Penumbras by Braden Bell

I'm thrilled to be able to write a review for Penumbras, the second in the Middle School Magic series by Braden Bell. We really enjoyed the first book, The Kindling (which I reviewed here). We love reading about the adventures and struggles of Conner, Lexa and Melanie (oh, and we can't forget Pilaf, whose adventures intensify in this book as well).

Thanks to the fact that the author let us read a draft copy of his book, I was able to do what I did with The Kindling and claim it as a read-aloud-with-Mom-only book. (It's hard to find a fantasy book my kids have not read and knowing of a book before it's published gives me an advantage!) Our recent vacation gave us time to finally finish it (it's hard to find a time when all three kiddos are in one place). We completed it just in time for the book's launch and blog tour.

We love the story and the characters and the suspense and the lessons explored in the books.

But I want to write this review (as I did the first time) more in momma mode, because I know parents often like to hear what other parents think about the entertainment available to their children.

Short answer is this: I love this series. It's definitely for older tweens/teens (lots of action, light-vs-dark moments, and some teenage crush-love stuff that likely will be too much for younger kids), but the books are well-written and both fun and meaningful.

As a mom, I always appreciate books and stories that can help give our family a springboard to talk and think about the reality of light and darkness, of good and evil, of trials and opportunities. Because we read this book aloud, it gave us a shared experience for such pondering and discussion.

It is clear to me that the author (a junior high/middle school teacher) understands and cares deeply about teenagers. In a world where often teens can be at the brunt of jokes and eye rolls, this is refreshing. In my view, the author's personal investment in youth comes out strongly in his writing.

I also was grateful for some teaching moments that the author capitalized on. In fact, as I was mulling over what to write for this review, the example I wanted to share was one that my starting-the-eighth-grade daughter brought up on her own as something that stuck with her.

Dr. Timberi gives some sage advice about teenage romances to one of his students that any mother would, I think, be thrilled to read aloud with her teens:

"Now, please accept a bit of advice from someone who has watched dozens and dozens of adolescent relationships pop like bubbles and ruin friendships....Teenage romances are notoriously unstable. Protect your friendship with prudence. Be friends. Good friends. Affectionate friends. But leave it at that. If love is real, it will grow along with you until you are both mature enough for a durable relationship that will shelter and feed it.

"[She] nodded. Super embarrassing to hear that from a teacher, but she saw the wisdom of Dr. Timberi's words."

I've always been grateful for other adults in my children's lives who care enough to share important, direct advice born of experience and concern. I love how the author weaves this advice into the plot -- far enough into the series that it doesn't come across as preaching, but clear enough that the message cannot be missed.

(I like how on his blog, too, he takes time to share some thoughts and advice for youth and their parents in a feature called Middle School Mondays.)

Just as with the first book, there were moments in this book where I struggled to read out loud because I got choked up. He hits on some topics and truths that really moved me; the lessons and topics explored in these books definitely extend beyond a teen's world. And just as with the first book, we had a hard time putting it down.

I think this book is, as another reviewer said, Braden Bell's best book yet. We highly recommend this series. (And we anxiously look forward to Book Three!)

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About Braden Bell, author of the Middle School Magic series:

Braden Bell earned  a Ph.D. in educational theatre from New York University. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in theatre arts and child drama from Brigham Young University. He and his family live on a quiet, wooded lot in Tennessee, where he teaches theatre and music at a private middle school--the world described in The Kindling and Penumbras(whether his evenings and weekends are spent fighting evil is something he cannot disclose). An experienced performer, Braden enjoys singing, acting, reading, gardening, and long walks with the dog.

Braden enjoys interacting with readers on his blog or Facebook page. He's available for schools assemblies, classroom visits, and book clubs in person or via Skype. You can contact him by leaving a message here.

Penumbras Website (trailers, photos, sample chapters): http://www. bradenbell.com / penumbras.html
Author Facebook:  https://www. facebook.com/pages/Braden- Bell-author/107471269272359? ref = hl
Author Twitter: @ bradenbellcom
Author Blog:  http://www.bradenbell. com / bradens-blog.html

Cougar Football Cookbook compiled by Holly Mendenhall

The first time I heard about this book, I was so excited because I am such a big BYU fan.  So I began to read it right away.





The cookbook was great.  There were many fun homemade recipes that I was very excited to bake.  And what was even better was it was for their Thursdays Heroes charity. [Momma's note: See https://www.broncomendenhall.com/thursdays-heroes/ or https://www.facebook.com/fullyinvested for more info about Thursday's Heroes.]

