Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I was fascinated with the concept of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children from the moment I heard about the book. I didn’t know anything about the storyline, but the idea of weaving old photographs into a novel intrigued me.  The book turned out to be just as fascinating as I had hoped for.

After years of hearing his grandpa’s fanciful stories of growing up in an orphanage in Wales, Jacob eventually dismisses them as nothing more than fairy tales. That is, until the day he watches his grandpa die after being attacked by one of the monsters from the fairy tales. Shortly thereafter, Jacob and his father leave for Wales, and Jacob begins to discover that perhaps those fairly tales were actually reality – a reality that most people never know of.

I read this book in just two days – which is saying something for a busy homeschool mom. I loved just about every bit of it, and had a hard time guessing what was coming next. My only complaint is that the end felt rushed and a bit incomplete. Jake seems to have too easy of a time deciding on his future, and as a mom, I had a sour taste left in my mouth for the sake of his parents. That aside, it was a great read and the photography angle made the story that much more fun.

Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Written in 1995 and revised in 2005, Shepherding a Child’s Heart contains some truly timeless truths about children: they are sinners in need of Christ. With this foundational assumption, author Tripp lays out what he believes parents should do according to Scriptures in order to shepherd their children into loving submission under their Creator.

The first half of the book breaks down what Tripp believes to be “foundations for child rearing.” In this section, he writes about short and long term goals in raising children and about methods, biblical and unbiblical, for accomplishing them. The second half of the book focuses on the stages of childhood and the objectives and techniques unique to each stage. 

Much of this book is excellent. Discipline, the brunt of the book, is not punitive, but restorative. Tripp rightly clarifies that a child’s disobedience is rebellion against God and against His command to honor and obey one’s parents, and he urges parents to help their children understand this concept. Understanding this opens a door for parents to talk about grace and our need of Christ’s supernatural strength to do what He calls us to do. The focus of discipline is not on changing behavior, but addressing a child’s heart. The “why” of behavior is weighted far more heavily than the “what.”

There are two major flaws in the book, in my opinion. The first is the lack of control that the author gives a child over his own life . Up until the teenage years, parents are urged to make all decisions and to assert authority simply to teach a child submission. Tripp maintains that “when we allow our children to become independent decision makers we give them a false idea of liberty and a mistaken notion of freedom.” Even in things as trivial as what to eat for breakfast, Tripp urges parents not to allow children the ability to choose. To the opposition that children must learn to make sound decisions by making them under their parent’s guidance, he replies that children learn to make good decisions by merely observing their parents doing so on their behalf. To that I say, baloney. This assertion is no more true than saying that a child will learn long division simply by watching the teacher work out problems on the board. Furthermore, it does not take into account a child’s individual makeup. Some kids simply need to be more independent than others. To allow them choices within a parent’s wishes is wisdom.

My other concern with Shepherding a Child’s Heart is that Tripp preaches that spanking is the only real biblical form of corrective discipline. Not only does he equate time outs as emotional child abuse and groundings as useless and ineffective, he goes so far to write that “if you fail to spank, you fail to take God’s Word seriously.” His support of this is in the few Proverbs passages that tell parents to use the “rod.” I do not have a personal problem with spanking and believe it can be used well and effectively, but I do take issue to the idea that it is the best and only biblical form of discipline. My problem with this is twofold. First, from my short topical study of Scriptures, the admonition to use the “rod” is only found in Proverbs. Elsewhere in the Old and New Testament are commands to discipline, but the form is never specified. A Proverb is simply not a Scriptural command, and to build a theology on one is ridiculous. To say that it is sinful not to spank based on a proverbial admonition also means that being afraid is sinful since Proverbs 3:25 says not to be afraid when wicked comes because God will take care of you. Furthermore, the fact that there is no correlating verse in the New Testament is concerning. 

