Category: book review

April 4, 2017

Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love

Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love is an emotional toolbox that can help kids and parents communicate about what it means for Mama to have cancer.

About Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love

Once upon a time . . . It’s how all heroes begin their story, and you’re a hero, too! Your mama has cancer, and it’s a scary journey, but you can help your mama just by being you—special, wonderful, YOU. Your mama loves you just the way you are. You are your mama’s knight.

Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love is an emotional toolbox that can help kids and parents communicate about what it means for Mama to have cancer. The book is filled with tools and activities designed to make coping with illness easier on both parent and child, and can be personalized for each child.

My Thoughts

Mama’s Knight is a truly beautiful story for Mom and child that brought tears to my eyes. The book showcases Mom’s battle with cancer in an easy way for children to understand but still hits on the most important parts: that Mom may be tired, Mom may not be able to play and sometimes Mom may not like the same types of foods. The book starts out with a background about the child (that you would personalize for your own child) and then dives into the symptoms Mom may be having and how cancer affects her body and her treatment plan.

What I love the most is that the book gives activities to play when Mom is having a bad day, coupons for special days with just Mom and links to activities, like making a cape for your special super hero. The book has the ability to be personalized (which all kids love!) and even better there are parts where Mom can make notes and even insert photos of Mom and child. I loved the section about talking about feelings, as children can find it hard to express their feelings and this is a great starting point for them. She gives children the starting line (for example: “Today I am as angry as a goose”) and this allows Mom and child to explore these feelings and help address them and work through them.

Mama’s Knight is a beautifully crafted tool for Moms and their children as they battle through cancer. It is a special, personalized journey for parents and children to explore their feelings, their symptoms and keeping communication open and fun. Mama’s Knight is a truly special book that is the perfect guide for parents as they begin their journey battling cancer or even those who are in the midst of their battle.

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Aurora Whittet started out as a wild red-haired girl in Minnesota dreaming up stories for her friends to read. Today, she has completed Bloodmark, Bloodrealms, and Bloodmoon of the Bloodmark Saga trilogy and started her journey into children’s books with Mama’s Knight in honor of her own mother who lost her battle with cancer. She’s a national award-winning graphic designer and birth doula in her day jobs. Aurora lives with her family in Minnesota.

Connect with Aurora on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway

Win a signed copy of Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love (USA only – 5 winners total)

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April 3, 2017

Red-Tailed Hawk Book Review

Red-Tailed Hawk is a coming of age story, the tale of a young woman’s quest to discover the source of her own longing and to understand the mystical legacy of her family.

About Red-Tailed Hawk

When Mariah Easter encounters a large hawk in her urban midtown neighborhood, her father Charlie is concerned. He can see a wild and mystical path opening before his daughter, a path he himself would never be able to resist. The hawk soon reappears: engraved with its twin on a golden thimble that has been an Easter family heirloom for generations. After the thimble is stolen at a funeral reception, Mariah and her mother Samantha set off on a road trip to find it, a journey that will bring healing to the grieving family and change Mariah’s life forever.

Red-tailed Hawk is a coming of age story, the tale of a young woman’s quest to discover the source of her own longing and to understand the mystical legacy of her family.

My Thoughts

A beautiful coming of age story – Mariah finds herself facing tragedy and out of this comes an exciting journey to understand herself, her family and her Father.

The journey Mariah and her family find themselves on, all starts with the theft of a family heirloom – a thimble. The thimble contains the image of a red-tailed hawk and the connection Mariah has with the red-tailed hawk is very important and magical at times. She is connected on this journey to the hawks and they help guide her several times throughout the novel. She meets several guides along her journey and she learns how to prepare for her journey and how to trade to find goods that will help her along her way.

What I really enjoyed was that we had this central journey with Mariah but on the way her Mother and brother explore and grow with her in their own lives. Her brother finds hope and friendship (and possibly love?) with a new woman who also has a diagnosis of autism. She teaches him so much about living in the moment. Her Mother explores her relationship, her past and her future with her Daughter.

