Streams to the River, River to the Sea

by Scott O'Dell
Available from Amazon
**

Sacagawea is a young girl when this story begins, and is captured by the Minnatarees in the first chapter. The book continues with her captivity, marriage, and journey with the Lewis and Clark expedition. I think it is interesting if you are looking for fiction in this setting, but not if you want the facts. None of the history I have read substantiates any kind of romance between Sacagawea and William Clark, for example.

Also, the book seems geared to children about the age of thirteen, as that is Sacagawea’s age for most of it. I would not recommend it to children that young, as I consider the themes of her marriage and attraction to William Clark to be too mature.

Count Zinzendorf: Firstfruit

by Janet & Geoff Benge
Available from Amazon
***

This was my introduction to the life of Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf. I appreciate his love for the Lord, and he has written some beautiful hymns. His story was very interesting.

When he came into his estates in Saxony, he allowed refugees from Moravia to establish a community, named Herrnhut, on his property. All the people agreed to work together for the good of the whole. Count Zinzendorf founded “choirs”, groups of people who lived together and worked together. Single men, single women, married men, and so on. The count became an ordained Lutheran minister, and eventually also a Moravian bishop. He appointed women elders and preachers. These Moravians were actively sending out missionaries to many parts of the world. Zinzendorf went on to plant and oversee several such communities in different areas. One community in Pennsylvania agreed that all the members would own no property, and give all they earned to send others on missions. They also had a 100-year prayer meeting; people signed up to pray for an hour a day, and scheduled it so that someone was praying 24 hours a day, every day. No one was compelled to join these villages, but if they did, they were obligated to follow the many rules. Some Christians chose to come for a certain time period, devoting it to this work, and then return to their lives.

Count Zinzendorf had twelve children, only three of which survived him. When his first wife died, he realized he had spent too much of their marriage away, and not putting her and the family first. It is so sad when we realize our misplaced priorities once it is too late.

I think the count was fervent in his love for the Lord, and spent his energies to serve Him, although not always effectively. There was a scandal during the time of his exile from Saxony in which he and his son were preaching a return to childlike faith. This resulted in and was applied to be a return to childishness, spending their time and resources in playing. Zinzendorf saw the error in this and repented, and tried to reverse it. I know he certainly loved the Lord, but many of his thoughts, ideas and teachings were misguided, probably influenced by the times in which he lived.

This book was helpful in learning about the life of a hymn writer and man of faith. I think it is good to read about men who have influenced the Church and the world, whether or not we agree with all they thought and taught.

The authors write to a young audience, and present the material as an engaging story. The facts are not related in such a manner as to touch the heart (as when a child dies, they comment that the count “was sad”), but to hold the interest, which they do throughout the life of count Zinzendorf.

Angel and Dragon

by Meriol Trevor
Available from Amazon
****
In this volume, the third of the Letzenstein Chronicles, Catherine from the first book is back. She is visiting Letzenstein from England with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Giles Hawthorne. They become entangled in all kinds of escapades. Rafael le Marr is constantly trying to help people, while it appears to others that he is involved in revolutionary activities against the government. Catherine tries to help, and Giles, who doesn’t think much of Rafael, Grand Duke Constant or Letzenstein, is giving slanted reports of their actions to his parents and Duke Julius. Duke Julius ends up seizing power, Con is abducted, murder is attempted, and Rafael faces the firing squad. In all this, Giles undergoes a serious change of heart, and of course, everything turns out all right. After all The Rose and Crown, not Angel and Dragon is the last of the Letzenstein Chronicles!

In the Hollow Of His Hand

By Hesba Stretton
Available from Keepers of the Faith
*****
This sequel to Highway of Sorrow begins in Scotland. The Stundists, true believers in Christ, have been enduring some persecution in Russia. A Scottish woman had married a Russian, but to try to save her health, she had returned to her native land with her young son, Michael, around whom the book revolves. She dies soon into the book, telling her son that “death is beautiful! And I am not alone.”

Michael returns to his father and young sister in Russia, and is saddened by the increased persecution they are suffering. His father is arrested shortly thereafter, and eventually exiled to Siberia. The Stundist children under the age of twelve have all been forcibly taken from their homes and placed in supposedly “good” orthodox homes. This is to make sure the children are being reared properly, and to encourage their parents to return to the church.

