Beatrice’s Goat

Title of Book: Beatrice’s Goat

Author: Page McBrier

Illustrator: Lori Lohstoeter

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 0-689-82460-2

Audience: Ages 4 and up

Summary: Beatrice’s Goat is an endearing true story about a little girl and her goat.  Beatrice desires to go to school but doesn’t have the money to do so.  The goat, a gift to her family, helps pave the way for Beatrice’s dream of going to school to become a reality.  Heifer Project International provided the goat which enabled the lives of those in Beatrice’s village to begin to change.

Literary elements at work in the story: The story takes place in a small African village of Kisinga in western Uganda.  Beatrice lives with her mother and five brothers and sisters.  The illustrations are beautiful pictures of Africa, with vibrant colors and engaging paintings.  The illustrations invite the reader to step into the village in which Beatrice lives as they help tell the story.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/abilities/disabilities/economic:  The book points out the challenges for poor in a small African village in Uganda, the work it takes for the poor to survive and obtain an education.  The story “is an invitation to all of us to support those efforts that provide resources, educate families, and lift community spirits.”

Theological Conversation Partners:   Mark 12:28-31.  God calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  An act of extending the love of God to our neighbor can be financial, emotional, physical, and/or mental support.  For me this story shows the love, care and support we must give to those in need.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Have you ever thought you would “never be able” to do something because of limited financial resources? If no, do you know of someone who has had this challenge?  How did this make you (them) feel?
2. Did you (they) find a way to do the thing you (they) longed to do?
3. Who or what made it possible for your (their) dream to come true?
4. As Christians, how are we called to help those in need?
5. Think of someone in need or an agency that helps people in need. What can you do to help?
6. How can you show the love of God by helping others?
7. What will you do this week to share God’s love?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Phanta Lansden.

The Butterfly

Name of Book:  The Butterfly

Author:  Patricia Polacco

Illustrator:  Patricia Polacco

Publisher:  Philomel Books

ISBN:  0399231706

Audience:  Grades 1-5 (although in places the subject matter may be too harsh for the lower end of this age range)

Summary:  Late one moonlit evening in World War II-eraParis, Monique finds a little ghost girl perched on the end of her bed, petting her cat.  This apparition turns out to be Sevrine, a Jewish girl whose family is being hidden by Monique’s mother in their cellar. The two little girls visit one another at night as often as they can without waking their parents, playing dress-up and having late-night tea parties.  These scenes of childish play stand in stark contrast to the terrible things that the “tall boots,” the Nazi soldiers, are doing in the town.  One night, Monique’s next-door-neighbor spots the two girls as they stand at a window to release a butterfly, and, terrified, they run to awaken Monique’s mother.  She quickly arranges to send Sevrine’s parents off to the next safe house, and she and Monique themselves take Sevrine to a rendezvous point and send her off to what they hope will be asylum.  Although they hear no word about Sevrine’s whereabouts, several weeks later as they are working in their garden, Monique and her mother are surrounded by several dozen Monarch butterflies. “It’s a sign, Maman…!” Monique cries, sure that Sevrine is letting them know that she is safe.

Literary elements at work in the story:  In this work of historical fiction, the setting of Nazi-occupiedParis is of primary importance.  All of the action of the plot is set in motion by this time and this locale.  Although the story is told in the third person, the point of view is definitely that of a child’s.  The joys of friendship and of the natural world are at a child’s eye level, and the terrors described here are exacerbated by the fact that Monique has no idea why her world has been turned upside down.  Polacco emphasizes the contrast between childlike innocence and the evil of Nazism with her art.  Scenes with Monique in her house or with Sevrine are depicted in bright colors and bold shapes, while incidents with Nazi soldiers are painted in dull colors.  Polacco’s trademark wide-open hands appear throughout the book, indicating her characters’ willingness both to give and receive without reservation.  At the very center of the story, we see a bright painting of Monique with her hands wide open in her flower garden as she reacts to the grey fist of the Nazi soldier crushing a butterfly in front of her.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  No mention is ever made of Monique’s father (although one could surmise that he is off fighting in the war), so this is a story about a very courageous mother who is part of the French Resistance inParis.  Monique is uncomprehending when she encounters racial hatred.  She and a school friend witness the vicious beating of a beloved shopkeeper in town, and when her mother tries to explain that the Nazis hate Jews like their friend, Monique’s classmate responds, “But Monsieur Marks is a Frenchman!”  Monique’s innocence makes clear that her mother has sheltered her from a world turned upside down by racial prejudice and that, conversely, hatred is something that has been learned by others.