Red-Tailed Hawk is a special and magical journey that is a pleasure to be a part of. You laugh, you want to cry and you want to reach out and help each one of them but know that this is their journey. On our journey to understand our purpose we must accomplish this alone, you feel pride in Mariah for finding out her purpose and going forward on her own to understand her journey.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Nancy Schoellkopf is the author of Yellow-billed Magpie, the first in her Easter Family series. Nancy has been telling stories and writing poems for many lifetimes. It goes without saying that she’d need a second income, so this time around she has happily taught amazing children in special education classes in two urban school districts in Sacramento, California. A full time writer now, she enjoys lavishing attention on her cats, her garden, and her intriguing circle of family and friends.

Connect with Nancy on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

March 19, 2017

Her Secret Book Review

Her Secret is a suspenseful tale of a young Amish woman who is forced to move to a new town to escape a threatening stalker.

About Her Secret

After a stalker went too far, Hannah Hilty and her family had no choice but to leave the bustling Amish community where she grew up. Now she’s getting a fresh start in Hart County, Kentucky…if only she wasn’t too scared to take it. Hannah has become afraid to trust anyone-even Isaac, the friendly Amish man who lives next door. She wonders if she’ll ever return to the trusting, easy-going woman she once was.

For Isaac Troyer, the beautiful girl he teasingly called “The Recluse” confuses him like no other. When he learns of her past, he knows he’s misjudged her. However, he also understands the importance of being grateful for God’s gifts, and wonders if they will ever have anything in common. But as Hannah and Isaac slowly grow closer, they realize that there’s always more to someone than meets the eye.

Just as Hannah is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding a new love, more secrets are revealed and tragedy strikes. Now Hannah must decide if she should run again or dare to fight for the future she has found in Hart County.

My Thoughts

An amazing tale spun by one of my favourite authors, Shelley Shepard Gray. In this book we have Hannah who was hurt emotionally and mentally by a stalker in her hometown. This forced her family to move to a smaller, more remote community. Hannah becomes scared of everything around her, of being with others, of enjoying life and being carefree. She bears the brunt of her siblings anger for the move.

When she meets Isaac, who accidentally hurt her feelings by referring to her as the Recluse, she realizes she needs to start living again. Very slowly she begins to open up to others again but at times she would withdraw. The story is full of so much emotion and pain, your heart can’t help but to go out to Hannah. She was the victim in this whole story but she is the one who carries the pain, hurt and anger from others. Just like her emergence from her self induced seclusion, her relationship with Isaac begins to grow. She begins to learn what trust and love is.

Our story takes a turn when both tragedy and the past catches up with the family. My heart broke for her. It is her relationship that she built with Isaac and her confidence in herself that helps get her through the worst of these moments.

A truly beautiful story about overcoming hardships, learning to love and trust others and yourself again. Hannah is a beautiful soul who needed to learn to trust herself and others again, you can’t help but fall in love with her character. I loved every moment of this well written emotionally packed novel and I know you definitely will too!

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy here.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

March 16, 2017

Rare Is Everywhere and That Makes Us Unique

What makes us as humans (and animals) unique? Our genes! Rare Is Everywhere shows us that there are rare species everywhere around us, celebrating their uniqueness and helping children who suffer from rare diseases know that they are not alone.

About Rare Is Everywhere

Rare Is Everywhere takes readers on a tour of the animal kingdom, revealing that animals can be very different from the norm. Grasshoppers can be pink, tigers can be white and lobsters can be blue, who knew?! The book showcases eleven animals in vibrant illustrations and poetry to help children recognize and accept diversity in themselves and in others.

Each page features a rare animal alongside its everyday counterpart. The text reveals both their shared traits and their differences. The glossary provides more information about each animal and the genetic changes that shape their appearance.

Changes in genes are responsible for most of the 7,000 rare diseases known today that affect millions of people, the majority of whom are children. Most of these conditions are overlooked and underfunded. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Rare Disease Foundation, an international organization that helps people, especially children, with rare diseases.

My Thoughts

While we always teach our children being different is beautiful, sometimes it can be hard for children to understand that their uniqueness is what makes them special. Especially when all they want to do is fit in. It makes it even more difficult when a child is affected by a rare disease. They are trying to navigate their way in school, extra curricular activities and social skills, all while living and treating a rare disease.