At the bottom of the page it had the name of the person who made the recipe or added it in.  So it was fun to see the different names and then see who they are related to that made them famous in BYU football.  For example: Lenore V. Mendenhall is the mother of Coach Bronco Mendenhall.

The organization was very creative; it was set into "Football Slang" you might call it.   Pre-game warm ups, Rise and Shout, ect.  There was only one glitch.  The only glitch was there were no pictures!  In my opinion, there should always be pictures so you get a sense of what it looks like or how it can look like once it is done.

At the closing of this review, I would like to share my favorite recipe [that sounded good] from each section:

Pre-game Warm-ups- Homemade Granola Bars
Rise and Shout- Becca's Salsa
First Downs-Asian Grilled Chicken Salad
Bowl Games-Taco Soup
Touchdown-The Best Itallian Meatballs
Cheers from the Sidelines-Pineapple Bake
The Point After-Chocolate Chip Cake
Water Break-Grape Sparkle
                                                 
                                    -An almost 12 year-old

The Wind and the Waves and Through Cloud and Sunshine by Dean Hughes

 

These two books by Dean Hughes were great. I started with The Wind and the Waves with some hesitation because I didn’t know the author, and it’s hard for me to get more into historical fiction unless it is truly fantastic. Let’s just say my attitude was changed.

This story follows the life of two couples separated by one and a half centuries and about five generations. Their names are Will and Liz Lewis and Jeff and Abby Lewis. Will and Liz are some of the early converts to the church in the 1840’s. Their story is similar in date and in context to the Steed’s in the Work and the Glory. They go through their own troubles such as getting over social issues, crossing the ocean, and taming a wilderness. Jeff and Abby are in a more modern setting, going through hard financial times, moving from place to place, and an unexplainable feeling of needing to do something but not sure what.

Dean Hughes does a masterful job of weaving the two stories and connecting them in ways that will surprise and excite you. I loved how as we would learn more about Will and Liz, Jeff and Abby would find out those same things as they did their family history. Though they are on different sides of a millenium, they still go through the same basic struggles that everyone can relate to in their own lives and be uplifted by the simple faith of these early and modern saints.

I say you cannot go wrong with these two books. I have no qualms in handing these over to anyone who has any interest. I say go ahead, have fun, and hope that he continues the series soon!

- A fourteen year old

Angels -- Agents of Light, Love, and Power by Donald W. Parry

When I saw this book being offered by Deseret Book for review, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. The doctrine about angels is something that has interested me for years (and my interest in the topic has only increased with time). I looked forward to seeing what Brother Parry had to say.

We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a unique and important doctrine as it relates to heavenly beings. They were the instrument of the Restoration, for one thing. But in a world where people seem to crave a connection with the divine, or at least with other-worldly forces (some people seek such connections through alien watching or using radio hosts as go-betweens to those who have passed on, or....) I don't think the importance of such a compilation of information can be understated, both for those within the Church and for those not of our faith who seek to understand more about angels.

The book has three main sections, as follows:

Part 1: About Angels
Part 2: Angels Minister with Love to Mortals
Part 3: Five Symbols Associated with Angels

Within those three sections are 33 chapters on various topics such as what angels might wear, how they may appear to people, how they communicate with mortals, and much more. He uses scriptural examples to explore different kinds of work angels may do (such as announcing children yet to be born or protecting sacred space). In the chapters in the last section, he is deliberate about exploring some of the scriptural symbolism tied to mentioning of angels in sacred writings, but he mentioned other symbolism throughout the book as well.

The book wasn't quite what I was expecting (although I'm not sure I could fully articulate what I was expecting). Maybe I can explain it this way: It is different from a lot of doctrinal titles from Deseret Book in that it's not interpretative. It's informational. Truth be told, I'm more accustomed to the former style (although sometimes, interestingly enough, such a style can, at times, make me feel uncomfortable when it can feel like too much interpretation is offered that perhaps should be left to the reader to ponder). I think I was expecting more personal reflection. I will go so far as to say that it almost feels as though it could (should?) have been labeled as a reference book or compilation because there was so little in terms of thoughts or reflections from the author himself. Brother Parry, in fact, had very little to say. But he had a lot of information to share!

So, when considered as a reference book, I am comfortable saying that the book accomplishes its purposes. It appears to be a well-researched compilation of prophetic quotes and scriptural references about angels, and as far as I know, it's the only book of its kind on this topic. As such, I feel this is an important work, and I'm sure there are many layers to what I can learn from it. It's one I imagine I will refer to many times in the future as I continue to ponder the doctrine surrounding angels in God's plan. I would definitely recommend it as a valuable addition for the library of anyone interested in the topic.