Secondly, you have the realism issue. What about foster children whom, at least in my state, are legally not allowed to be corporally punished? Some children who have suffered from child abuse simply should not be spanked. What about parents that were abused and cannot handle giving corporal punishments without going too far or without pretty significant emotional damage to themselves? What about children for whom spankings are just not as effective? I have one child who responds remarkably better to having certain privileges taken away than spankings. What about older children? Spanking is useful, but advocating it at the expense of other parental tools is not helpful – especially when you add in the insinuation that parents who choose otherwise are sinning.

In summary, I do recommend Shepherding a Child’s Heart for its foundational insistence on the goals in parenting and a child’s need of Christ, but only with the caveat that Tripp’s views on authority and spanking are over the top. He tries to use Scripture to back his opinions up, but a couple of Proverbs and his personal assertions just don’t cut it.  

Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis

Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis is essentially a dad's guide to walking his son into manhood in a clear and meaningful way. A quick read, the book spells out how to define masculinity for a boy and how to encourage a boy through the milestones of his childhood so that when he enters adulthood, he has a clear understanding of what a man is and can self-identify as one. Two of the major components in the book are a "community of men" and meaningful rites of passage. The author encourages a dad to surround himself and his son with a group of men who will be a part of the boy’s life through maturity, encouraging him and teaching him along the way. The section on ceremonies or rites of passage contains a myriad of examples about when and how to celebrate significant moments in a boy's childhood as he passes to the next stage. Since the book is written to an audience of Western readers who have largely not experienced the kind of ceremonies detailed here, these examples are very helpful.
It is important to realize that this book is written to fathers and is very nearly irrelevant to a mom, other than to know exactly what a dad raising a modern day knight is trying to accomplish. A single mother or a mother without a husband fully committed to the cause will find this book next to useless.
I thought the content of Raising a Modern Day Knight was meaningful enough that I will be passing the book along to my husband to apply to our sons. I appreciate the definition of masculinity and strategies to help boys understand it as well, and I hope to encourage its realization in the lives of my boys.

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and how quickly I read it. While I guessed the end of the book, the writing itself was superb. As a southerner myself, I loved how the author used old Southern dialect in her dialog scenes. It gave the book a sweet authenticity. It was obviously a Christian book, but without the sermonizing found in some Christian fiction. A heartwarming book, and well worth the read!

The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules by Carolyn Custis James

I am a missionary with a degree in intercultural studies and 20+ years of walking with the Lord, and this book literally took the legs out from beneath me. Wow! Why haven't I heard this stuff before? I checked out the bibliography page, and this author did her homework. As a student of cultures, the whole time I was thinking "well, duh! Of course. That makes so much sense." I did not agree completely with every conclusion that she drew from the data, but was certainly intrigued and spiritually challenged. I can honestly say that my view of the book of Ruth is forever changed after reading this book. I am so glad that I read it and have encouraged many of my friends and family to do the same.

The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I read this and was stuck in the series for 3 straight months. You know its bad when you start dreaming about the characters! Honestly, though I would give it 4 1/2 stars because there was just too much sex in it for me. I'm no prude, but it seemed to be an every other page event for the second half of the book. However, the quality of the story was such that I was able to overlook it for the sake of finding out what happened next.

The Sword by Bryan M. Litfin

I LOVED the first section of this book, and for the most part, enjoyed the last section as well. My only issue with the story was simply the ease in which the church was established. I found it unbelievable in both how quickly it occurred and how western in was in structure. With no examples to follow, I found it hard to believe that "church" would so easily look American. I felt it would have been a much more believable and interesting story if their worship looked a little different. All that said, I still sped through the story and enjoyed it enough to want to read the next book in the series.

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

I have to admit that I almost put this book down about a quarter of the way through it, but it was interesting enough albeit predictable, that I stuck with it until the end.
What I didn't like about the book was mainly the writing style. The book is filled with cliches - and the same ones over and over! I also realize that the author was trying to portray dialect, but "feller" really started getting on my nerves. The romance began at first sight, and both characters fell too hard and too fast for my taste. There was really very little conflict in their love story.
On the flip side, I was looking at a light-hearted romance after having finished a pretty heady novel, and this was just that. It was sweet (okay maybe a little on the cheesy side) and clean. I also found the street kids element interesting, though a bit far-fetched.
All in all, I would recommend this book for a pool-side read. It's not going to make you think too hard, and sometimes that is okay.