Theological conversation partners:  Monique’s mother’s work in the Resistance echoes the ancient Hebraic social command:  “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in theland ofEgypt.” (Ex 23:9)  God’s people know what it means to be strangers, and they are drawn to take care of others who are strangers, too.  Further, Jesus showed us a way of life that demands sacrifice on others’ behalf.  “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers [and sisters].” (1 John 3:16)  The butterfly, though it seems to be a bit of a clunky device in this story, has long been a symbol for freedom and resurrection.  At the end of the story, when the butterflies appear in Monique’s garden, they also recall Jesus’ consoling words to his disciples, “…if I go, I will send a comforter to you.” (John 16:7)  Potent role models (particularly women role models) of courage in the face of injustice are greatly needed in the church today.  Polacco’s book would be a powerful tool in discussions with older elementary students about what it means to live the Christian life in a world that is often in opposition to it.  This would also be a particularly good book to share with a congregation that was considering refugee resettlement work.

Faith Talk Questions: 

1. Why do you think that Monique’s mother was hiding Sevrine’s family in her cellar?
2. Why do you think that Monique’s mother hadn’t told Monique about Sevrine and her family?
3. How would you have felt if you were Sevrine, hiding in a cellar for a long time?  What about when she was being moved from Monique’s house?
4. Polacco doesn’t mention Monique’s family’s religious beliefs directly in the story.  What clues do you get about how they felt about God?
5. Who are some people who might need help in our world today?
6. What sorts of things could you do to help them?  What about your family?  The church?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Beth Lyon-Suhring.

Parables: Stories Jesus Told

Name of Book:  Parables: Stories Jesus Told

Author:  Mary Hoffman

Illustrator:  Jackie Morris

Publisher:  Phyllis Fogelman Books

ISBN:  0803725604

Audience:  Age 4 and up

Summary:  This is an illustrated collection of eight of Jesus’ parables: The House on the Rocks, The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep, The Workers in the Vineyard, The Prodigal Son, The Sower and the Seed, The Rich Man’s Feast, and The Unforgiving Servant.  The author introduces each story with a question to set the stage:  “Do you like building sandcastles?” or “Have you ever lost something precious?”  She goes on to tell each parable in short clear sentences, often inserting dialogue when appropriate and emphasizing characters’ joy or indignation or relief.  These are characters with whom the reader can identify emotionally.  Hoffman then ends each parable with a simple explanation of Jesus’ meaning.  Usually, these interpretations come from scripture itself, although sometimes the author inserts her own analysis, suitable to a child’s understanding.

Literary elements at work in the story:  Parables by their nature are simple tales with few characterizations.  Plot drives everything.  In this book, as with the original biblical tales, the stories sometimes end with mystifying plot turns, and the reader is left to puzzle out the meaning.  Morris’ beautiful paintings expand on the simple plots, showing us the overwhelming joy of the father as he cradles the head of his errant son against his shoulder, or the patient kindness of the Samaritan holding a bleeding stranger on his donkey.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  First-centuryPalestine was a patriarchal society, and the author and the illustrator reflect this male-centered social order in both word and picture.  All eight of these stories have male protagonists, and only two even show women in subordinate roles in the illustrations.  The characters are portrayed as Middle-Eastern in both facial features and clothing.  No attempt has been made to modernize the tales at all.

