book review: Don't Check Your Brains at the Door by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler

Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler have done a good job of taking the belief pulse of today’s teens. Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door: Know What You Believe and Why is their book for this age group. It identifies and refutes 42 commonly held beliefs about Christianity in an attempt to “…discuss common myths, many of which people accept without thinking, and evaluate them in the light of the Bible.” (Introduction - Kindle Location 184.)

The book is broadly divided into six subject sections: Myths about God, Jesus, the Bible, the Resurrection, Religion and Christianity, and Life and Happiness. Each chapter within those sections deals with one myth.

The short chapters have colorful titles with descriptive subtitles, making it easy to locate chapters by subject (e.g. “The Luke Skywalker God — the Impersonal Force Myth"; "Lily-White Jesus–The Racist Myth” etc.). Each begins with a captivating anecdote or example. The writing style is snappy and the authors come to their signature conclusion, “But that’s a myth” efficiently and without beating around the bush. Each chapter ends with a “Brain Food” section—a deeper look at what the Bible says about the chapter’s subject.

Don't Check Your Brains at the Door has a lot going for it. It does a good job of tapping into common perceptions and beliefs about Christianity. The anecdotes and examples that begin each chapter are interesting and pull the reader in. The authors cite a variety of supporting sources and illustrations, from the quotes of famous theologians to illustrations from sports and entertainment. The “Brain Food” section makes excellent use of the Bible, employing a variety of assignment types (reading, fill in the blanks, checking the right response, character analysis, story analysis etc.).

However, there were a few things I didn’t get. For example, I wondered why the authors chose the order they did for handling these myths. They began with myths about God and Jesus, which they debunked using, among other things, lots of passages from the Bible—and this before they established the credibility and reliability of the Bible, which wasn’t addressed till Chapter 9. It seemed that a more logical order would have been to deal first with the Relativity Myth (Chapter 18) to establish the possibility of the existence of objective truth, then the myths about the Bible to lay the foundation of the Bible as a possible purveyor of that truth, and then the other subjects.

I also wondered why McDowell and Hostetler used so many dated illustrations and examples. They cited lyrics of a song from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” a popular musical from 1971, took life lessons from Elmer Gantry, a character in a book written in 1927, and sports heroes from the ‘50s to ‘70s, and more. Though the illustrations were well explained, I wondered how modern kids would relate. Those old-fashioned illustrations, along with the often dogmatic tone, made the book seem a little like the attempt of a couple of boomers to set their grankids' generation straight.

Finally, I was disappointed with the superficial way in which some of these myths were supposedly debunked. The relativity myth was one. In our time of prevailing postmodernism—a philosophy foundationed on the absence of objective truth—the quoted witty words of C. S. Lewis were what the authors used to make their case:

"Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaining ‘It’s not fair’ before you can say Jack Robinson.


It seems, then, we are forced to believe in a real Right and Wrong. People may be sometimes mistaken about them, just as people sometimes get their sums wrong; but they are not a matter of mere taste and opinion any more than the multiplication table” – C. S. Lewis, Kindle Location 1174.

Of course they went on to buttress their conclusion with quotes about truth from the Bible, which is all well and good if the reader accepts the Bible as true; not so compelling if he or she doesn’t.

Those things aside, I can see Don't Check Your Brains at the Door being a helpful personal read for teens seeking to make the Christian faith their own, as well as a discussion instigator for parents and church youth leaders.

Title: Don't Check Your Brains at the Door: Know What You Believe and Why
Authors: Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler
Publisher: Thomas Nelson - revised updated edition August 2, 2011, paperback, 208 pages, August 2011
ISBN-10: 1400317207
ISBN-13: 978-1400317202

(I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing as a free gift for the purpose of writing a review. This review was first published at Blogcritics.org )

This post is linked at Semicolon - Saturday Review of Books: September 3. 

Follow the link to find 64 (so far) more reviews of the books people are reading. 

win a Read and Share Bible!