Michael believes his sister Velia to be well cared for, and along with many of the wives and children of other men being exiled, accompanies his father to Siberia. We read of the horrors of the trip, of the many that die along the way, the suffering of the women and little children, the pain of the fathers who can do nothing for their families.

After arriving at their destination, Michael receives word that his sister has been taken from the kind home she was in, and is being mistreated because of her refusal to worship icons. He comes back for her, and the book ends with them safe in Scotland.

I had never read or heard anything about the Stundists until I read the prequel to this, Highway of Sorrow. My heart has been touched by their history, their faithfulness, and their sufferings. The church needs to know of others who have been faithful. It is encouraging to read of others who have loved the same Lord, and through their trials, sufferings, pain, and deaths, have been kept safe and secure in the hollow of His hand. I highly recommend these two books. They would be great books to read aloud to the whole family.

Verses of Virtue

Verses of Virtue by Elizabeth Beall Phillips
*****
An inspiring collection of poetry and prose celebrating femininity and the strength and beauty of womanhood. Some chapters are on the home, the bride, the mother, the hearth, and so much more! I keep this book out in our living room for frequent encouragment and inspiration.

His Chosen Bride: Applying Proverbs 31 as a Single Young Woman

by Jennifer J. Lamp
Available from Timberdoodle and Amazon
*****
A study on the first half of Proverbs 31, appling the verses to the single woman. I've heard the question, "How can I be a Proverbs 31 woman if I'm not married?" This book is an answer to that question. Jennifer Lamp gives ideas and encouragement to single women who aspire to be a Proverbs 31 woman. You probably won't agree with everything in the book, but it's still well worth reading.

This book is important, because every woman is single for part of her life. A single woman who is like the one in Proverbs 31 will be a married one like the Proverbs 31 woman. The book encourages single women not to wait to get married to "get started on life", but to live an active, Godly single life, which will also help to perpare for marriage.

Mother

Mother by Kathleen Norris
*****
A touching story of a young girl who goes into the world to find what her heart desires. She is rather selfish, and scorns the poor women who stay at home, spending their time on their families. In the end, she realizes that really wants to be a loving, Godly wife and mother, like her own mother. When I began this book, I was a bit sceptical. I thought, "This isn't the type of girl I would want to emulate, or bother reading about." But I cried at the end, and highly recommend this book.

Lords of the Earth

by Don Richardson
Available from Amazon
****
"Lords of the Earth" is the term the Yali warriors use to describe themselves. They live in the Heluk valley in Irian Jaya, and the only knowledge of them to reach the outside world are the dark rumors of the cannibals beyond the mountains. The first section of the book is about them, their customs, and the awful fear and darkness they lived in. Don Richardson does a great job portraying a people bound by chains of sin, and longing for release. The horror of their pain is graphic, and not suitable to be read to younger children.

The second part of the book describes the early life of Stan Dale, his conversion, and his burden for those in darkness. He is drawn as a determined man, physically strong and fit, with firm convictions.

The book goes on to tell of Stan's coming to the Yali people. How a strange story begins over his identity, protecting his life. How the first few Yali Christians were killed, and later Stan and a fellow missionary were brutally murdered. How another missionary family died in a plane crash, except for the nine-year-old son, whose friendship with the Yali paves the way for them to turn to Christ.

The book reminded me Christ's words in John 12:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." On earth, Stan Dale never saw the fruit his life and death brought forth, but he will rejoice in heaven with the Yali that are there through his witness.

The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

by Rosemary Sutcliff
Available from Amazon
***
Rosemary Sutliff acknowledges in the preface of the book that this story really is a myth, albeit a myth built around a real person. Many of the stories connected with King Arthur are retold here.

Read as a myth, the book is enjoyable. I could not enjoy it very much due to the prevalence of magical occurences. I know these are crucial to the story, and it is all very celtic, but the magic did bother me. Also that several cases of immorality were treated lightly, for example, between Guenever and Lancelot.

Journey Through the Night

Journey Through the Night by Anne De Vries
****
This book opens just before the start of World War II in the Netherlands. John is part of a Christian family, and they just want to be safe. But then around them, they see others on their way to death camps. They begin by harboring a "diver," a young man named William who helped British pilots escape from German hands. They go on to take in pilots who had been shot down, all the while keeping them safely hidden and away from the prying eyes of ones who earn 30 guilders for each life. One man had become very rich on the deaths of hidden Jews, pilots, and those who helped them. John and his father see no choice but to become more involved in the underground. It did not begin consciously at first, they were just offering a safe haven to those who would be killed if caught. But they couldn't stop there. It wouldn't be right to let things go on as they were without doing what they could.

