Raising Dragons

     Raising Dragons is an awesome book. It is part of the series entitled Dragons In Our Midst. It is written by Bryan Davis that has also written the popular series Oracles of Fire and Children of the Bard. Also Bryan Davis is a Christian. Although this is a novel Christianity plays a big part in the book and series.

      Raising Dragons is about a boy named Billy Banister. Over time, he notices some of his abilities are not at all normal. He also discovers that his dad has a nasty secret that will change his (and the people he loves)  life forever. And the story continues in Raising Dragons, The Candlestone, Circles of Seven, and finally Tears of a Dragon.

     Also to bring to your attention even though this is a Christian book there are some places that may be a concern for you. This book was very good about being appropriate though here are some things that you may want to know about: disrespect to parents, violence, and a start to a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship.

I hope you will try out this book and look at some more of our recommendations.

The Princess and Curdie

The Princess and Curdie is the sequel to The Princess and the goblin, written by George McDonald.

It is a very sound book with many good morals.
It takes place two years after the first book, and Curdie is now fifteen.
He begins to doubt the princesses Great-grandmother and his heard get cold toward all the silly beliefs that the Princess had about her Great-grandmother.
In other words, he starts to turn into a grownup, and adult, who don't go believing such silly fairy tales.
But Great-grandmother Irene has other plans for him, so she sends a dove.
And through some happenings and adventures, Curdie is sent off the the town of Gwyntystorm with a grotesque dog like animal, and his mattock, to save the Princess and her father, the king, from wicked treachery.
And he has to work fast, for he doesn't have much time, and the Princess is about to be married off to some evil guy who will wrench the kingdom from the imprisoned king.

I hope you read this book.
If you don't have it, you should.
And it's written for younger readers, but teens find it enjoyable also.

Five Children and It (book)

You may have seen Five Children and It in a used bookshop or at the library or any other place of this sort. Also if you are like me you would have picked it up (maybe read the back) and then probably set it down thinking it was another childish fairy-tale. This however is not. This book was written by Edith Nesbit. Edith Nesbit was one of first people (with George McDonald) to write Fantasy stories.

The style of the writing in the book is a little different that that of modern day writing, but I have grown to like it a lot.

The story is about five children- Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the Lamb. (Which is their baby brother's nickname, and yes, I do agree that is very odd nickname but if you read the full book you'll notice that they all have animal nicknames.- The story starts with them moving into a house with a sand pit next it. One day they are digging in the sand and find a mysterious figure. It was a Psammead (a Sand Fairy) (pronounced Sammy-add). This Psammead can grant one wish per day to these children. The story is about them asking for wishes that would seem wonderful at the time but turns out badly in the end.

Now because I am writing a Christian Review on this book I will tell the how appropriate it would be. One of the things I really appreciated about this book is that there was not much wrong with it. Although the things I did find were this:

• The four oldest children treated the youngest badly by disregarding him  a lot.
• They were greedy in the first part (but I might be if I found a fairy).

 Other that this it was a spectacular book. I highly recommend it to all who have not heard of it. Have you read this book? If so write us a comment telling us how you liked it.

The Princess and the Goblin(book).

The Princess and the Goblin.

This is a really wonderful book written by George Mac Donald, the contemporary and inspiration of C.S.Lewis.
It is written for children of younger ages, but I, as a teenager, found it very interesting and well written.
It had a really great theme of faith.
It's a quick and easy read, and I suggest you look into it.
Here is a synopsis(of sorts).

Princess Irene lives in a castle in a wild and lonely mountainous region. One day she discovers a steep and winding stairway leading to a bewildering labyrinth of unused passages with closed doors - and a further stairway. What lies at the top? Can the ring the princess is given protect her against the lurking menace of the goblins from under the mountain? This complete an unabridged edition of "The Princess and the Goblin" is an ageless story of magic and mystery.

Just take a look into it when you get a chance.
It's appropriate for all ages.
 

The Betayal(book).

This is another great book written by Douglas Bond.
Here is a synopsis.