If you'd like to win a Read and Share Bible (reviewed here) please enter your name in the comments (here or below the review). 

I will draw one name and announce the winner here on March 31, 2011.

(Sorry, but this offer is only for residents of Canada and the continental USA.)

....and the winner is Peacelady!

If you could please contact me by email with your address, I'll send the book your way ASAP.

book review: Read and Share Bible by Gwen Ellis

MA

If you’re looking for a way to share Bible stories with your four-to-eight-year-old, the Read and Share Bible may be just the book for you. It contains over 200 Bible stories retold by “Read and Share” best-selling author Gwen Ellis. It’s also a visual delight with over 400 colorful illustrations by U.K. artist Steve Smallman.

Each titled and illustrated story consists of a mere two-page spread, perfect for the short attention span of little people. Each story’s Bible reference is noted just under the title making it easy for adult readers to find the complete story in a regular Bible should they want to.

Text in a box at the bottom right-hand page of each two-page segment serves a variety of purposes:

For example, sometimes it entices the reader/listener on to the next segment. After Moses gets his assignment at the burning bush we read: “Whenever God asks us to do hard things, He will help us. Let’s see how He helped Moses” - p. 109.

At other times it suggests an application. Below the story of David killing the giant we read: “David was brave and he trusted God. God will help us in scary times if we ask Him” - p. 203.

At still other times it serves to stimulate discussion. Below the story of Jesus’ birth we read: “Why do you think God would want His son to be born where animals were kept?” - p. 301.

This Bible also contains a gift-inscription page and a Tips page with four ideas on how to use of the book. The Table of Contents includes each story’s title and Bible reference. The stories follow the chronology of the Bible with all the stories about each character grouped together.

The book’s sturdy hardcover binding and good quality glossy paper make it one that will stand up under hours of use by little hands.

I like the author’s to-the-point style. Though each entry is short (under 100 words) the telling is clear and vivid. The scope of the book is interesting with stories of lesser-known Bible characters (like Balaam and Deborah) sprinkled amongst the usual Bible story fare. The discussion bits are written in a warm, friendly tone that invites participation. Read the story of Noah as a sample.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any home, preschool, kindergarten, early elementary school, or church library. It could be used as a book for adults to read to youngsters or for beginning readers to read themselves. If there is a little person in your life who needs a first Bible, the Read and Share Bible would be an excellent choice.

DO YOU WANT ONE? 

I have an extra copy to give-away!

If you’d like a chance to win a copy of the Read and Share Bible, enter your name in the comments below (only Canada and continental USA please). I will draw one name and announce the winner here on Thursday, March 31st.

....and the winner is Peacelady!

If you could please contact me by email with your address, I'll send the book your way ASAP.


I received this book as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review.


Article first published as Book Review: Read and Share Bible: More than 200 Best-loved Bible Stories by Gwen Ellis on Blogcritics.

book review: Flight to Heaven: A Pilot's True Story by Captain Dale Black

Title: Flight to Heaven
Author: Captain Dale Black, with Ken Gire
Publisher: Bethany House, May 2010 
ISBN-10: 0764207946 
ISBN-13: 978-0764207945



The title and book blurb attracted me to this true story by Captain Dale Black. In it he tells of the airplane accident that almost took his life at age 19.

At first his memory of the accident and its aftermath were almost nonexistent. But as his battered body healed, so did his head and brain. With that healing, recall of the terrifying moments just before impact were soon joined by the memory of an out-of-body experience.

Though he had no actual recall of that experience until much later, when he woke from a three-day coma, he did know he was changed in a deep way. This is how he tells it:

"The nurse looked at me, studying the reactions in my good eye. "Hello, Dale," she said. "How do you feel? Can you hear me?"

This is hard to explain, but I felt an immediate and overwhelming love for this woman. It wasn't romantic. Nothing like that. It was deeper than that, purer. I wanted to talk with her, to thank her for helping me, but I couldn't. Most of all, I wanted to encourage her by telling her just how much God loved her...

