 Americangirl.com In today’s “Things To Do” post, I talked about ways to serve friends. But what if you are having friendship troubles? What if your BFF feels more like a Best Friend Flop? When you need answers to those kind of questions I totally recommend this book. A Smart Girl’s Guide: Friendship Troubles, gives great advice about any friend problem.
If this book came with directions, it would say “Read book once a year, and more often if problems occur. Keep trying until problem resolves.” Everybody has friend problems now and then, so be prepared for WHEN they happen. -B
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 Image courtesy of Christianbook.com If you are looking for an inspiring, God-focused story of bravery and perseverance, I would highly recommend Gladys Alyward from the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series. This book is the biography of a young English maid in the 1930s who feels called to be a missionary in China. She has some very difficult setbacks that she must overcome, including failing missionary school and not being able to afford the trip to China. When she finally arrives, she struggles to build a relationship with her mentor, and she must learn to tolerate taunting from the villagers. Will she ever be able to adapt to this foreign culture, and truly be able to help and communicate with the local people?
Read and learn from Glady’s amusing, heartbreaking, and enthralling adventures as she follows God and serves the people of China. God uses her for great purposes - it is so cool to read about! The writing can be basic at times, but the story is wonderful! ♥️ I think most girls ages 10-14 would enjoy it. Love, A  Image courtesy of goodreads.com I know A and I have talked about a lot about Dear America books, but I had to review this one because it is SO good! Seriously, it’s better than an adventure movie!
Here is a quick overview of the book: Place: Boston, Massachusetts Setting: Pre-Revolutionary War Main character: A 12 year old boy Character description: Smart, funny, responsible.........oh yeah, and did I mention that he is a spy? Now, I hope that overview grabbed you attention, because it would definitely grab mine! Your probably thinking “Wait, a 12 year old boy is a spy?” and to answer you: YES! And that is exactly why I love this book. You feel like you are right there, sitting with William in the shadows, hiding in a secret cubby hole, and running from British soldiers. You do not want to miss this book. I recommend it for everyone! While William Thomas Emerson is a fictional character, this book gives a great description of what it might have been like before the war. Thankfully, the author does not include too many gory scenes, so squeamish stomachs should be mostly ok. Happy reading! -B I love the Royal Diaries series. The books in it are very similar to the Dear America and Dear Canada books, with one small twist - each Royal Diary is written from the perspective of a teenage princess, queen, or royal family member from the past. There are 20 books, each from a different period and part of the world. While the diaries themselves are fictional, most of the people, places, and events are real, making it a fun way to learn more history. All of the Royal Diaries also have gorgeous cover illustrations! Today, I’ll be sharing my five favorite Royal Diaries with you.  Image courtesy of goodreads.com Kaiulani - The People's Princess This diary tells the story of Kaiulani, a Hawaiian princess in 1889. Kaiulani must leave her homeland to attend school in England, but she doesn’t want to go. Will she ever be able to be happy in a strange land without her family? The book also talks a lot about the government and political problems in Hawaii’s past. It discusses the annexation of Hawaii to the United States, which meant that Kaiulani would never be queen. An interesting, sometimes sad, historically rich book.  Image courtesy of Goodreads.com Cleopatra VII - Daughter of the Nile This book is intensely dramatic, with an evil and conniving not-quite-queen, secret meetings, and death threats. I love this book particularly because of Cleopatra’s strong, determined character. The book is set in 57 BC in Egypt and is pretty historically accurate. I love reading sumptuous descriptions of foreign places, and Cleopatra VII doesn’t disappoint.  Image courtesy of goodreads.com Lady of Ch'iao Kuo - Red Bird of the South Meet Princess Red Bird, a teenage Hsien princess who is studying at a Chinese school, living in two worlds. The peace between Hsien and Chinese is fragile, and when it breaks, will Princess Red Bird be able to mend the damage before war begins? I particularly admire this main character, because she is very intelligent, clever, and mature. I love learning about her culture, and as far as I can tell, the historic facts of 531 A.D. have been replicated very well.  Image courtesy of goodreads.com Elizabeth I - Red Rose of the House of Tudor Elizabeth I is not your typical young lady. No way. She’s a crafty tween princess who fights for her father’s love, detests her stepsister, and lives in several large castles in the year 1544. For some reason, this is the Royal Diary I’ve read the most. Either because of Elizabeth’s fun personality or the interesting descriptions of daily life at court, I keep coming back to this book. You’ll find it a rather accurate volume of English history, filled with all the delightful elements of a fiction book.  Image courtesy of goodreads.com Victoria - May Blossom of Britannia
Victoria is also set in England, but three centuries later, in 1829. The main character, Victoria, is younger than many of the girls in the Royal Diaries, at just nine years old when she starts her diary. It’s written with a voice that is very authentic and amusing, and seems like someone I could be friends with today. It is very fun to see her transformation from girl to mature teen. Once again, it is very interesting and historically realistic! Which Royal Diary will you be reading first? Love, A 8/28/2020 0 Comments 10 Must-have educational books When you head back to the class room (or sign back into Zoom) it’s always a great feeling to have a little extra knowledge in your head, and a little happiness in you heart because you came prepared. I gathered together a bunch of books that will help you get prepared for the school year. Let’s get started!  Image courtesy of scholastic.com 1. Usborne: 100 Things To Know About Numbers, Computers & Coding By: Unknown  Image courtesy of Scholastic.com 2. In Their Own Words: Lewis & Clark By: George Sullivan  Image courtesy of Usborne.com 3. The Usborne Complete Book Of The Human Body By Anna Claybourne  Image courtesy of Christianbook.com 4. The Awesome Book Of Bible Facts By Sandy Silverthorne  Image courtesy of Usborne.com 5. Usborne Big Picture Book: General Knowledge By James Maclaine  Image courtesy of Usborne.com 6. Usborne: Timelines Of World History By Jane Chisholm  Image courtesy of Penguinrandomhouse.com 7. Who Was Sacagawea? By Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin  Image courtesy of Usborne.com 8. The Usborne Creative Writer’s Handbook By Katie Daynes and Megan Cullis  Image courtesy of B The Death of Lincoln By Leroy Hayman  Image courtesy of Americangirl.com 10. American Girl: A Smart Girl’s Guide: Money By Unknown I hope you enjoy these books. I found them super useful!
