Book Review: The Railway Children (by E. Nesbit)

The title The Railway Children probably invokes ideas of dark railway cars, extreme poverty, hoboes, and dangerous escapes. This book involves none of these. On the contrary, it’s a story of three happy children, though they do have their hardships and moments of silliness. They live by the railway for most of the book, and many of their adventures involve it; but other than that, they hardly count as railway children.

The Railway Children is a fairly short book, probably about the length of A Little Princess or Alice in Wonderland.

Children 7+ will be likely to enjoy this story, and its moral(s) are particularly geared toward that general age. So is the writing style and plotline; there’s a good deal of excitement and not too much unnecessary complication.

For a brief conclusion and a link to the ebook, skip to the bottom—or read right on through for the full details!

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February 4, 2021 0

Book Review: Lorna Doone (by R. D. Blackmore)

Set in the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth, in wild, hilly Exmoor, England (not that I know anything about Exmoor, but that’s the impression I got), Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor weaves together history, legend, and fiction.

Lorna Doone is, I think, about the length of Dicken’s David Copperfield or Our Mutual Friend; a longish book, but not to be compared to War and Peace or The Count of Monte Cristo.

It’s also a fairly slow-paced book, with a plot that only has rare cliff-hanger moments. I doubt it would hold the interest of a younger reader. I give it roughly a 17+ age range.

Jump to the bottom if you just want the brief conclusion, or read on for all the details!

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January 28, 2021 0

Book Review: A Little Princess (by Frances Burnett)

What if there were a book that encouraged children to be patient, kind, generous, and noble? Look no farther; A Little Princess does that and does it effectively.

For length, I estimate that A Little Princess is a bit shorter than Anne of Green Gables, but longer than Little Lord Fauntleroy. With only a little bit of dedication, anyone could read it in a day.

Girls 7+ should be able to grasp the main ideas of the book, and will surely relate to the seven-year-old heroine. Sometimes it takes boys longer to be interested in books about girls, but it’s still worthy reading for a boy if he’s willing.

Find my brief four sentence conclusion at the end or read on through for the details!

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January 21, 2021 0

Book Review: War and Peace (by Leo Tolstoy)

The year is 1812 and we’re in Russia. Napoleon, the man, the myth, the legend, is facing off against General Winter. Here to guide us through the chaos—to lend us eyes that we can see with—is Count Leo Tolstoy with his historical-based novel, War and Peace.

How long is War and Peace? Well, when you’re scrolling through the table of contents and you see “First Epilogue: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.,” then you know that you’re talking about a long book. Page and font sizes vary, and if you’re reading digitally you may never even see a page number, but by comparison, War and Peace is definitely shorter than Les Miserables, and I think a little longer than The Count of Monte Cristo or Little Dorrit.

I’d put the age at 17+. The language is simple, but the overall style of the book is not likely to be interesting to younger children and the Russian names are a bit of a speed bump. Also, some of the characters are engaged in immoral behavior, which, although it’s not talked about in an inappropriate way, is not something 13– need to be reading about.

Feel free to skip to the end for my three sentence conclusion on the book, and then come back up for more details if you need them!

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January 13, 2021 0

Book Review: What Katy Did and sequels (by Susan Coolidge)

After the pattern of Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, Elsie Dinsmore, Little Women, and such like girl stories, Susan Coolidge brought her own childhood to life with the fictionalized What Katy Did. How many of the incidents are real and how many fictional I have no idea; but the personalities were evidently inspired by herself and her siblings, and not surprisingly, a practical, down-to-earth, and real flavor hangs about the story as a result.

How long are the Katy Did series books? They’re pretty brief; each about the length of Pollyanna, or the gospel of Mark.

Girls 7+ will enjoy the books. It generally takes boys a little longer to be mature enough to want to read a girl story. Katy has several brothers, however, who will make it a little more interesting for the boys.

You can jump to the end for the concluding remarks and links, and then come back up for more detail if you need it!

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January 7, 2021 0

Eleven Worlds

Today is an exciting day for me as a project I’ve been working on for years finally sees the light! Eleven Worlds: An Anthology is available now on Amazon!

Enter the worlds of nine authors through their eleven stories, ranging from the mysterious to the thrilling, the hilarious to the heroic, from snapshots of ordinary life to tales of a hundred years ago. From chases through the streets of London to the adventures of the dreaded pirate Nebuchadnezzar Pearl, prepare yourself for an epic journey which spans eleven worlds.

This anthology features 11 stories from 9 different authors – read more about the stories on elevenworlds.com.

March 17, 2020 0

It seems a clever and a daring feat to set up models of our own; but it is in reality much easier than toiling after the old unapproachable models of our forefathers. The originality which dispenses so blithely with the past is powerless to give us a correct estimate of anything that we enjoy in the present. – Agnes Repplier

July 14, 2018 0

The motives of women are so inscrutable. You remember the woman at Margate whom I suspected for [sitting with her back to the light]. No powder on her nose – that proved to be the correct solution. How can you build on such a quicksand? Their most trivial action may mean volumes, or their most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin or a curling tongs. – Sherlock Holmes

July 7, 2018 0

God’s Covenants

When God had created man, He gave him a definite command, promising life if he obeyed and death if he did not. Man disobeyed, but God in His mercy entered into a series of covenantal bonds that led to the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfilled perfectly the conditions of God’s original demand and earned life for all His people.

God’s covenants with His people set the backdrop for all of history and are essential for a true understanding of His purposes. But how often is this explained clearly to the younger generation – the generation that in a few years’ time will be the front rank of spiritual leaders?

God’s Covenants has been written and designed specifically for young children of Christian parents who need to be taught these great and timeless truths about God’s dealings with mankind.

Children will appreciate the simple explanations, thought-provoking questions, and creative illustrations built with LEGO® bricks. Parents will appreciate this golden opportunity to read a clear explanation of the Gospel to children wanting to hear it again and again.

God’s Covenants is available now on Sermon Audio and at Amazon.com!

And stay tuned over the next few weeks for some behind-the-scenes looks at the illustrator’s take on creating a LEGO-illustrated book!

June 2, 2018 1

Quotes from Democracy in America

In 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United State of America, taking advantage of his trip to study American society. With his extensive experience of European culture, and also of the multitudinous French constitutions and revolutions that had agitated his home country for many years, he was able to bring a well-educated, insightful perspective to bear on the subject of democracy. Tocqueville’s goal was much broader than just describing American society; he set out to analyze it, figure out what was inherent in the democratic systems and what was peculiar to the Americans, and ultimately to lay bare the strengths and weaknesses of democracy as a form of government.

“America is… a free country, in which, lest anybody should be hurt by your remarks, you are not allowed to speak freely of private individuals, or of the State, of the citizens or of the authorities, of public or of private undertakings, or, in short, of anything at all, except it be of the climate and the soil; and even then Americans will be found ready to defend either the one or the other, as if they had been contrived by the inhabitants of the country.”

Continue reading “Quotes from Democracy in America” →

May 1, 2018 0