That's how I was seeing this nurse. I had never met her, didn't even know her name. It was not a human love, I was sure of that. It was God's love. I felt as if I were a vessel through which His love was flowing. Does she know Jesus?..." p. 38

What sets Black's heavenly encounter story apart from many others is the fact that he decided (after telling his grandfather and on his grandfather's advice) to never speak of it until he felt sure God wanted him to.  Thus he lived for years telling no one, not even his wife, what he had seen.

However, when he did finally know that the time was right to go public, his wife of almost forty years was not that shocked. In many ways it explained why he was the way he was.  She says in a chapter near the end of the book:

"Dale's values and priorities completely changed after the airplane crash... He is sensitive toward and strongly drawn to relationships where there is unity and love at the core.... He studies the Bible from his heart rather than his head and knows it intimately.... He has a quest to understand order in science, but only to understand more about God. He is fascinated with light and the properties of light as well as space and astronomy....Without question Dale has been profoundly and permanently affected by his visit to heaven." p. 184.

Black begins the book with a tense incident from his adult life but then goes back in time and tells the story chronologically. I was struck by this young man's determination to achieve his dream, and his faith that he would recover physically in all the ways necessary for him to become a pilot.  A few black and white photos anchor the narrative in time and give faces to the characters.

Black's account of heaven is uncannily similar to biblical accounts. The way his encounter with the divine impacted his life even before he could recall it and continues to exert its influence, testifies to its authenticity.

I found the book  a quick and compelling read. Black says in the introduction that it took years to write and went through many drafts and edits. Perhaps that's why it slips down so effortlessly — because it's been combed and re-combed until every tangle and snag has been smoothed out.

Black's story made me aware of how much I live in a world of superficialities, and wonder how I would change if I experienced what Black did. I took from it not only the sense that Dale Black is an incredible man but that God is good, faithful, loving, and about His business. In Black's case that involved a preview of eternity. I'm so glad he felt at liberty to tell us about it.

Article first published as Book Review: Flight to Heaven: A Pilot's True Story by Captain Dale Black with Ken Gire on Blogcritics.

book review: The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason

Title: The Blue Umbrella
Author: Mike Mason
Publisher: David C. Cook, Paperback, 448 pages, 2009
ISBN-10: 1434765261
ISBN-13: 978-1434765260

The pathos of an orphan boy under the thumb – and sometimes the cane – of two crone-like and thoroughly evil aunts is hard to resist. That would be 10-year-old Zac, the main character of The Blue Umbrella, author Mike Mason’s umteenth book – but his first for kids. When Aunties Pris and Esmeralda show up at his mom’s funeral insisting he come home with them, Zac is surprised and hesitant. But they won’t take no for an answer and so our hero goes to live with them at Five Corners.

Their sweetness and benevolence soon turn to glares, ridicule, threats and canings. Only Porter’s Store, which Zac sees from his bedroom window, and Mr. Porter himself, who seems to have a special relationship with clouds, wind and sun, offer rays of hope. This is soon snuffed out when the Aunties forbid him to ever have anything to do with Mr. Porter. But it’s an order that is changed when Dada, the Aunties' father, realizes Zac’s relationship with the kindly Porter may be of use to him. The story becomes a cat-and-mouse tale about getting possession of Mr. Porter’s magical blue umbrella.

Zac gets to know Sky Porter along with a whole cast of fascinating characters: the put-upon dwarf Butler, the Reverend Cholmondeley and his son Ches who is a self-declared atheist, Ches’s sister Chelsea who won’t say a word, Eldy the Balloon Man whom you can hear without him uttering anything, and the terrifying Dada who makes even the Aunties tremble and who wants Mr. Porter’s umbrella more than anything in the world.

