Northanger Abbey

  Summary--Catherine grows up to be a passably pretty girl and is invited to spend a few weeks in Bath with a family friend. While there she meets Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor, who invite her to visit their family estate, Northanger Abbey.

Con's--This book was totally not Jane Austins' normal style, which I think I can judge pretty well after having read more than five, and I can say I certainly prefer her usual. This one was rather weird and confusing.

Pro's--If you like satire and poking fun at the usual story line of Jane Austins' time period this book will not be a total waste of your time! I enjoyed it well enough.

Three stars. Ages 12 and up.

ZVI : The Miraculous Story of Triumph Over the Holocaust

Summary-- As a 10-year-old Jewish boy, Henrik (later his name was changed to "Zvi") was separated from his parents and forced to face the trials of survival in Adolph Hitler's crazed world he finds himself confronting problems including ones about his faith. He has to ask himself why has he been miraculously preserved so many times when it was certainly was not from his own cleverness. He is forced to admit there must be Someone caring for him and protecting him for a special purpose. Join the boy who is changed into a man as he finds the One and his purpose.

Con's--This book was not the most well written. It had the flavor of someone without a handle on English trying to convey a powerful story. Also, as I have been known to say before, keep in mind the context of the book. Since Zvi is a true story from the holocaust there are many, horrifying, and even gruesome stories.

Pro's--Despite the bad writing Zvi is a powerful story that can make you think twice about life in general. McQuaid presents things in a straightforward and honest way stating only the amazing facts that tell the horror of first hand knowledge. I loved this book! I especially loved the perspective of a Jewish man who found the Messiah and could prove him from the Old Testament. If you like history,  true stories, and love Jesus, this is a great book for you!

Five stars. Ages 16 and up.

Captives

Captives - by Jill Williamson


Summary:

Loosely based on the story of Daniel and his friends, comes Jill Williamson's newest book, Captives. Set in a Dystopian world, the story is mainly about three brothers: Levi, Mason, and Omar. Intensely jealous of his oldest brother and anxious to get attention from his father, Omar betrays his small village of Glenrock to The Safe Lands in return for a position as an enforcer. Absent at the time of the ordeal, Levi is the only one not dead or captured. It's up to him to save his people. But will he be able to find a way to enter the city? Will his friends and family resist the urge to join in the sinful pleasures of the Safe Lands?

Pros:

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. My family can testify - I was dead to the world for the majority of one day. The main characters were deep and seemed real. Their struggles and feelings are very common things that teens battle today - jealousy, anger, peer pressure, feeling ugly or useless, sex, drugs, drinking - you name it, it's probably in there. The book also had wonderful themes. Forgiveness was one of the main ones, but it also touched on things such as self worth, revenge, standing up for what is right, and trusting in the Lord.

Cons:

Despite finding the book exciting and having an excellent point, I still have a few problems with it. I understand the importance of giving your characters flaws, but I thought in some places in the book, the flaws were lingered on a little too long. Mainly I'm talking about the drugs and sexual immorality. I don't mind brief scenes where the author suggests that something not-so-good happened. However, I get uncomfortable with the longer descriptions and repeated scenes of the drugs and suggestive dancing. These things are presented in a way it disgusts you, but I just wish the author would have clipped them shorter so that readers can keep their thoughts clean. I have one more caution for those interested in reading it. It is not really a con, but it affects the audience range. Just know that the people of the Safe Lands have a disease that doesn't allow the women to carry a child full term. They captured the people of Glenrock to reproduce for them, so the book does deal with surrogacy.

Four Stars, Caution, Ages 16 & up