Treasures: Visible and Invisible is a collection of short stories by eight CatholicTeenBooks.com authors.
A teen boy sets out to save a friend from pagan druids, but maybe he’s the one who needs saving.
A young girl seeks a mysterious treasure that holds the key to granting a nun’s dying wish.
Honora is desperate—then a peculiar clover and a mysterious young man change everything.
William’s weekend job is a little gift from heaven, but now his family needs a real miracle.
When threatened by mobsters, Grace receives help from a surprising source.
Alone and afraid, a young girl finds friendship in a stranger. But could this boy be trouble?
Kyle was determined to save the precious relic–but now his whole family is in danger.
(Also, some of these authors have now indecently published the individual short stories included in this anthology , so check for those releases as well.)
Welcome to the March 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
My husband has been listening to Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See & What We Should Know by Charles Fraune. This spiritual warfare book gleans from the wisdom of a variety of exorcists, some of whose names are familiar, some not. The book’s stated purpose is to “help enlighten Catholics to the spiritual war in which we all find ourselves.” It has a nihil obstat and the recommendation of the actor (Jonathan Roumie) who plays Jesus on The Chosen, so there’s that.
Goodness! This next one has so many things that I love: a creepy Gothic vibe, a happily ever after, and a marriage of convenience. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Cece Louise (whom I interviewed last year) is the fourth book in the Forest Tale series for Young Adults, but it’s a standalone. I’m only a couple of chapters in, but I don’t want to put it down.
One Blessing at a Time: All for One by Leslea Wahl is a short series of stories about characters from the Blindside Series and Where You Lead (as well as some short stories), whose lives intersect. (Sophie from The Perfect Blindside and Ryan from Where You Lead are cousins.) The stories are set before the two couples (Jake and Sophie, Ryan and Josie) have formed and are linked by an object that passes mostly unwittingly from one to the other. It’s a fun look at the characters and gives fans of the series a glimpse of what happened first.
The first book I’ve read from Christian romance author Nadine Keels is Reviving the Commander, a book I chose because I’d seen it recommended and was intrigued by the fact the hero wasn’t a young twentysomething but a mature, widowed father. I’m not a big fan of fantasy, but this is the kind of historical fantasy I can readily get into—essentially historical but in a fictional realm (like The Forest Tales above). I enjoyed both the story and Keels’ writing, and I’ll look for more from her in the future.
Leigh Ebberwein’s debut novel is The Blessing of the Celtic Curse. I love the cover, which captures the settings so well—two locations that really shine in this split-time story: Savannah, Georgia, and Ireland. I’ve visited neither, but both felt familiar by the end of the book. Young Kathleen leaves behind her fiancé to visit Ireland, chasing independence and a recurring dream. There she finds not only the peace and answers she seeks, but also Quinn, with whom she develops a close but short-lived friendship/romance that will have repercussions for her and her Savannah family decades into the future. This one needs another round of proofreading, so if you can’t turn off your inner editor, be forewarned.
My oldest son is finishing Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy at college. He’s reading The Last Command by Timothy Zahn. Interestingly, he’s found many tie-ins with the new Star Wars series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. In The Last Command, the Republic has been attacked by Grand Admiral Thrawn with what’s left of the Imperial forces and clone soldiers.
In eighth grade, my daughter picked Poetry for Young People: Walt Whitman to fulfill one of her genre requirements. Poetry is always the quick read when a student is looking to meet a quota. Short verses, short books. But when I read poetry, at least, I re-read so many passages that I doubt I save any words. I’m pleased that a short biography an a few poems in, my daughter has recognized the very American character of the poems.
My fourth-grade daughter snatched my review copy of Carlo Acutis: God’s Computer Genius by Ellen Labrecque. She discovered how much she has in common with Blessed Carlo including a love of Pokémon, ice cream, and—her favorite!—Nutella. She enjoyed that the book isn’t merely a biography. There are a lot of sidebar additions explaining related topics such as guardian angels, computer coding, leukemia, and links to Blessed Carlo’s websites.
My third-grade son picked up My Otter Half by Michelle Schusterman at the school book fair. He’s only just begun, but the description likens the book to a cross between Homeward Bound and Finding Nemo. Oliver, a determined sea otter, and Franklin, an energetic dachshund puppy, have to make their way through Puget Sound. But watch out! There’s an oil spill. I’m not sure I’d enjoy this one, but he’s enjoying it so far.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’m becoming more of a minimalist when it comes to Lent. Less is more, no? One resource or one thing to concentrate on. After numerous Lents in which God delivered a more suitable, fruitful penance than I’d ever dream up, I’m learning to better accept God’s gifts, even those I’d just as soon re-gift.
Here are five resources to accompany you on your Lenten journey. Maybe one here will suit you this year. Or ready you to accept God’s plan for these forty days.
For those who are unfamiliar, what inspired the Armor of God, your fantasy-adventure chapter book series for children?
This series was inspired by the scriptural amor of God as described in Ephesians 6:13-17.
The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of peace . . . I just love the connection in that Bible passage between individual pieces of armor and specific virtues. They paint a picture in my mind and a story in my heart. I just had to write the stories that brought those elements to life!