Theological conversation partners:  Several of these stories focus on the fact that God’s law is often contrary to human notions of justice. God rejoices always when one who has been lost is found, no matter how good the other sheep, sons, or workers have been nor how unfair the gift of God’s embrace seems to be.  Other parables in this collection concentrate on what it means to respond to God’s teaching.  Hearing is not enough.  Those who truly follow God must work at it, or they will lose everything – house built on sand, seed sown on rocky soil, or fantastic wedding banquet.  These stories would be good to use with discussions about what the Christian life looks like

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Jesus told a lot of stories.  I wonder why?
2. How did you feel about the story called “Fair Pay”?  If you were the vineyard owner, how would you have paid your workers?
3. Why do think Jesus told the story in the way he did?
4. How would you have reacted if you were the older brother in the story called “The Jealous Brother”?
5. Why do you think that the father was so glad to see his younger son again?
6. The Samaritan in the story called “Neighbors” would have been somebody that none of Jesus’ listeners liked.  If we told the story substituting people in our day and time, who would be a good person to play the role of the Samaritan?
7. What can we find out about God by reading the stories of the lost sheep, the prodigal son, and the workers in the vineyard?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Beth Lyon-Suhring.

Wombat Walkabout

Name of Book: Wombat Walkabout

Author:  Carol Diggory Shields

Illustrator: Sophie Blackall

Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books – Penguin Publishing Group

Audience: Ages 4 and up

Summary: This is a story of six wombats taking a walkabout (journey) and their encounter with a dingo. When two realize that their friends have been captured by the dingo, they devise a plan to trick the dingo and rescue their other four friends.

Literary elements at work in the story: A story told through one continuous poem in a picture book. The plot includes trickery in order to rescue others from danger. It is told from the third-person perspective, and is set in the Australian Outback.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story? The main characters are an even mixture of three females and three males, while the antagonist is a male. Because it is a fictional story, there is not much implied about other perspectives.

Scripture: Romans 12:9-10

Theology: As God’s creation we have a responsibility to love and care for one another. Life in Christ commands us to be devoted to one another through care, honor and sincere love. We are to put the needs and care of others above the care of ourselves, as God did for us through the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why did the wombats trick the dingo with the trap?
2. What are some ways that we can look after our friends when they get into danger?
3. Has God given you anyone in your life that will help you when you are in trouble?
4. Do you think the wombats loved each other like brothers and sisters?
5. How does God want you to care for your friends, brothers, sisters and parents?

Review prepared by Katie Todd, Union-PSCE in Charlotte

If Jesus Came to My House

Name of Book: If Jesus Came to My House

Author: Joan G. Thomas

Illustrator: Lori McElrath-Eslick

Publisher : Harper Blessings; Harper Collins

Audience: Ages 3 and up

Summary: A boy shares all of the activities he would do if Jesus were a visitor at his house, including sharing toys, making tea, playing with pets, visiting the garden, eating fresh apples, and more. The boy then shares that because Jesus is not physically at his house, he can treat his friends as if they were Jesus, and even go to Jesus’ house to visit and worship him.

Literary elements at work in the story: The story is told through a continuous poem, from the first person point of view of the boy. The story portrays a little boy playing with his friend Jesus, who is a little boy just like him. The story takes place at the boy’s home and yard, as and the boy’s church is also mentioned in the story.

The book shares valuable Biblical and theological themes, like: tithing, hospitality, Imago Dei, trusting God, prayer and worship, care for creation.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story? The house, yard and church all depict a family with means, middle to upper-middle class family. The boy wishes Jesus would show up a little boy like him, so Jesus is portrayed as a young white boy throughout most of the book. The male pronoun is used to describe God throughout the book because God is depicted through Jesus.

Scripture: John 20:31

Theology: God became a person, Jesus Christ, and lived with us human beings on earth. He is the way God reached out to us, to turn us back toward God. Jesus was totally human, meaning that he experienced everything that we experience. Because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we are guaranteed new life in Christ and therefore we are called to share the love of Christ in all that we do.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What would you do with Jesus if Jesus came to your house?
2. Does Jesus look like you and me?
3. Does God look like you and me?
4. When we go about our everyday, should we live as if Jesus was standing right by our side?
5. What does living like Jesus mean for you and me?