This book does not paint any people as heroes, as we usually think of them. Instead, it portrays them as heroes usually are, ordinary people who see they must do what is right, whatever it cost. People whose names will never be remembered by many people who benefit from their sacrifices.

They listen to their forbidden radio, to hear messages from the Queen and her ministers. They realize that the underground is an army, and they are fighting a war. The leaders in their area had a meeting one day over what they would do about a certain spy who was responsible for many, many deaths. They decided that he would have to be "taken out" to save the lives of many others. One day John and William met up with him, and "took him out." John's anguish over his responsibility in the death of another person is portrayed clearly as he later asks his father, "This is a war, right? We are fighting for the right, aren't we? We had do to it to save others, right?" War is not a comfortable or pretty thing, or an adventure.

I don't know if I can say I enjoyed this book, but I believe it was a good book. I couldn't put it down once I had started it. It chronicles events until the end of the war, and the family is always concerned about doing what was right. I would not recommend this book to those who are nonresistant. It does give a picture of the war, and Anne De Vries lived through it, and should know of what she is writing. She also knows how to touch the heart.

The Mysterious Island

The Mysterious Island (Scribner's Illustrated Classics) by Jules Verne
***
The book opens with two prisoners of the Cofederate army along with three other men escaping in a hot air balloon. Contrary to their plans, a storm arises that blows them all the way to an uncharted volcanic island in the southern Pacific. Cyrus Harding is the natural leader of the group, and apparently very well informed in matters of science, proceeds to guide the men into establishing a colony, and providing for their every need. They use the resources found on the island, as well as their education. The book is in the genre of "The Swiss Family Robinson", except that as one of the men said, "they quite took the wind out of the sails of the Robinsons, for whom everything was done by a miracle." The first half of the book details how they were able to provide for their needs, and build a home on the island. The reading can become tedious unless the science of the way they performed each action is considered very interesting. I enjoyed it for a while, but not being too scientific myself, near the end of the second half of the book, I just wanted to get through it. It is very detailed, and if I was interested in it all, it truly would have been captivating.

The second half of the book explains certain mysterious occurrences that two of the party had been observing from the beginning. The story moves along more quickly, and the mystery draws the reader to turn the pages faster. They meet Captain Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in his final hours, and are finally rescued after the island has been blown into oblivion by the volcano.

I enjoyed all the information in the book, but it can be a little dry at times. The men develop close relationships as they work together to survive, and they all seem to have unlimited faith in Cyrus Harding to know what to do in every situation. They appear to believe in God, but He is not a part of their lives; one could guess that Jules Verne was an evolutionary deist. We are not told that the men are evolutionists, but their words definitely reveal them to be humanists. So I would recommend the book to those looking for interesting educational entertainment, but nothing deeper.

Following the Phoenix

Following the Phoenix (Trevor, Meriol. Letzenstein Chronicles, Bk. 2.) by Meriol Trevor
****
This is the second book of the Letzenstein chronicles, a series involving a tiny imaginary country in the nineteenth century. We follow Rafael le Marre as he searches for his lost love, Jeanne. When she heard that he had been shot, she had given up dancing on the stage and taken up nursing. The adventure never stops, and is always taking an unexpected twist. The storyline is great.

This series is intriguing, but there are some subtle things to beware of. The Catholics are the patient, loving, open minded people, and the Protestants are portrayed as strict and sober, narrow minded people, who try to sap the joy out of life. Also, the parents or guardians of the children care only about their own concerns, and not what is true, kind, or right for others. This forces the children to have to make their own decisions and judgments for their lives. The attitudes toward authority are not the best. These are subtle things, and the story might be best enjoyed as a read aloud series, where parents can discuss attitudes and perspectives with their children.

Wang Ping's Sacrifice

Wang Ping's Sacrifice by Harvey Yoder
http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=RS&Category_Code=1d_AD
****
Each chapter in this book tells the story of real people in China. Some are of how they met the Lord. Most also tell what the suffered for the Lord, and bore witness to His love and grace through it all. I especially like this book because the accounts are current. This is what believers are enduring today, as I sit in my comfortable surroundings.