The story does have its dark side. The Aunties are abusive in their speech and violent in their use of the cane. Many of the characters have secret pasts. And visits with the evil Dada made my skin crawl. The tale is fantastical enough, however, that youthful readers will probably be able to discern it is fiction. The plot and characters reminded me of books by Roald Dahl. In fact, the plot of The Blue Umbrella begins with a situation similar to the one in James and the Giant Peach.

Mason’s writing was a highlight of the book for me – clever, sensuous and laced with big words like dodecahedron and unctuously that are explained in an “after words” glossary. Here, for example, is Zac’s first impression of Dada:

“Laying the cane across her two open palms, Esmeralda brought it near the oval of fur where Dad’s face was. From the dark cave protruded a bulbous, mushroom-colored thing. A nose. Dada appeared to be smelling the cane. Then he turned his head slightly and massaged a leprous cheek against it like a cat rubbing its scent on a leg of furniture. Zac gaped. The nose, the cheek, seemed more like tumors than part of a face” p. 115.

The story is also rife with Christian symbolism – always discreet but impossible to miss if you’re familiar with the Bible and its themes. Here, for example, are some references to wind:

“What was the wind anyhow, and where did it come from?” p. 103
“He let them (a bunch of balloons) pull him along, relishing the clean power of the wind pouring through his body…. He wanted to give himself to the wind wherever it led.” p. 14
“You are a wind lover. The Aunties do not know the wind.” p. 150

(Compare to John 3:8 and Acts 2:2-4)

 The story tackles some very real and serious issues. When Zac gets to know all about Mr. Porter and his powers he questions whether Mr. Porter isn’t guilty of a betrayal of his own. Who can one trust, and where is God when it hurts are other themes that run through the book – along with weather, of course, which we experience a great variety of throughout.

The book is nicely designed with its colorful cover, its ragged-cut page edges and bookmark flaps front and back.

The self-reading level for The Blue Umbrella is middle to upper elementary and the subject matter is probably not suitable for very young kids. However, to my mind this fantasy has classic written all over it and is one in which readers young and old will find much to enjoy and ponder.

Book trailer for The Blue Umbrella



Read excerpts of the book here.

book review: How God Makes Babies by Jim Burns

Title: How God Makes Babies
Author: Jim Burns 
Publisher: Bethany House, Hardcover, 48 pages, October, 2009 
ISBN-10: 0764202103
ISBN-13: 978-0764202100

One of the characteristics of six to nine-year-olds is curiosity. If your youngster this age hasn’t asked about sex, you can be sure he or she has questions. How God Makes Babies is a resource designed to help you bring up the topic with your youngster. Author Jim Burns has written this book about the family, sex and how babies develop from conception to birth with six- to nine-year-olds in mind. It is part of the Pure Foundations series of resources that teaches about sex from a Christian perspective.

Burns begins by introducing the idea of pregnancy and the belief that it belongs within marriage. He goes on to detail the differences between boys and girls using anatomically accurate body part names and line drawings. He then tells the story of human development from conception to birth, touching on some of the miraculous things that occur during gestation. He uses understandable comparisons to make the ideas kid-relatable – e.g., “After one month the baby has grown to about the size of a Cheerio.” He concludes by talking about the birth process, and the helplessness and needs of newborn babies.

The physical book is attractive and sturdy with a colorful hard cover and color photo illustrations printed on heavy glossy paper.

Burns’ tone is upbeat, warm, and affirming. Though the vocabulary is simple enough for the capable reader to read God Makes Babies for him- or herself, it would be a shame for parents to miss out on the discussion that could arise out of reading the book with youngsters. As Burns states in his Special Note to Parents, “One of the greatest benefits of teaching them at this age is establishing a healthy trust, demonstrating that you are willing to bring up the issues and that they can come to you for more dialogues.”