Review prepared by Katie Todd, Union-PSCE in Charlotte

The Quiltmaker’s Gift

Name of Book: The Quiltmaker’s Gift

Author: Jeff Brumbeau

Illustrator:  Gail de Marcken

Publisher: Orchard Books

Audience: Ages 7 – 10

Summary: An old quiltmaker lives in the mountains sewed beautiful quilts day after day. Many people try in vain to buy her quilts but the quiltmaker will not sell them.  At night she goes down into the town and gives each one away to someone in need.  A rich and powerful king demands one of her quilts and tries to hold the quiltmaker prisoner.  She tells him she will only give him one if he will give away all of his treasures.  He finally does and receives a beautiful quilt and becomes the giver of quilts.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The plot of this story is a key literary element.  Throughout the book, the words and illustrations convey to the reader what it means to give to others without expecting anything in return.  The plot also illustrates the fact that material things do not bring true happiness.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability:  The perspective on economic ability is highlighted in this story through the illustrations.  The detailed pictures give the reader an accurate picture of those that are rich and those that are poor.  The reader can see the visible differences between these two vastly different economic groups that are present in our society today.

Scripture: James 1:17, Psalm 41:1, 2 Corinthians 9:13

Theology:  Generous acts of giving come from God above.  True happiness happens when you turn yourself towards God’s will.  One way of doing this is to care for the poor and those in need.  The generosity of sharing with others glorifies God.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why does the quiltmaker sew all the time?
2. What kind of a person is the king at the beginning of the story?
3. Why do you think the bear and the sparrows are kind to the quiltmaker?
4. Why does the quiltmaker give her gifts away at night?
5. Why do you think the king has so many treasures?
6. What does the king mean near the end of the story when he says that he may look poor but is not?
7. What message do the double pages of illustrations that show the king traveling around the world give to the reader?

Review prepared by Union-PSCE alumna Marcia A. Rauch

Is There Room on the Feather Bed?

Name of Book:  Is There Room on the Feather Bed?

Author:  Libba Moore Gray

Illustrator:  Nadine Bernard Westcott

Publisher:  Orchard Books

Audience:  Ages 4-6

Summary: The story is that of a “wee fat man” and a “wee fat woman” who live in a very small house at the bottom of a hill.  Their family consists of a goose, duck, sheep, hen, pig, dog, cow, and a cat.  A skunk watches the family but they never let him get too close.  One night a bad rainstorm occurs.  One by one the animals come to the house asking if they can stay with the man and woman.  After all the family is in the bed, the skunk knocks on the door and asks to come inside. The woman lets him in while the man and the other animals run away.  When they all realize they are getting soaked, everyone comes back to the feather bed.

Literary elements at work in the story: The characterization is the primary element that stands out in this story.  The bright pictures along with the descriptive words of the author bring life to each of the characters in the story.  Although there is no illustration of the rainstorm at the beginning of the story, the author uses such descriptive words that the reader is able to picture this particular setting in the story quite well.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability: This book does not offer a particular perspective for any of these categories.

Scripture: Matthew 25:35-40, 1 Corinthians 12:25

Theology:  When you help someone (or something) in need, you are in effect giving assistance to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and this is discipleship behavior.  We are called to care about each other and to recognize God’s intention for us to be interdependent on one another.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Compare the family in this story to your own family.  How are they the same?  How are they different?
2. Why is the skunk not a part of the family in the story?
3. How does the “wee fat woman” treat each animal who asks for shelter from the storm?
4. Why do you think the “wee fat man” and all the other animals leave the house quickly when the woman invites the skunk to share the feather bed?
5. What do the animals in this story learn?
6. How does this story illustrate what it means to welcome others?

Review by Marcia A. Rauch, Union-PSCE alumna

Lesson Plans: Practicing Christianity with Children

For the next several days, we will be posting a series of lessons written for parents of preschool and elementary children at the South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC.  These seven sessions reflect  on the Reformed understanding of infant baptism and its implications for Christian parenting, explore the cognitive, social and emotional development of young children, and apply those understandings to the practices of prayer, healing, worship and Bible study.

Kim Lee, Union-PSCE at Charlotte MACE student and Director of Children’s Ministry at SMPC, wrote these lessons for her specific setting, so there may be elements of the session that would need to be adapted for your particular audience and setting.