I loved how this book shows how special each unique trait and difference is. Being different is special for so many reasons and this book brings this to the forefront. Take for example the albino deer, while it may be hard for the deer in the summer, in the winter this deer has an advantage over its peers because of its colouring. This is what the book explores – that yes they may be different but this difference gives them an advantage and makes them special. I learned quite a bit from this book – I never knew about blue lobsters or pink grasshoppers before! It definitely had us talking as a family about how these changes make us special and deserve to be celebrated.

The illustrations of this book are child friendly with bold lines and bright colours. The writing is perfect for children, easy to read out loud and for children to read along with. The book also includes a page of jokes that we fell in love with, they were really well done and fit in perfectly with the book.

This is a lovely book for all children to read to help celebrate and appreciate differences and all that makes us unique. Even more special, is that proceeds from this book will go to the Rare Disease Foundation. You can learn more about the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Deborah Katz is a Vancouver, BC, nursing professor with nearly twenty years of experience in health care. She is also a writer and an artist whose work has appeared in local galleries and various publications. Before becoming a nurse, Deborah studied wildlife biology and loved learning about the diversity of the animal species and how genetic changes can make them stand out in ways that are beautiful and breathtaking.

About The Rare Disease Foundation

The Rare Disease Foundation (RDF) supports people who have been diagnosed with a rare disease. Their mission is to create communities of patients, caregivers, health care providers, researchers and supports that work together to transform the lives of those living with these diseases.

A rare disease is defined as a condition that affects fewer than one in 2,000 people. There are more than 7,000 known rare diseases in the world and many more that have not been classified. About one in twelve people, nearly 3 million Canadians have a rare disease. Most rare disorders are severe and chronic, with many being life threatening.

The RDF was started in 2007 by a group of parents and doctors in Vancouver BC as a means of finding answers for patients with rare and undiagnosed diseases. In 2008, the RDF became a non profit organization and developed a cross-disease support network for the rare disease community. The RDF has been able to complement their innovative research approach with inclusive social support.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

March 10, 2017

Home at Last Book Review

Why did their differences matter so much?

About Home at Last

Link Whitman has settled into the role of bachelor without ever intending to. Now he’s stuck in a dead-end job and, as the next Whitman wedding fast approaches, he is the last one standing. The pressure from his sisters’ efforts to play matchmaker is getting hard to bear as Link pulls extra shifts at work, and helps his parents at the Chicory Inn.

All her life, Shayla Michaels has felt as if she straddled two worlds. Her mother’s white family labeled her African American father with names Shayla didn’t repeat in polite-well, in any company. Her father’s family disapproved as well, though they eventually embraced Shayla as their own. After the death of her mother, and her brother Jerry’s incarceration, life has left Shayla’s father bitter, her niece, Portia, an orphan, and Shayla responsible for them all. She knows God loves them all, but why couldn’t people accept each other for what was on the inside? For their hearts?

Everything changes one icy morning when a child runs into the street and Link nearly hits her with his pickup. Soon he is falling in love with the little girl’s aunt, Shayla, the beautiful woman who runs Coffee’s On, the bakery in Langhorne. Can Shayla and Link overcome society’s view of their differences and find true love? Is there hope of changing the sometimes-ugly world around them into something better for them all?

My Thoughts

Home at Last is by far my favourite book in this series following the Whitman family. We have Link, who loves his family (and their meddling ways) but who has yet to meet someone who can truly make his heart beat. Then we have Shayla, who has had a difficult life to say the least, with her Mother passing and having to raise her brother’s daughter. She has also had to deal with racism as some people couldn’t accept her mixed heritage.

A chance encounter changes everything for the two of them. They slowly begin to develop feelings for each other. While Link adores her, Shayla worries about how others will view and accept their relationship. Her past experiences have shown her that many people wont accept this relationship and as their relationship develops we see this happening again. All they want is to be together and be accepted but there are people in society that wont let this happen.

This book makes you sad, angry and hopeful all at the same time. You want them to find happiness but are worried for them with the ugly parts of society that don’t want this to happen. This is a truly beautiful and honest book that I fell in love with. The ending was perfect for the story and leaves you with hope. I would love to see a part two of their story.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Deborah Raney’s novels have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers’ Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken Raney have traded small-town life in Kansas-the setting of many of Deb’s novels-for life in the city of Wichita.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.