Healing For a Broken World: Christian Perspective on Public Policy by Steve Monsma

While I did not agree with every conclusion drawn, I very much appreciated Mr. Monsma's approach. His appeal to think biblically when approaching politics really challenges many of the common views held among American evangelicals (such as the erroneous "christian nation" view). In particular, I love how he points out that the right tends to care very much about the unborn, while neglecting those very children after they are born, and the left does the opposite. I also liked his explanation on church and state separation. He points out that if we are advocating our own rights at the expense of the rights of others, we are not acting in accordance with Scripture, and that, I believe, is the best contribution I've heard to the discussion in a very long time.

Families Where Grace Is in Place: Building a Home Free of Manipulation, Legalism, and Shame by Jeffrey VanVonderen

I wish every baby was sent home from the hospital with a copy of this book. As parents of three preschoolers, my husband and I are just now trying to shape our philosophy of parenting and figure what we are doing and why. This book really gave words to what was in our hearts for our boys. In particular, we really appreciate the author's point that the goal is not simply raising well-behaved kids. He writes, "In controlling, shaming families, love and acceptance come as a reward for jumping through certain behavioral hoops." And this has certainly been the case in some of the families that we have observed over the years.
In another chapter, "Parenting is NOT like training a dog... Training animals is mostly about behavior modification, teaching them how to respond in relation to punishments and rewards. Parenting is about discipling or teaching children to make understanding choices out of wisdom."
As a result of reading this book, my husband and I were able to really cement what it is we are trying to accomplish as parenting in our minds and hearts. We have also seen a change in the way we interact with our children. Instead of just telling them what to do/what not to do, we instruct and try to explain as best we can why and what the consequences of their choices will be, and allow them the autonomy to make those choices all the while making sure they know that they are loved and accepted regardless of their choice.
I can't say enough about this book. It was exactly what we needed!

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself by Brian Fikkert & Steve Corbett

As a missionary to a Majority World country, I was blown away by this book. It explained so much of what I have observed and answered many of my questions about poverty. I really enjoyed the explanations of why poverty exists from systemic, cultural, and spiritual standpoints, and I was very challenged to look at my own biases and paternalistic practices.
In particular, I though the chapter on short term missions was invaluable. I will require any short term team that I host to read this book and really evaluate if and how they will do ministry.
Although I really appreciated the book in regards to international missions, it is extremely applicable to American missions as well. I highly recommend this book to missionaries, pastors, outreach teams, and anyone who gives to a ministry.

Getting Your Sex Life Off to a Great Start: A Guide for Engaged and Newlywed Couples by Clifford and Joyce Penner

I picked this book up on a whim several years ago when I was engaged. My husband and I were both virgins until our wedding night, and I credit having read this book for our fun, stress-free, pain-free wedding night. While I know some Christians disagree with the Penners' take on masturbation (the husband using self-stimulation before the wedding night to make the experience last longer), you can still glean much out of this book even leaving that small section out. I recommend this book to all of my engaged friends!

WIld Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James

In this easy-to-read parenting book, counselors James and Thomas explore what exactly it is that makes boys who they are and how best to parent them. They break down boyhood into 5 stages and explore the distinguishing characteristics of each stage from many standpoints - a boy's neurology & physiology, a boy's emotions, cognitive development, and spiritual life (yes, this book is written by Christian authors from a Christian perspective). As parents of boys themselves, the authors sprinkled hilarious stories from their own families and practices to illustrate their points and to remind other parents that their "wild things" are, in fact, normal. Above all, the book is intensely practical and discusses everything from rites of passage to discipline to ADD to masturbation. As a mom of three boys, I cannot recommend this book enough.