life. So she jets off to LA, where in the course of twenty-four hours she'll hit an Oscar winner's wedding, lounge at an after-hours back-lot party, and meet a guy she just might love. Life couldn't be going better for Anna. That is, until Cammie, Sam, and Dee enter the scene. They are the A-List, and no one steals their spotlight.
Rating: Shortlisted for language and sexual situations
Recommendation: When I asked my middle school son what books he saw the girls around school reading this was one of the series he mentioned. I found this book very offensive and would never allow one of my kids to read it. The lanuage is horrible - using the "f" word and many others. There is alcohol and drug usage. Many sex scenes. Status,money, weight obsessed teens are all a very bad example.

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The Clique

Title: The Clique
Author: Lisi Harrison
Primary Audience/age group: 9-12 yr./5th - 8th grade
Genre: YA Chick Lit
# of pages: 220 pages
Year of Release: 2004
Part of a Series: Yes
Rating: 3 (View Scale)
Description: The social minefields most privileged middle-school girls drive the over-the-top drama in this addictive new book, set in suburban New York City's Westchester County. Massie Block: With her glossy brunette bob and Whitestrip smile, Massie is the uncontested ruler of The Clique and the rest of the social scene at Octavian Country Day, an exclusive private school in Westchester, New York. Dylan Marvil: Massie's second in command who divides her time between sucking up to Massie and sucking down Atkins shakes to try to get rid of the extra fifteen pounds that won't seem to leave her hips alone. Alicia Rivera: As sneaky as she is beautiful, Alicia floats easily under adult radar because she seems so 'sweet.' Would love to take Massie's throne one day. Just might do it. Kristen Gregory: She's been dying to fit in ever since her parents went broke. She's smart, hardworking and will insult you to tears faster than you can say 'scholarship kid.' And then there's Claire Lyons, the new girl in two-year old GAP overalls from Florida, who is clearly not Clique material. The only problem is that Claire's family is staying in the guest house on the Blocks' massive estate while they look for a new home! Claire's future looks worse than a bad Prada knockoff. But with a little luck and a lot of scheming, Claire might just come up smelling like Chanel Mademoiselle....
Review: The Clique is a middle school version of "The A-List" or "Mean Girls". The girls are all very mean, even to each other. They are fashion/label obsessed - wearing $400 t-shirts! They make fun of kids who wear Keds (I love my Keds!). Even the outsider, the "good girl" becomes mean and does wrong things to try to get into the "in" crowd and become like the popular girls. The girls are boy obsessed and already plotting on how to pick up a high school boy. I found nothing in this book that would warrant me even considering to let my daughter ever read this book.
Rating: 3 for meanness, rudeness, unacceptable behavior
Spiritual Elements: None
Violence: Flat-out meanness to peers
Language: The girls take the Lord's name in vain several times.
Sexual Content: The girls are boy crazy and are into making out.
Other: The parents of one of the girls get drunk at a party.
Recommendation: I asked my middle school son what the girls in his school are reading. He told me he had seen this series around. My suggestion is to keep your daughters away from these books. There are so many better books out there - there is no reason to mess with these. The girls are SO MEAN! Even the "good girl" wants to be a part of the "in" crowd. She turns mean to get back at the popular girls and get some of the clique to like her. They stress the outward appearance of people, making fun of them if they wear anything from The Gap - or clothes that are designer labels. My daughter knows nothing about the world described in this book - and I plan on keeping it that way as long as I can!

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The House...Winner

Oops! Leave it to me to forget to draw a book winner this afternoon for "The House at the End of the Tracks" book. I just contacted our winner, so lets congratulate Christina for her win!

Visit us each month for a new book giveaway. Plus, we are always looking for guest reviews. Submit reviews to me via email.

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The House at the End of the Tracks Giveaway

This post will be stickied until the drawing. Scroll down for newer posts.

We are giving away a copy of new author Marc Elliott's The House at the End of the Tracks.

This hope-filled short story would be great for ages 10 and up. See the full review here.

Rules of entering:
1. Leave a comment with a link to your blog or your email address.
2. Post about the giveaway on your site. This is appreciated but not required.
3. The contest is limited to US residents only.
4. The winner will be drawn Monday, May 12 after 1:00 pm CST.
5. If you are the winner, you have 5 days to reply and give us your address, or we will draw a new winner.

And here is the rest of it.

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