-B P.S. You might have noticed that I featured several Usborne books. Usborne has a ton of educational, and enjoyable books for every age. I highly recommend checking their books out! 8/14/2020 0 Comments The Westing Game Image courtesy of barnesandnoble.com What happens when a thief, a bomber, a murder (?) and a wide range of people move into the same building? To make it more complex, they are all heirs to a fortune. Before you answer, let me give you a little back story.
One day, a beautiful lakeside apartment building, called “Sunset Towers” was completed and ads about the building were sent to a seemingly random group of people. All of the people, to whom the ads were sent, moved into the tower. They lived for a while in perfect happiness. They enjoyed each other’s company, and got along splendidly. A while later, that all changed. Everybody noticed smoke coming from the house across the lake. The house was always referred to as “the Westing house” because many stories and legends had been told about the house’s owner, Sam Westing. Mr. Westing was extremely rich, and it was said that he had moved away to an island, and never been heard from again. A few days after the smoke, Sam Westing was found dead, and all of the people living in Sunset Towers were mentioned in his will. They each had a chance to win his fortune if they could solve one simple question: Who killed Sam Westing? Are you daring enough to solve my question, as well as the question in the will? To try, simply read The Westing Game! -B P.S. We would LOVE to hear if you solved the The Westing Game (I failed btw). Email us at ab@faithfunandfridays.com to tell us how you did. 8/13/2020 0 Comments Spilling ink Image courtesy of Barnesandnoble.com Do you like to write? Want to write? Do you like to read? Do you like being creative? Do you like funny stories?
If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, please go find a copy of Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook. When I first read the description of this book, I thought "hm, it sounds like all of the other kids writing books out there that I've already read." But, I read it anyway, and I am glad I did! It's written by two actual, published authors who shares tons of unique tips, funny blurbs they've written, and amusing situations from their life. I've already put several of their helpful suggestions into practice, including concepts such as sitting down for milk and cookies with your characters and looking through a chicken-nugget sized lens (are you interested yet?). The best praise I can offer is the fact that I want to buy this book! I usually get most of my books from the library and don't see a need to own them, so if I come across I book that I would be willing to pay money for and store, you know it is an outstanding book! If you like to write - hey, even if you don't like to write - you will probably end up loving this book! Love, A 8/4/2020 0 Comments The Chronicles of narnia Photo courtesy of Barnesandnoble.com When I started re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia, I wasn't prepared to like them. A little bit into the seven-book series, and I didn't want to do anything but read.
The title describes the series relatively well: it's a set of books that follows (chronicles) choice moments in the history of an exotic and imaginary land (Narnia). There are tons of fun, mythical characters, rich descriptions of luscious food and landscapes (that earns some bonus points, in my book), and tearjerking tales of redemption. There is also a beautiful witch (the book does contain mentions of magic, but I found it to be less extreme than in other books), a majestic lion, and an endearing young girl named Lucy who you may want to be friends with. All in all, it's a captivating, spellbinding tale in a genre all of its own. Fans of fantasy, historical fiction, multicultural stories, or classics will most likely enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia. :) Are you going to start reading this delightful series? If you've read it already, which book is your favorite? Love A 7/31/2020 0 Comments We Saved you a seat Photo courtesy of Christianbook.com If you want a book about friendship, if you want a book about struggles, and most importantly, if you want a book that points to God, We Saved You A Seat is for you! It is a beautifully designed and wonderfully written devotional for teen girls (there is a version for women too) that is designed to be studied in a group. A and I went through this book together and we had good laughs, deep conversations, and learned so much about God’s plan for friendship. One of my favorite things about We Saved You A Seat is that you feel like you are having a conversation with the author, Lisa-Jo Baker. I recommend this book for anyone.
Love, -B P.S. Want to get our best posts sent to you every month?! Sign up for our email newsletter. You won’t be disappointed. 7/24/2020 0 Comments Gold Rush Girl Photo courtesy of penguinrandomhouse.com I am all for dashing escapades, heart-stopping adventures, and perilous plans in novels. One book that encompasses all of these features? Gold Rush Girl by AVI. If you read the first page, I doubt you’ll be able to put the book down until you read the last one!
Meet Victoria Blaisdell. She’s a determined, headstrong, and independent teen girl with a specific plan for her life. Victoria will not succumb to the 1848 status quo that says she must stay at home and be a prim, proper lady. Oh, no. Watch out, San Francisco - because when Mr. Blaisedell and his son set off for the California gold fields, Victoria secretly tags along. She explores the “roads” of San Francisco, learns how to spot a thief, and must discover how a young lady can make a living in a strange city. Her steady, if uncomfortable, life is turned upside down by the disappearance of her brother Jacob. As the clues point to the fact that Jacob was kidnapped, the tension mounts. Will she rescue Jacob? Who is holding him captive? And, is Mr. Blaisedell ever going to come back from the gold fields? Answer all of these questions in this book. I love AVI’s unique word choices, fast moving plots, and stunning descriptions in Gold Rush Girl. You’ll be amazed! Love, A |
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