Stephanie Perry MooreRecensioner

You can read this review, as well as others, at http://acceleratethejesusmovement.wordpress.com

UPS: Morgan Love is very young to be going through everything she is; her parents divorced, her real dad in the army, new school, new baby, lots of new changes for a girl in the 2nd grade. So her bad attitude is certainly understandable, yet not quite acceptable. I loved how the author uses Morgan’s father to encourage learning vocabulary and throughout the chapter vocabulary words for girls of the 2nd grade are typed out in bold. There is also a Word Search at the end of every chapter that I found amusing as well *guilty expression* :-) Morgan praying for help on her attitude and deciding to change it all on her own, was also a plus, it showed maturity in the blossoming girl, as well as her devotion to God at a young age.

DOWNS: I did not see much discipline coming from home, Morgan’s teacher kept her straight, but her grandparents’ and parents let her walk through her “mad day” without correcting it. Observation from other classmates, such as a girl saying, “If I said that to my mom…”, showed that the author did this on purpose because that is the kind of family she chose. The only reason I mentioned it in the downs, is because I know that girls this age (especially) like to copy books and movies they see so I wanted to caution any mothers’ who have copycats ;-) Morgan also has a tendency to be a smart-elec.

OVERALL: This was a very sweet story and I enjoyed it despite the downs, therefore giving it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to any little girl who needs a wholesome, refreshing read!

“I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are my own."

Gr 9-12, It’s not easy when your dad remarries, gets a new job, and moves you to a new state,; especially when your mom died of cancer. That is the reality for Skylar Cross, new transfer student to Grovehill High School. She’s a star cheerleader who is adjusting to her new life, although not as smoothly as her dad and step-mom would like. Skylar thinks she knows it all about life, but that comes into question. Her little step-sister is now in danger, throwing Skylar into re-examining what she once thought she knew. Flip the book over to get a different story and perspective. Meet all-star football player, Ford Frost. Ford has his own share of home-life issues. Ford and Skylar’s stories intertwine as they become closer, and fall in love. It would afford well as a hi/lo choice for those looking for romance and a standard high school story of cheerleader and football star.

There were things I really liked about this book. It’s interactive with word searches after each chapter and lesson plans at the end. The story has promise – young Alec has just been elected 5th grade class president. He’s got a lot of good things coming his way. On the downside, his father is the school principal and his parents fight constantly. There are some good themes that go through this book. It does have a fair amount of Christian values such as allowing God to lead. With Alec as class president he has to learn what makes a good leader. However, I didn’t like the flow or the language of the book. It’s set in Georgia so maybe the problem is regional or even cultural. I think boys in that age group might feel differently but I don’t see this book becoming a classic. I do think it makes a great homeschooling book and as it comes in a series could be a good addition to curriculum.

As Carmen enters sixthgrade, she prays for God to guide her steps. She struggles with new friendships, fickle popularity and adolescent jealousy, all while trying to live a life pleasing to the Lord. And soon Carmenrealizes she'll need Him more than ever when she begins to strugglein school and her mom is diagnosed with possibly having breast cancer.

NCLA Review -Girls ages 12-15 will identify with thirteen year old triplet Yasmin Pearce, the heroine in this new series. In Finding Your Faith, Yasmin desperately tries to find solace in prayer and faith while her family recovers from her older brother’s suicide. Concurrently, she has to deal with the drama of middle school and a life of poverty in the projects. As she sheds her tomboy exterior and finds her faith she discovers that God never abandons us. In the second book of the series, Believing in Hope, family tensions and school unrest soar. A school counselor starts a club for 8th grade girls which deals with major issues: gangs, depression, teen suicide, self-esteem, etc. Yasmin discovers that there is hope on the other side of every obstacle. All families regardless of income have issues to deal with. This book keeps that concept real and provides the elements of faith and hope that help us all to survive difficult times. This series is recommended for church libraries to build collections that reflect ethnic and economic diversity. Stephanie Perry Moore has written a number of other books and is the president of Soul Publishing, which strives to expand the African American presence in the Christian publishing world. A discussion guide is included. Rating: 3 —MF

NCLA Review -Girls ages 12-15 will identify with thirteen year old triplet Yasmin Pearce, the heroine in this new series. In Finding Your Faith, Yasmin desperately tries to find solace in prayer and faith while her family recovers from her older brother’s suicide. Concurrently, she has to deal with the drama of middle school and a life of poverty in the projects. As she sheds her tomboy exterior and finds her faith she discovers that God never abandons us. In the second book of the series, Believing in Hope, family tensions and school unrest soar. A school counselor starts a club for 8th grade girls which deals with major issues: gangs, depression, teen suicide, self-esteem, etc. Yasmin discovers that there is hope on the other side of every obstacle. All families regardless of income have issues to deal with. This book keeps that concept real and provides the elements of faith and hope that help us all to survive difficult times. This series is recommended for church libraries to build collections that reflect ethnic and economic diversity. Stephanie Perry Moore has written a number of other books and is the president of Soul Publishing, which strives to expand the African American presence in the Christian publishing world. A discussion guide is included. Rating: 3 —MF

Faith is struggling with cheerleading, friends, her family, and her faith. How can God make everything so hard if He loves her?
This "novelzine" is an interesting concept. The story is interlaced with calendars and journals to write in. It also has quotes from "blogs" about how other girls found God. These are nice, and give a girl who doesn't know how to express her thoughts a place to do so.
This book would be a nice addition to a conservative library where the readers want "Gossip Girl" and the "Clique," but their parents are dead set against it. It has elements of the mean girls tales that are so popular with the underlying elements of finding faith. Also, sometimes the liberals in the world forget that the conservative teams struggle as well. This is a good book for them to work through some of their questions without being overly preachy.

great read. I highly recommend.

Take a bunch of clichés and mix in some bad dialogue. Add a dash of unlikable characters. Knead into the plot of Work What You Got.

Seriously this book was just bad. I’m quite surprised that the author mentions her own Greek experience in the acknowledgments. Maybe she had an awful experience? Otherwise I can’t really explain why someone would write such a negative sorority story. The Beta Gamma Pi members in this book are terribly mean and self-centered. The girl the story centers around (Hayden) is the most self-centered of them all. She completely ignores her roommates when they decide not to pledge the same sorority, she blows off the boy she likes when better things come up, and then she alienates all the girls in the sorority. The next book in the series focuses on a different girl, so maybe it’ll have more likable characters; I have my doubts that the dialogue or plot will be any better. I’m sure it’ll be the same clichés once again.

Perry Skky Jr. is in his last year in high school. He’s the star receiver on his football team, the envy of all of his friends, the top college recruiters are scrambling to get him on their team and, most definitely, a virgin. He is working on his relationship with God, but the peer pressure and all that life throws at him is make him question his belief and his choices.

This is a Christian, young adult fiction novel and it pleases me to see a strong adolescent male character who learns from his mistakes and tries to choose the right path. The characters are well developed and believable and Ms. Moore’s story is a pleasure to read. I believe that young adults as well as “older” adults will enjoy this coming of age novel.

Everything is changing for ten-year old Carmen Browne. Her dad’s new job means she is in a new town, with new people, and a new school. As she enters fifth grade she’s grateful for Riana, the one friend she made over the summer. But her eyesight becomes blurry, and Carmen’s sense of what’s important grows blurry too as she shuns Riana for a shot at popularity. Life at home gets fuzzy too when it’s revealed that Carmen’s older brother is adopted. It takes a school assignment about affirmative action and a timely visit from an old fried to help Carmen put life back into focus—to help her see the real deal.