Showing posts with label friendship and love. Show all posts
Although I am quite partial to the depth and the charm of The Pilgrim's Progress, Steven James' Quest for Celestia was different enough to stand on its own two feet without needing to piggy-back off of Bunyan's classic.Quest for Celestia draws a Wise rating for presenting a story which is entertaining, suspenseful, and inspiring without being tarnished with immoral or dishonorable elements.
Quest for Celestia, A Reimagining of The Pilgrim's Progress,
by Steven James
269 pages
Summary: Kadin meets with a wizard in a dark alley one fateful night who tells him that he is chosen. He gives Kadin a brown, leather bound book, old and worn. On its cover is a drop of crimson. It is a Book of Blood, a book of life. He is called to leave his hometown of Abbadon and journey to Celestia. He soon becomes aware of a deeply rooted, infected black lump on his neck for which he at first blames the Book of Blood. He must figure out whether he has it in him to venture to Celestia and how to get rid of the painful growth. THEMES: faith; testing; journey; friendship; social pressure; temptation
FOUL LANGUAGE: ZERO occurrences
SOFT LANGUAGE (heard on cable TV): ZERO occurrences
VIOLENCE: Nothing of concern.
SEXUAL CONTENT: None.
DRUG USE: ZERO occurrences
BLASPHEMIES: ZERO occurrences of God's name used in vain.
REFERENCES TO AND GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD: In this allegory, God is portrayed in the character of King Kiral. He is kind and gracious and good, but that doesn't mean that His followers do not experience hardship and adversity in this life. As the Bible, our Book of Blood, tells us that the heirs of God suffer with Christ so that we may be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17)
And consider this: "the suffering of this present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
[See also 1 Cor. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:3; 1 Peter 3:17, 4:12,16, 5:10 ]
"For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" Philippians 1:29
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This book is the first of a trilogy and other than the careless use of God's name at the beginning of the book, I enjoyed this book and will follow up with the other two once I've read them.
I would have liked to rate this book Wise, but biblically we cannot view blasphemy as a small thing, after all, the third commandment states: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." (Exodus 20:7, also Deuteronomy 5:11) May we not forget to take this seriously and honor the name of the LORD.
Therefore the book earns itself a Use Discernment rating.
Things Not Seen,
by Andrew Clements
251 pages
Summary: Bobby Phillips wakes up invisible one February morning-- what follows are an array of adventures every teen would love to have, if only. But once the fun runs out, Bobby has to figure out how to be seen again, with the help of a new friend, Alicia.
THEMES: friendship, investigation, self-awareness, identity
FOUL LANGUAGE: ZERO occurrences
SOFT LANGUAGE (heard on cable TV): ZERO occurrences
VIOLENCE: none.
SEXUAL CONTENT: none. There are some scenes where you feel the vulnerability of the character in his striving to not be seen and the danger of whether he suddenly were to become visible, but there is nothing objectionable in and of itself.
DRUG USE: ZERO occurrences
BLASPHEMIES: 3 occurrences of God's name used in vain all on page 5 when Bobby's mom realizes that he is invisible. The problem with this is that the Lord's name is used in shock and surprise rather than in prayer, and then He is thoroughly ignored for the rest of the book.
REFERENCES TO AND GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD:Again, not mentioned for the remainder of the book.
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I would have liked to rate this book Wise, but biblically we cannot view blasphemy as a small thing, after all, the third commandment states: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." (Exodus 20:7, also Deuteronomy 5:11) May we not forget to take this seriously and honor the name of the LORD.
Therefore the book earns itself a Use Discernment rating.
Things Not Seen,
by Andrew Clements
251 pages
Summary: Bobby Phillips wakes up invisible one February morning-- what follows are an array of adventures every teen would love to have, if only. But once the fun runs out, Bobby has to figure out how to be seen again, with the help of a new friend, Alicia.
THEMES: friendship, investigation, self-awareness, identity
FOUL LANGUAGE: ZERO occurrences
SOFT LANGUAGE (heard on cable TV): ZERO occurrences
VIOLENCE: none.
SEXUAL CONTENT: none. There are some scenes where you feel the vulnerability of the character in his striving to not be seen and the danger of whether he suddenly were to become visible, but there is nothing objectionable in and of itself.
DRUG USE: ZERO occurrences
BLASPHEMIES: 3 occurrences of God's name used in vain all on page 5 when Bobby's mom realizes that he is invisible. The problem with this is that the Lord's name is used in shock and surprise rather than in prayer, and then He is thoroughly ignored for the rest of the book.
REFERENCES TO AND GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD:Again, not mentioned for the remainder of the book.
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This was a fun book to read as some of the settings were in San Diego, but also for the interesting plot lines that took me into the world of army training and life on an army base. It was enjoyable living vicariously through main character Cami as she struggled with making the cut, making friends and making tough decisions with her life.
Reveill
e of the Heart receives a Wise rating, not because the character behaved perfectly all the time, but because, though she was a flawed human being, she sought guidance from the Lord when she was struggling and she recognized her faults and shortcomings when she'd made mistakes.Visit Kimberlee R. Mendoza's website here.
Reveille of the Heart,
by Kimberlee R. Mendoza
213 pages
Summary: Fresh out of high school, Cami Harrison joins the army to solve the problem of how she'll pay for school and where she'll get a job. She leaves her family and long-time boyfriend behind to make her way in the army. She expects training to be difficult, what she doesn't expect is Nathan Porter, fellow soldier, who becomes her best friend. Her relationships with the two men in her life are tested when Trevor, her boyfriend, proposes. She must decide between the man who always has occupied her dreams of the future and the one who stands true beside her every day.
THEMES: friendship and love; army; Christian values
FOUL LANGUAGE: ZERO occurrences
SOFT LANGUAGE (heard on cable TV): ZERO occurrences
VIOLENCE: ZERO occurences
SEXUAL CONTENT: The threat of a guy forcing himself on the main character looms in one scene. It is not glamorized in any way and is expressed without being explicit.
DRUG USE: Trevor, the boyfriend, orders a pitcher of beer at a pizza joint. Even though he is of legal age to consume alcohol it is not something that Cami finds favorable.
BLASPHEMIES: ZERO occurrences of God's name used in vain.
REFERENCES TO AND GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD: Both Cami and Nathan have a proper biblical view of God. They pray when they find themselves in a predicament, and read their Bibles to find comfort and direction. Their attitudes toward God are refreshing in a world full of books that spit upon His holiness.
This book is December 2009's pick for the Win Wise Reading book giveaway!!! For a chance to win a copy, enter a comment on this post. One winner will be selected randomly on the 25th. Last chance to enter is Dec. 24th!
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