Suit Up and Armor Up by John Bytheway, Brad Wilcox and others

Book Review for Suit Up and Armor Up by: Brad Wilcox, John Hilton III, Anthony Sweat, John Bytheway, Hank Smith, Laurel Christensen (with Jennifer Platt contributing to Suit Up as well)

I loved these two books that Deseret Book sent us. That is the first thing that I want to say. I am still a few years from a mission myself and they were very informative and insightful. 

The books are split into sections with an author writing each one and telling their different stories and inputs on things needed in a mission and in everyday life to fight the evil in our lives. What I really like was the end of the chapters. The authors had scriptures to look up but more importantly they had challenges that you could follow up on that would better prepare you for life.

While most of the things in these books are for those preparing for missions, I think that these books would be great for anyone of any age to read. These have really good life advice for anyone who feels that the world today in general is less than stellar and wants some guidance. Two thumbs up and a recommendation to anyone to read these books!

~ A fourteen year old

The Book of Jer3miah: Premonition by Luisa Perkins

Deseret Book sent us two books on this last go-around -- one was The Continuous Conversion, which I reviewed in my last post. The other was a book called The Book of Jer3miah: Premonition by Luisa M. Perkins

The 14-year-old was the one who agreed to read and review this book. As is his modus operandi, he devoured the book in a matter of a few hours. This is his honest review. It contains spoiler alerts, so you've been warned. 

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I was asked by Deseret Book to review this book to get a different perspective and at my moms urging. I am quite torn with this book. The character development, the plot, the dialogue, everything was great. But after awhile a few things about it started to bother me. Throughout the book, the main character Jeremiah receives a lot of promptings. Often these promptings are in the form of words which was a little disconcerting because I know first hand the majority of promptings are not that way. 

Another thing was that it threw around many different and sacred truths that really probably shouldn’t be shared. These are not secret but sacred and I think that it toed the line. The best example of this is towards the end of the book, Jeremiah found out he is the son of one of the Three Nephites. My first thought was: Really? In my opinion, that was unnecessary and just not very tactful. I thought that they also put the Mormon references on a little too thick. Things like Relief Society, FHE, and Ward Prayer. Not that they are bad, but it is a little blatant for me. 

The final thing that was hard to accept was the extreme that these promptings took. At one point, Jeremiah is prompted to kill an assassin. He does, but with large reservations. While that did happen in the Book of Mormon, having it be part of our lives is a little much for me.

This would have been a book that I had nothing but praise for if it just didn’t have the sacred references and other things. If that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, read it and thoroughly enjoy it. But if blatant Mormon terms are something that you are not prepared for, please don’t read this book. Choose what you all will but I will not be reading this again or the second if it comes out.

-A fourteen year old

The Continuous Conversion by Brad Wilcox

Deseret Book gave me a copy of Brad Wilcox's The Continuous Conversion to read and review. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to read this book. Following are some of my thoughts about it.

The Continuous Conversion, by Brad Wilcox, was a book that came to my mailbox at a good time, a time when I needed some of what he had to share. This is the second of Brother Wilcox's books about the Atonement, the first being a well-known book called The Continuous Atonement. There are few topics I'm more hungry to ponder and read about than the Atonement, and Brother Wilcox again has put his heart into helping Church members and friends of other faiths understand more about what the Atonement can mean in our lives as we come to understand and apply it more. As is always the case, words can often fall short on such a topic, but there are some powerful words in this book. Many of them for me came in couplets, both ones that Brother Wilcox created and also those he shared from other wise people. An obvious benefit of such a literary tool is that they are easier to remember. Here are a few I liked:

"We are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven.... We are not paying our way into heaven. We are practicing for it" (p. 16).

From Bruce Hafen: "The truth is not that we must make it on our own but that he will make us his own" (p. 92)

From Elaine Dalton: "Our covenants not only define us, they refine us" (p. 95).

I'll just say from the get-go that I would not recommend reading this book quickly. It's the kind of book to pick up and read a little at a time. Each chapter to me almost seems like a self-contained essay, and I'd almost treat each chapter as such. (They didn't always feel connected to me, in fact, but each chapter had a deliberate and important focus and could relate back to his theme of conversion.) Because I was reading for a review deadline, I didn't have the luxury of taking my time, but there were times when had anyone been sitting next to me, they would have heard a sharp intake of breath or seen some tears forming as a thought resonated with my spirit.