"So ends the confession of Jean-Louis Mourin." This simple statement begins the final chapter of The Betrayal, A Novel on John Calvin, by Douglas Bond. Born in the village of Noyon in northern France, poor and envious Jean-Louis watches the finely dressed and privileged John Calvin excel in his studies at the grammar school. Twelve-year-old Calvin is set apart for the priesthood by the bishop of Noyon and begins to receive a substantial stipend as a boy chaplain.
Calvin travels to Paris to study at the Sorbonne and hires an ingratiating Jean-Louis as his personal servant. The new doctrines of the Reformers, which are spreading throughout France, are debated behind closed doors by Calvin and his friends. The prospect of being burned at the stake at the hands of King Francis I looms for all who subscribe to the "heretical" doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. Calvin becomes convinced of the truth of this new teaching while his trusted servant watches and listens, biding his time, surreptitiously gathering evidence and plotting how he might betray Calvin and his friends into the hands of the King's agents. Intrigue follows upon intrigue as Calvin goes first to Orleans to study law and then returns to the turmoil of Paris. When he becomes a hunted man, he flees to Switzerland.
Writing a first-person historical novel presents a set of unique challenges. Not only must the historical events be carefully researched and presented accurately, but also the character of the storyteller must be skillfully and seamlessly integrated into that historical record. In addition, a unique and personal voice for the storyteller, fitting for the era in which the story takes place, must be developed and consistently maintained throughout the novel. Bond carries all this off in a most engaging manner. Told by the servant Jean-Louis, who is a reliable and credible witness while at the same time demonstrating "an uncanny ability to be invisible," the story is a faithful retelling of the life of the great Reformer. Jean-Louis's manner of writing, through Bond, is at once familiar to modern-day readers, but at the same time employs certain words and turns of phrase that echo of antiquity, thus making the entire novel an engaging read and readily believable.
The Betrayal is a captivating story from which one may learn much about the life and times of John Calvin. Well researched and well written, it honors John Calvin and other early Reformers, but, more importantly, it honors Calvin's Savior, the Lord Jesus.

I hope you will take a look into this book if you have not read this already.

Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince (book)

Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince is a one of the Lamplighter Rare Collector Series. (Though it is not very difficult to find.) It was written by Sidney Baldwin. Here is what it is about:

There is a boy named Prince Hubert. He is very  greedy and selfish. His father tries to encourage him to change, because he would be the future king but Hubert doesn't listen. As the King looks for advice he comes across his trusted knight: Sir Malcolm. Malcolm says he has a plan that will change the boys attitude and will make him care for everyone not just himself.

Hubert (or Hue) finds himself walking many miles a day through forests and towns till he finally stops at a cottage owned by an old woman. He learns the important lesson that seeing the work to do and noticing that it needs to be done is just as important than the actual doing. How can a long walk, cottages, an old widow, and an adventure change his life? Join the action packed fantasy and discover the true meaning of work.

Father Brown Stories(book).

This is a large book with many small detective stories written by G.K.Chesterton.

                                            
                                         They are quite interesting and amusing, and quite intriguing.                 
                                         If you have not read them, I suggest you do. I think you will like them very much.
                                        Here is a introduction to the Father Brown Stories.




Father Brown is a short, stumpy Roman Catholic Church priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London", with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella, and an uncanny insight into human evil. He makes his first appearance in the story "The Blue Cross" and continues through the five volumes of short stories, often assisted by the reformed criminal M. Hercule Flambeau. Father Brown also appears in a story "The Donnington Affair" that has a rather curious history. In the October 1914 issue of the obscure magazine The Premier, Sir Max Pemberton published the first part of the story, inviting a number of detective story writers, including Chesterton, to use their talents to solve the mystery of the murder described. Chesterton and Father Brown's solution followed in the November issue. The story was first reprinted in the Chesterton Review (Winter 1981, pp. 1–35) and in the book Thirteen Detectives.
Unlike the more famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown's methods tend to be intuitive rather than deductive. He explains his method in 'The Secret of Father Brown': "You see, I had murdered them all myself... I had planned out each of the crimes very carefully. I had thought out exactly how a thing like that could be done, and in what style or state of mind a man could really do it. And when I was quite sure that I felt exactly like the murderer myself, of course I knew who he was."
Brown's abilities are also considerably shaped by his experience as a priest and confessor. In "The Blue Cross", when asked by Flambeau, who has been masquerading as a priest, how he knew of all sorts of criminal "horrors," he responds: "Has it never struck you that a man who does next to nothing but hear men's real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware of human evil?" He also states a reason why he knew Flambeau was not a priest: "You attacked reason. It's bad theology." The stories normally contain a rational explanation of who the murderer was and how Brown worked it out. He always emphasises rationality: some stories, such as "The Miracle of Moon Crescent", "The Oracle of the Dog", "The Blast of the Book" and "The Dagger With Wings", poke fun at initially sceptical characters who become convinced of a supernatural explanation for some strange occurrence, while Father Brown easily sees the perfectly ordinary, natural explanation. In fact, he seems to represent an ideal of a devout, yet considerably educated and "civilised" clergyman. This can be traced to the influence of Roman Catholic thought on Chesterton. He is characteristically humble, and is usually rather quiet; when he does talk, he almost always says something profound. Although he tends to handle crimes with a steady, realistic approach, he believes in the supernatural as the greatest reason of all.

I did not write this review, but I hope you enjoy.