Children recognize the spiritual battle at a very young age . . . when they are tempted to lie or to take something that isn’t theirs, or when they can’t get their way or they’re feeling selfish. So I wanted these stories to have characters that shared those struggles, those spiritual battles, and then armed themselves to fight.
In another edition of, ‘What good is a blog if I can’t publish my own children’s work?,’ I’m sharing my then seventh-grade daughter’s, ”The Visigoth’s Reward,” her entry in The Hershey Story History Contest for Young Writers for 2021.
“Brother, wake up. Get your things. It’s time to go.” Vulfila stood next to him, tying a belt around his tunic.
Audvakr pushed the soft deerskin off himself and reached for his clothes and armor. He opened the tent flap. A full moon shone brightly on the camp. Men gathered in small groups, talking in low, gruff voices. Most appeared to be gravitating towards the biggest tent.
Tonight was the night. The Romans would pay for their arrogance and mistreatment of Audvakr’s people. The Visigoths had gone unnoticed far too long. It was time everyone recognized them.
I haven’t published many personal posts here in a while, so I thought I’d share something I recently wrote for Catholic Mom. Lying down with my little ones, who aren’t all so little any more, has been a great blessing – for them and for me.
So-called “nighttime parenting” gets a bad rap. I can safely say that, now that all of my children regularly sleep through the night. (My children were each at least four years old before that happened with any regularity.)
Sleep disruption, for all its annoyance and the growing bags under my eyes, is the foundation of many warm memories of snuggling a newborn at my breast, rubbing the back of a toddler awakened by a nightmare, and reading picture books to a preschooler who can’t fall back to sleep.
Some of the most honest, intimate moments I’ve shared with my children have come in nearly dark bedrooms while they lay tucked beneath the sheets, a stuffed companion or two (or more) at their side.
Welcome to the February 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
While lately I’ve been finishing other books I’ve been reading, I did begin Saintly Moms: 25 Stories of Holiness by Kelly Ann Guest. This collection of stories of mom saints has a lot of variety, spanning all Christian history and mixing well-known and little-known saints. I was happy to see one of my patrons, Saint Perpetua, included. The stories, with reflections, are brief enough to enjoy when you have only a short time to read and make the book easy to pick up and return to. This book also checks the first box (Saintly) on the 2022 Catholic Writers Guild Reading Challenge.
I’ve been seeing Emma St. Clair’s clean, contemporary rom-coms and their illustrated covers all over the place lately and thought I’d give one a try. The Love Clichés series covers six familiar romance tropes. Falling For Your Best Friend is the fifth book in the series, but I had no trouble keeping characters straight. I found the first half of the book disappointing and almost set it aside a third of the way through, but the second half was much more to my liking. The most striking thing about the story is the main character, Harper, and the realization that her quirks likely place her on the autism spectrum. The hero, Chase, is as solid and selfless as they come, and the author creates some nice chemistry between him and Harper.
My daughter’s middle school class is reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis together. I’m sad to say I wasn’t introduced to this Christian allegory until well into adulthood. I’ve read several books in the series to my oldest son, but never the series in its entirety. I did see the movies, so there’s that. For my daughter, it’s a chance to revisit a book she read when she was small.
Where You Lead by Leslea Wahl is the book my daughter is picking up for fun, working to get in a few chapters during her especially busy days. She’s already told me that the main character, Eve, has two ’50s-style skirts – even a poodle skirt, I think – and she wants some of her own. Where You Lead is a fun contemporary mystery with some romance and history included as well. It’s a great choice for teen girls.
My fourth-grade daughter read Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Desperaux, the story of a mouse who loves a princess named Pea. (Again, I think I saw the movie. Some time I’ll have to address the dearth of good literature in my childhood.) She said it was a fun adventure, the characters were great, and she loved the details the author used.
My daughter also re-read Karey Kelly Boyce’s Sisters of the Last StrawCase of the Campground Creature aloud to me since I hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. She loves this series, and I enjoyed a few laugh-out-loud moments in this tale of the sisters discovering the identity of a Bigfoot-like creature roaming the campground where they are staying.
My youngest son read The Wild Robot by Peter Brown with his third-grade class. I hadn’t heard of this novel, which the blurb describes as a blend of Wall-E and Hatchet. Roz, a robot trying to survive on a remote island, befriends the native animals until her “mysterious past comes back to haunt her.” Sounds ominous.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, also by Kate DiCamillo, is the second book he read last month. This one features a rabbit, Edward Tulane, not a mouse. Edward is owned by Abilene, who adores him. But then Edward is lost. Some reviews characterize the story as too sad and filled with too much loss. My son, however, didn’t find it particularly sad.
Finally, I’ve spotted my youngest reading Dog Man by Dav Pilkey. The illustrations are so easily recognizable that my husband though he was reading Captain Underpants (another Pilkey series), which I don’t think any of my kids have read. In Dog Man, George is a human with a dog’s head. And he’s also a cop. Apparently, there are plenty of poop jokes. [As an aside, I noticed this book has more than 15,000 Amazon reviews. Margaret Mitchell’s classic Gone with the Wind has less than 9,000. The long arm of the Scholastic Book Fair reaches pretty far, I guess.]
Want more details on An Open Book? You can also sign up for An Open Book reminder email, which goes out one week before the link-up. No blog? That’s okay. Just tell us what you’re reading in the comment box.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