The message that most resonated with me -- one that showed up repeatedly in the book -- was the idea that conversion is a process. We hear that a lot, I know, but it's something I don't think I can ever tire of hearing. As a recovering perfectionist, I struggle against discouragement all. the. time. It was good to be reminded that it's the plan for it to be a "Mighty Slow Change" as one of the chapters declares. A couplet summarizes this message well: "True conversion is not instantaneous. It is continuous." One day at a time really is a wise way to live.

Other things that I liked about this book:

- Personal stories. He tells a few from his own life (the one from his mission on pp. 27-29) and shares many from various other people. It's clear he's sought a lot of input and has a desire to involve people in his writing projects. To me, there are few things more powerful than personal narrative.

- A good mix of quotes. Brother Wilcox doesn't overuse them, but has enough to provide multiple perspectives and meaningful repetition of important principles. Again, it's clear that he did a lot of research and put a lot of thought into his writing.

- Dispelling some doctrinal myths. I thought he did a nice job addressing some topics like the notion of "binding" God (see Doctrine and Covenants 82:10) [we don't bind Him by faith to get what we want, we learn by faith to accept His will -- He is the Giver of blessings and cannot be bought out by our efforts. Again, we don't earn heaven. I loved the image in a later chapter of ladders vs. train tracks [one calling isn't more important than another; our worth is not determined by what we do; we don't move 'up' we simply move around]. And even as his chapter on wide-awake discipleship felt a little overzealous to me (see below), in that chapter he hit some important topics head-on, such as rules vs. religion, obedience and sacrifice vs. consecration, testimony vs conversion, and cultural Mormonism vs. "the soul-transforming fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ." I think these are important things to have on the table as we ponder what it means to really be converted to Christ.

-Exploring a variety of gospel topics. They are too numerous to list here, but he covers a lot in not very much space. The restored gospel is such a blessing, and there is no question about how he feels about that blessing and all the wonderful facets that can impact our lives (prophets, the Book of Mormon, ordinances/the temple, the Spirit, callings...the list goes on).

Since I think good reviews usually include some gentle feedback/criticism, here are some things I didn't love about the book. (I hope this is gentle enough.)

- A few of the examples/stories felt a little strained to me, like he was wanting to make them illustrate his ideas, rather than just letting the stories speak for themselves. (I'm often guilty of overinterpreting stories, so I'm one to talk!)

- Sometimes the book took on a bit of a preachy/critical tone in my mind. (Again I'm one to talk. I've been so guilty of being preachy so often in my life; maybe that's why I'm sensitive to it in this case?) For example, the chapter on zeal almost seemed to undermine his declared core purpose -- to help people not give up. To be totally honest, I've been in that place of feeling like giving up too many times, and hearing that I should have more zeal has often been exactly the wrong thing for my spirit. Perhaps others would resonate with a little bit of a kick in the pants, so I can only speak for myself there, perhaps. But somewhere in my gut I feel that so often the change from cultural to converted Mormon is exactly where grace really does have to step in, to be invited, even. I'm not convinced we can work and zeal our way through those kinds of transitions.

 - Along those lines, a few of the examples seemed to seek to illustrate when someone was "doing it wrong" and that left me feeling a little uncomfortable. I guess I've just seen too many people come to themselves through the loving invitations of a God who never gives up and the lessons that life tends to teach to be too comfortable with such examples being used too often. I've been guilty of this too often in my life, so again, it could just be my personal weakness and sensitivity showing through, but I would have preferred more  positive examples in this context of teaching the hope of the Atonement.

- I didn't love the temple chapters, which is kind of surprising given how much I love pondering the temple. It almost felt like they were a bit (I don't know?) out of place or even forced, even as I understand how important the temple is to our conversion. (!!) I felt like he was trying to cram a lot of *information* about the temple that I think is best sought out and understood through personal study and revelation. (The talk I would recommend for such study is this one.) I think given the tone and focus of the book, I would have liked to hear more personal narratives about how the temple has helped bring change in people's lives vs. trying to explain academically (albeit a bit obliquely) about the rituals.

All in all, though, I would definitely recommend this book. I think the Spirit can always help an individual find the words and ideas that would be relevant and meaningful and personally applicable for that person. No author -- not even our authorized servants -- can capture the magnitude, depth, and breadth of the Atonement, but I think the more we talk about it and share experiences with our Savior's healing power, the more we can learn and feel out what the Atonement really can mean in our lives. The wonder of these truths that Brother Wilcox teaches is that God is there all along the way to help us learn heaven as we seek His help, and look and reach for His hand. I am grateful for Brother Wilcox's zeal about the Atonement and his desires to help others feel its power and do all they can to reap and enjoy its blessings -- not only eternally but now as we walk our mortal journey.