Book Review: Success for Teens

Review by Elinor

Title: Success for Teens

Author: John Fleming

Rating: 5/5

  About the Book: This book outlined many principles and habits that, when formed during your teen years, can be some of your greatest tools when achieving your goals and dreams. One of the greatest points made was that as a teenager, one should not simply wait for your life to begin; your life has already started, and the habits that you form now can have some of the greatest impacts on your life. The book had stories from real teens and they shared things that had made big differences in their lives. Another great point made by this book was that in order to change your actions and the outcome of your actions, you have to first change yourself and your outlook on life.

  My Thoughts: This was a book I started a couple months ago, and I have read a small portion of it at the beginning of every school day. It has been very motivational as well as encouraging, and I would recommend it to anyone in their teen years. 

  As far as age recommendation goes, this book is clearly written for a teen audience just reading about it, and I would recommend it for this age group and up. There were a few brief mentions of alcohol and drugs in the stories from actual teens, but these stories were usually to make the point that you can achieve your dreams no matter where you come from or what your past looks like.

  This book really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and truly pursue some things that I desired, and I think it will be something that I come back to in the future. This is a book that you not only read once, but just kind of rip pages out of to tape over your desk (which I really did). Definitely something that I will keep and re-read for a long time!

Book Review: Before You Meet Prince Charming

Title: Before You Meet Prince Charming

Author: Sarah Mally

Rating; 5/5

Age Recommendation: 10+

Plot: Before You Meet Prince Charming is all about remaining pure, and how you can do that right now, wherever you are in your life. It discusses how to prepare for your future husband, the dangers of our society's dating system, and provides examples of ways to get to know a young man while still remaining pure. 

We felt that this book did just what it set out to do - which was to help young ladies understand just what purity is, and how to exercise it in the world that we live in. We found it very encouraging, helpful, and biblical. We liked that Sarah didn't give you a list of standards she had already set, but presented many different approaches and allowed you to set your own standards.

Quality: This book was very well-written and clear in its message. Something that was very appreciated was that it perfectly explained purity, while still being age-appropriate. It is a book that we would recommend to any girl or woman over 10 (not because of any mature content, but just because it would be more interesting for that age).

Elinor's Thoughts: I enjoyed this book greatly, as well as learned quite a bit! It helped me to find ways that I could be more deeply committing my life to Christ, and it opened up some conversations with my sister, mom, and dad that were very meaningful. It made me excited for finding the man that God has for me, but it also helped me to remember that God should be my focus, more than anything else. This is one of those books that one day (Lord willing) I will want to have my daughters read. 

Marianne's Thoughts: I loved reading this book with Elinor! It really helped me to better understand what it means to "prepare" yourself for your future husband, and how I can do that now. Something else that Sarah explained was what it really means to "wait upon the Lord". She shared that that didn't mean just sitting around staring at the TV and waiting for God to bring some perfect young man to your door, but that you should wait upon the Lord the way a waitress waits upon the customer... you should serve Him. It was an analogy that will stick with me for a while :). It was a great book that I would recommend over and over again!

Book, books, books!

    Hello! Today we'd like to show you some pictures of our books. These are the books that we haven't read yet, and they are in order (top to bottom) of how we plan to read them.
*The order of the books could be changed, this is simply how we plan to read them.

Elinor's Books:

Reached by Allie Condie

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Get Lost by Dannah Gresh

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Crater by Homer Hickham

Crescent by Homer Hickham

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

The Confession by Beverly Lewis

The Reckoning by Beverly Lewis

Cinder's Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet

The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Miss Fortune by Sara Mills

Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo

Marianne's Books:

Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Maid to Match by Deeane Gist

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen 

When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke

Found in Translation by Roger and Kristi Rae Bruner 

Beauty Secrets by Deborah and Rachel Newman

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Soul of Prince Caspian by Gene Veith

Answers Book for Teens by Bodie Hodge, Tommy Mitchell and Ken Ham

Mary Magdalene by Diana Wallis Taylor

Fiction to Read Together:

Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

The Truth of the Matter by Andrew Klavan

The Final Hour by Andrew Klavan

Veiled Rose by Anne Elizabeth Stengl

Moonblood by Anne Elizabeth Stengl

Kingdom's Hope by Chuck Black

Devotionals to Read Together:

Dating Mr. Darcy by Sarah Arthur

Live to Give by Austin Gutwein 

Escaping the Vampire by Kimberly Powers

Success for Teens

Girlfriend, You are a B.A.B.E by Andrea Stephens

Boyland by Andrea Stephens

Wild Grace by Max Lucado

Green's Not Your Best Color by Mieka Phillips

The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

Destination Unknown by Gordon S. Jackson

Bible B.A.B.E.S by Andrea Stephens

True Images Devotional