THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman, The Dovekeepers (Scribner,   2011).

Also available in Nook, Kindle, and Apple iStore

(HISTORICAL FICTION)

Reviewed by Lisa Proehl

Alice Hoffman has written more than 20 novels, and several short story collections. The Dovekeepers is her first historical fiction, and in my opinion, her best novel to date. The lives of four amazing, bold, and resourceful women intersect in ancient Israel at Masada, the last stronghold of the Jewish people as they are being threatened by the Roman army. As the threat deepens, the women's lives continue to become more and more intertwined, and their friendships more and more important. According to the ancient historian, Josephus, two women and five children survived. Hoffman bases her novel on that assumption.

The Dovekeepers is a deeply moving story of love and betrayal, magic and faith. As I was reading, I didn’t want it to end, and it has continued to stay with me since I finished. I highly recommend this haunting and beautiful story.

OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon Draper

Sharon Draper, Out of My Mind (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2012).

Also on Kindle and Nook.

(NON-FICTION FOR YOUTH)
 

Reviewed by Emma Proehl, age 9

Out of My Mind is about a girl named Melody, who is not able to walk or talk, because she was born with a disability. She is very smart, but no one knows it until she learns to communicate in a brand new way. In Melody’s school, there are two mean girls named Claire and Molly, who go to the general education classes. Melody goes to a special class for kids who have disabilities. She is very smart and has a photographic memory. The girls are mean to Melody by calling her names and trying to get her in trouble on purpose. Later in the book they learn about having empathy and respecting people who are different. That is a good lesson for the readers to learn. 

I recommend this book because Melody has some interesting adventures and the reader learns a lot about people with disabilities. I also learned a lot about friendship. There is a lot more…but you have to read it for yourself!

THE PRESIDENTS CLUB: INSIDE THE WORLD’S MOST EXCLUSIVE FRATERNITY by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, The Presidents Club – Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity (Simon and Schuster: New York, 2012) 641 Pages.

Also available for Kindle and Nook and on CD.

(NON-FICTION)

Reviewed by Sue Dayton.

The Presidents Club is a book about the fraternity of former presidents of the United States and their relationships with the sitting president. It begins with Harry Truman’s presidency and his relationship with Herbert Hoover and continues up until the presidency of Barack Obama. The format of the book is that each chapter looks at a particular president and former president i.e., Johnson and Eisenhower, Reagan and Nixon, Bush and Clinton. An idea is presented that former presidents are bound together by their experience in the Oval office. The book relates many examples of former presidents as confidants and mentors to the current president, in many cases crossing party lines. Also, there are times when former presidents have stepped up to serve, such as Hoover after WW 2, and, more recently, Bush and Clinton in Haiti. For me, this book served as a great review of the presidency from the 1940’s until the present time.

Chuck and I were fortunate to attend the Chautauqua Institution in western New York this past summer. The topic for the week was titled “The Presidents Club”. Two of the speakers for the week were the authors of this book, Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy who are both editors at Time Magazine. They spoke three times during the week: once on the content of the book, once on the writing of the book, and once about the current presidential campaign. We found them both to be well informed, engaging and articulate.

I recommend this book for those with an interest in American history, particularly the presidency. 

THE RANGER'S APPRENTICE SERIES by John Flanagan

John Flanagan, The Ranger’s Apprentice Series, by John Flanagan (Puffin, 2006-2011).

Available in hardback, Kindle, Nook, and audiobook, and in Penguin paperback editions.

(ADVENTURE)

Recommended Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Reviewed by Jacob Proehl, age 9

I read the whole series of The Ranger’s Apprentice, which has 10 books, plus one more of short stories. The books are set in the middle ages, and they are about a teenage boy who gets chosen as a ranger’s apprentice and he ends up fighting the evil army of Morgrath. There are many magical creatures, such as the Kalkara, but you will have to read the books to find out about all of them. There are many suspenseful adventures throughout the books. 

I would recommend this series because it is filled with medieval adventure and fantasy. If you like that, too, you should definitely read this series.  

 

Book 1: THE RUINS OF GORLAN

Book 2: THE BURNING BRIDGE

Book 3: THE ICEBOUND LAND

BOOK 4: OAKLEAF BEARERS

BOOK 5: THE SORCERER IN THE NORTH

BOOK 6: THE SIEGE OF MACINDAW

BOOK 7: ERAK'S RANSOM

BOOK 8: THE KINGS OF CLONMEL

BOOK 9: HALT'S PERIL

BOOK 10: THE EMPORER OF NIHON-JA

THE EYE OF GOD: A FISHERMAN’S TALE by Marilyn Huntman Giese

Marilyn Huntman Giese, The Eye of God: A Fisherman’s Tale (Xlibris, 2010).

Also available on Kindle and Nook.

(CHRISTIAN FICTION)

Reviewed by Dorinda Kauzlarich-Rupe

Written as an autobiography of Simon Peter, this book begins when Simon, a young man, is living with his pregnant wife, her mother, and his brother and fishing partner, Andrew, in Capernaum. The death of his wife during the birth of their son, Mark, leaves Simon restless and searching for who he is and how he fits into life. The book continues through Simon's life, including his call by Jesus to become a fisher of men, through the period of Jesus’ life, Peter’s role as the rock of the early church, and finally to his arrests and expected execution by hanging in Rome, including his request that he be hanged upside down, rather than be given the same death that Jesus had suffered. He feels unworthy.

Giese skillfully interweaves the lives of most, if not all, the persons recorded in the Bible interacting in some way in the life of Jesus, some before they followed Jesus or even knew him. I was impressed that Simon knew that he was a man with faults/sins all of his life.  It is obvious, as you read the book, that the author knows the scriptures and had done much research into the history of Israel, the politics and religious climate of the time, the culture of the period, etc. At the end of the book she gives a list of “Selected References.” There were times when I wished that she had footnoted some of the book, giving me some idea of where some particular information was gleaned and where she was using her own imagination within the framework of the culture, politics, Jewish faith, etc. That very likely would have added many pages to the book.  She did no quoting of any of her references, except in the epilogue, which is drawn from the First Letter by Peter. This is a very easy-to-read book, and is quite interesting; it pulls you into the story. I think that some of her insights can be helpful in reading the actual scriptures. I would love to read it again. There is a lot of information told as a story.