I’m impressed with how much information is packed into this slim volume. It certainly covers the basics, and follows nicely on the heels of God Made Your Body, the Pure Foundations book for three to five-year-olds. Burns’ directness about topics that can be touchy to introduce will certainly open the door to all kinds of discussion between you and your youngsters. I wish I’d had this book when my kids were six to nine.

I received this book from Bethany House for the purpose of writing a review. I highly recommend it and will make sure my copy doesn’t molder on the shelf but gets passed along to a family with some curious little people.

new kidlit blog

UPDATE - Monday, May 18.

Though the Book Brew blog below is only one week old, I've already moved it.

I was feeling very out of my element in WordPress (though it's an excellent blogging platform with some nice features). So I've moved Book Brew to blogger. You can now find it here.

*********

I've gone and done something I never thought I'd do - started yet another blog! Am I crazy or what?! It's all Twitter's fault. Here's how it came about:

1. As I said, I joined Twitter a few weeks ago.

2. In my search to find kindred spirits to follow, last Friday I discovered a slew of people who write for children on one of those twitter directories.

3. I signed up to follow @susanwrites.

4. One of her first tweets was the children’s writers’ Poetry Friday roundup here.

5. This brought me face to face with the KidLitosphere – kids’ writers and book lovers galore, bound together by the love of children’s literature. One of the main things they do is review children’s books.

6. Besides Poetry Friday, they also have a weekly blog roundup called Nonfiction Monday.

7. My first thought: I want to play too!

And so I began my Book Brew blog, because in order to participate, you have to have a blog that’s devoted to books for young adults and children. And I’m so fine with that


Now I’ll have a place to post only about children’s writing! Whoo hoo!!

book review: The Rabbit and the Snowman by Sally O. Lee

Title: The Rabbit and the Snowman
Author: Sally O. Lee
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing, June 2008, paperback, 36 pages
Age: 4-8 years
ISBN-10: 1419656252
ISBN-13: 978-1419656255

After the children build the snowman, they never come back to play. The snowman wonders why. Is it something he’s done? Is it because of his crooked smile or holey scarf? He’s sad until rabbit comes along and becomes his friend.

One day after it begins to get warm, the snowman isn’t there when rabbit comes to visit. Now rabbit wonders if he’s done something wrong. Does snowman think he’s too furry or that his ears are too long? Will he ever see his friend again?

The Rabbit and the Snowman by Sally O. Lee is a beautiful picture book story about enduring friendship. It’s told so simply, competent readers in the four- to eight-year-old age range should be able to read it themselves (several paragraphs put through a readability tool came out at a Grade 3.5 reading level).

The watercolor and pen and ink illustrations are gorgeous and their soft colors complement the gentle story. Lee also designed the “snowman” font in which the story is printed. It goes well with the overall look of the book (but is a little difficult to read on the one or two pages where it’s at its smallest and printed in black ink on a dark mauve background).

The only disappointment for me was the story’s ending, which seemed manufactured. The author could easily have made it organic by showing what was happening, without rabbit’s knowledge, in the illustrations.

Nevertheless, the sweet characters and wise insights about friendship in The Rabbit and the Snowman would make it a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any four- to eight-year-old.

Book Review: The Tiniest Tiger by Joanne L. McGonagle

Title: The Tiniest Tiger
Author: Joanne L. McGonagle
Publisher: BookSurge, March 2008, 52 pages, paperback
Age: 4-8 years
ISBN-10: 1419684671
ISBN-13: 978-1419684678

In The Tiniest Tiger, Joanne L. McGonagle tells the story, in words and pictures, of a kitten who can't find his way home from the zoo. As he goes from the enclosure of one big cat to another, he discovers what makes them different from each other - and from him. He doesn't belong with any of them. Will he ever find a home that's right for him?

The illustrations in The Tiniest Tiger are beautiful. McGonagle renders eight large cats in colorful double-page spreads with detail and accuracy. She also slips in key facts about each cat (its native habitat, weight, life span, litter size, and status on the endangered species list) in drawings of the signs at each animal's enclosure.