The sessions on specific Christian practices use children’s books to help adults engage in the topic.  The first session, posted here, sets the whole concept of teaching children Christian practices in the context of the vows taken on their behalf in baptism and utilizes Walter Wangerin’s Water,  Come Down!

Come Sunday

Name of Book:  Come Sunday

Author:  Nikki Grimes

Illustrator:  Michael Bryant

Publisher:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Audience:  All Ages

Summary:  Come Sunday is the story of a young girl’s joyful celebration through the Sabbath day. This book would make an excellent baptism gift for children of any age.

Literary Elements at Work:  Come Sunday is Nikki Grimes’ recount of young LaTasha’s journey through the Sabbath day.  Using poetry, Ms. Grimes moves our young worshipper, and consequently us, from the breaking of dawn to the closing of dusk on this re-creating day.  Each movement of her Sabbath sojourn is given its own poetical verse.  For example, LaTasha’s day opens with “Come Sunday, Mommy wakes me up with whispers.  LaTasha, honey, she says to me. Time to shed dawn’s cozy quilt.  Come on, Sweet Pea. Open up those eyes.” and closes with “Now I lay me down to sleep…” Additionally, Michael Bryant’s bright and vivid illustrations in water color lend an ethereal landscape for LaTasha, and consequently us, to travel along as we traverse this most holy day.

Scripture:  Exodus 20:1-2, 8-11

Theology:  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…”  God has already freed Israel to be free for God and one another.  The Ten Commandments are not hoops to jump through so that one may be free.  Rather, they are a description for life in community with God and one another because one is already free.  When turned around into ten hoops to jump through in order to be free, the Ten Commandments become fetters that bind, and one is no longer free.  I knew a woman who hated Sundays. Honoring the Sabbath had become a hoop for her and her family to jump through in order to achieve freedom.  When she was a little girl, Sunday was a day of “no”—“no card playing,” “no knitting,” “no playing outside…”“no,” “no,” “no” and “no.”  In the Reformed tradition honoring the Sabbath is a day of celebration – a joyous response to the freedom God has given us in Jesus Christ.  We say “yes” – “yes” to dressing up, “yes” to going to church, “yes” to singing the hymns, “yes” to saying what it is we believe, “yes” to celebrating the gifts of God.  The Ten Commandments are predicated on its preamble.  “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”  They are boundaries given to the free.  Let’s celebrate!

Faith Talk Questions:

1. One Sunday, walk your child(ren) through his or her Sabbath day along with LaTasha.  Wake your child up by reading LaTasha’s wake-up poem.  Read with your child about the “Blue-Haired Ladies” as you enter church.  Who do you and your child(ren) see sitting in church?  Blue-haired ladies?  Pink-haired ladies?  No-haired gentlemen?  Tell your child(ren) who you saw in church when you were a little girl or little boy.  Did you see blue-haired ladies?  Did gentlemen wear hats?  Did ladies wear gloves?  Did you go to church when you were a child?  If not, when did you start going to church?  Who took you to church?  What did you wear to church when you were a child?
2. Read with your child(ren) “On the March.”  What kind of instruments does LaTasha’s church use for music and singing?  What kind of instruments does your church use for music and singing?  An organ? Piano? Drums? Guitars?  Which instrument is your favorite?  Which instrument is your child’s favorite?  What are your favorite hymns?  What are your child’s favorite hymns?  Have a hymn sing in the car (or on the bus, or on the walk) on the way home from church.
3. Read about LaTasha’s offering.  Why do we give money to the church?  What does the church do with the money we give?
4. Tuck your child(ren) in on the Sabbath night as you read “Lights Out.”   What nighttime prayers did you say as a child?  What nighttime prayers do you say with your child(ren)?
5. Paradise Baptist church is the name of LaTasha’s church.  What does “another day in Paradise” mean?  Is there any other meaning?  What is the name of your church?  Do you wonder why?  Guess?  Ask your minister.  What is your favorite part of the Sabbath day?  Why?  What is your child’s favorite part of the Sabbath day?  Why?  What was your least favorite part of the Sabbath day when you were a little girl or a little boy?  Why?  What is your child’s least favorite part of the Sabbath day?  Why?
6. Share LaTasha’s Sabbath story with the entire family—grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors.  Then have everyone share his or her own Sabbath story.  Write, paint or color your own Sabbath stories.

