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10/16/2020 0 Comments The beauty book I love learning about nails, hair, and skin, so when I first found The Beauty Book by Nancy Rue, I was super excited!
This short book is full of information about natural beauty, caring for our hair, skin, and nails, identifying what we love about ourselves, fashion, and more. It’s written from a Christian perspective that reminds readers about who God says they are. The book also includes fun quizzes and Q&A sections with fictional characters from Nancy Rue’s Lily series. I’ve read this book several times over the last year or two, and love how it reminds me to take care of myself without obsessing over my appearance. Even if you don’t struggle much with how you look, there are tons of helpful self-care hints in the book that you might enjoy. It’s the perfect book for tween and young teen girls! And, if you love our new health and beauty category here on the blog, then you’ll probably be a fan of The Beauty Book. :) Love, A
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10/9/2020 0 Comments Jack: a life of C.s. Lewis Image courtesy of Christianbook.com I’m sure that many of you have heard of C. S. Lewis, maybe you have even read a few of his books! He is one of the most well known Christian authors of all time. From the Chronicles of Narnia, to The Screwtape Letters, his books are well loved by all. So, if he’s so popular, why don’t more people know about him? And I don’t mean know OF him, I mean know ABOUT him. Especially when Mr. Lewis lived such an interesting life!
Get a peek at the man behind the books and read The Life Of Jack. It was written by one of his stepsons and is so interesting. It’s definitely not an ordinary biography. You really feel like you are right there, watching his life before your eyes. I highly recommend this book for teens and tweens. Happy reading, -B 10/2/2020 0 Comments 3 Books for older readers Today, I’ll be sharing 3 of my favorite books for our older readers who are around 13-15 years old. These books are appropriate, engaging, and something I think you’ll absolutely love!  Image courtesy of barnesandnoble.com The Bronze Bow Wow. This is one of those books that you read, finish, and just have to contemplate for a while. It’s about Daniel, an 18 year old boy living in Bible times. He’s a rebel, feeling suffocated by the Romans and being driven by hate and isolation. However, encounters with Jesus start to change his heart. Remarkable! There aren’t many books as full of rich moral, Spiritual, and historical facts as this one. I absolutely love The Bronze Bow for so many reasons!  Image courtesy of Barnesandnoble.com Mara: Daughter of the Nile Intrigue, adventure, and drama sum up this teen historical fiction book. It stars a teenage Egyptian slave who finds herself spying for two different people: one who is for the pharaoh and one who is against them. Watch as Mara juggles this difficult situation, using all of her wits to stay alive. Lots of interesting dialogue, heart transformation, and a mild love story. Wonderful!  Image courtesy of kanemiller.com 48 Hours The Vanishing
If you love intense mysteries, go pick up a copy of The Vanishing from the 48 Hours series! Written by Gabrielle Lord, a popular author of crime fiction, this book involves a mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl. Her best friend and detective enthusiast Jazz is on the case, and she’s determined to solve it in only 48 hours. This book is relatively short and will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time! The plot is quite intricate and intriguing - you might not want to read the book just before bedtime, because it is so enthralling and can have some tense or slightly alarming moments. For more 48 Hours fun, check out its sequel, The Medusa Curse. Happy reading! Love, A  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  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 |
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