The story is interesting with its kitten on a quest and cast of large cats. McGonagle has done a good job of giving many of these cats personality, even in their brief appearance. But the ending felt contrived to me. And the kitten, with whom I think the reader is meant to identify, doesn't ring quite true. His way of talking is super-polite and a bit too formal to feel as young as he is supposed to be.

The book's information says its target audience is four to eight years. I felt the often-sophisticated vocabulary ("organized social groups," "coloration," "intimidating," proportion," "exhausted") and long sentences would make it a better read-aloud than a self-read book for this age group (several typical paragraphs I put through an analysis tool came out at a Grade 4+ reading level). The intended adult co-audience is also borne out by the subtle adult humor in the text (e.g. "We are not chubby. We are big-boned and muscular. Stocky is the preferred term" and "Cleopatra eyeliner") and the quotes at the beginning of the book.

Also in the age suitability department, there were places where the author introduced words but failed to explain them (e.g."canine teeth" and "cheek ruffs"). Four- to eight-year-olds don't typically do research on their own, so a glossary defining special vocabulary would have been helpful.

Under the guise of a story about a lost kitten, The Tiniest Tiger delivers lots of valuable information about big cats and a message about the importance of preserving endangered large-cat species. It's sure to be a popular choice with conservation-minded teachers and parents.

book review: The Cake Thief by Sally O. Lee

Title: The Cake Thief
Author: Sally O. Lee
Publisher: BookSurge, 2007
Genre: Children's Picture Book
ISBN: 1419683926

Clarence is a little boy who steals cakes from everyone in town. But his life changes the day he finds something that isn’t a cake under the cover of a cake stand.

In her book The Cake Thief, author and illustrator Sally O. Lee shows how Clarence is transformed when someone offers him unexpected kindness.

The author never tells us the reason for Clarence’s stealing. This may be a good thing because the open-endedness could lead to discussions about why children misbehave in general and steal in particular. Other subjects that might come up are ways to treat kids who don’t fit in and how a sense of belonging can change someone for the better.

The vivid illustrations are oil paintings on paper. There are several that fill entire pages and the bright colors add playfulness. The illustrations also help interpret the story, as we see Clarence at the end minus the eye mask which he never takes off in his thieving days.

The text of this 34-page book is simple, short and to the point. It should hold the attention of even busy little people when it’s read to them. Competent early elementary readers will be able to read it themselves. Children ages two to six years will enjoy The Cake Thief.

more Golden Compass

The controversial children's film The Golden Compass releases tomorrow.

Read Peter Chattaway's email interview of Philip Pullman (September '07). He interviewed Pullman in preparation for writing Christianity Today review "The Chronicles of Atheism."

Albert Mohler (president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) reviews the film in "The Golden Compass -- A Briefing for Concerned Christians."

dancing word writers ink

I found the Dancing Word Writers Ink site ("Dedicated to equipping and encouraging Christian writers through chats, workshops and articles") a while ago when one of the members of a writer's forum I belong to was interviewed on it.

I bookmarked it then and did some more snooping around on it last night. I'm thinking it's well worth a checkout by potential or developing writers.

The site covers the gamut from live Author Chats (next live author chat is with Canadian writer Sigmund Brouwer on August 24th) to "Writers Soapbox," with a focus on adult and children's fiction. I enjoyed browsing through reviews of new kids' books and the section "Tips from the Red Ink Club" -- about style and the mechanics of punctuation and such.

The site also has lots more spotlight-on-author stuff, and a good archive of Workshop Transcripts on topics like doing research, plotting, self-publishing etc. (Workshops are hosted by one of the web site's editors along with a guest.)

It does cost $5 a year to get access to every part of the site (I paid my dues and so am not sure which sections are open to everyone and which aren't).

If you're a writer, who would like a little more professional development stuff to read...

a wormy tale

I'd say this is a good way to publicize a book.

HT: Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf - June 7 newsletter