Review prepared by Kim Lee, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2007

Jason & Kyra

Name of Book: Jason & Kyra

Author: Dana Davidson

Illustrator: Elizabeth Clark

Publisher: Hyperion Paperbacks

Audience: Ages 10-17.  I feel that both girls and guys can relate to this book equally because it shows the internal and external emotions of both genders. Teenagers are the best keepers of their internal emotions.  This book may open the eyes of a teenager to let them know that it is ok to talk to someone  and their emotions are normal and understandable. This book may also be recommended for parents who can identify with the plot or the pain their child may be suffering.   

Summary: Jason is his high school basketball star and very popular with the girls. Lisa is a very outgoing beautiful girl in comparison to her rival Kyra who is a very brainy, shy girl who believes that she is not very attractive. Jason begins a relationship with Lisa, but, after he and Kyra are paired up for a class project their relationship ignites. This book explores relationships between family, a popular guy, a shy girl, and the reaction of their friends, and the entire school.    

Literary Elements at work in the story: Contemporary Realistic Novel

This book is a fictionalized novel well written for teens. It does touch on sexual relationships that are very realistic to our youth.  It is a book that will make you think about relationships with the opposite sex, platonic and intimate. This book also deals with familial relationships.  One family includes emotional and verbal abuse and the other shows a very loving and supportive family.

The plot of this story begins with centering on Jason and his relationship with a very popular girl, Lisa. Their relationship is one of envy because other girls want Jason and other guys want Lisa.  They seem to have a perfect relationship until Jason becomes friends with Kyra. Jason then realizes how shallow his relationship with Kyra which is based on popularity, beauty and sex. After sharing a class project with Kyra, Jason learns to trust Kyra with his emotional pain. From his relationship with Kyra, Jason begins to share with her his emotional turmoil with his father.  The plot also moves into the stormy relationship with Jason and his father in comparison with the loving relationship Kyra has with her family.

There is painful emotional conflict within the relationship of Jason and his father. The book also touches on the demons Jason father has which contributes to his emotions and has a domino effect with Jason. Some may characterize it as generational curses. As with many teenage girl relationships, there is also conflict with Kyra and Lisa over Jason. The book does a great job in showing teenagers how conflict can be handled in a mature versus immature way.

The language of the book does describe some sexual activity, but not to explicit for teenagers. The language is written for teenagers in today’s culture also touching on topics such as drug abuse, and partying.

The book is generally in a high school setting. It focuses on the classroom, basketball games, and after school activities.

Theme:   Relationships between opposite sex, friends and family.

Perspective: Multicultural.  A young girl or guy of any culture could find herself in any of the situations included in the book. 

Theology: I believe that God created man for woman and woman for man. From this union they are to populate the earth, if God’s will. I also believe that if they are blessed to have children, as parents God expects them to provide the most loving home possible for themselves and their children. However, this is not always the case. When God and love are not visible displayed in the home, children will look for love and acceptance elsewhere. This book deals with lack of relationship between a parent and a child; sexual activity with teens and how they deal with pain, anger, and hurt in their lives.

Focused Scripture: Genesis 18:19, Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4, James 3:16, Titus 2:11-12

Faith Talk Questions:

1. With which of the main characters do you most identify with? If you see yourself in the characters of Jason, Kyra or Lisa, as a Christian how do you think you would handle the conflict of the triangle relationship of Jason, Kyra and Lisa? Also, how would you try and help Jason with his relationship with his father?  
2. Both parenting and being a teen-ager are both tough places to be in, in today’s society. As a teen when the pressures come up against you, for example, sexual activity, drugs, parties, friends; do you pray and ask God for guidance? Why or why not: If so, do you find that praying often help you deal with the situation?
3. After reading this book, how did God speak to you?
4. If you were a friend of Jason, Kyra, or Lisa, what Christian advice would you give them if asked?

Review prepared by Vera Witherspoon, MDiv, Entering cohort Fall 2005