Number the Stars (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Number the Stars takes place in Denmark in 1943. World War II is affecting people globally and the Nazis are spreading their reach in Europe. The story's protagonist is Annemarie Johansen, whose best friend is Ellen Rosen, a Jewish girl. During this period of time, Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, and the Nazis had plans to "relocate" the Jews. The people of Denmark, however, actively resisted the Nazis and wanted to save the Jewish people in the country. For example, in this story, Annemarie's family takes Ellen into their home and pretends to be part of their family. In this story, we not only see the tragedy of World War II, but the character growth and development of Annemarie. It is truly a remarkable and eye-opening story that, while aimed at a younger audience, has reached older audiences as well.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt released a 25th anniversary edition of this book. The cover looks like original cover, only with a Newberry Medal sticker on it. It is hardcover, which is nice because it will hold up to the multiple people in your house that will read this book through the years. The cons are that there are no added features. I'm not sure what I was expecting to be added, but it seems whenever a book or movie releases some significant anniversary edition, that there are "special features," like an author interview. So I was disappointed, even though I shouldn't have been. The book is fine as is. I have just been spoiled by what popular culture has taught me. With that said, if you already own a copy of this book, there's nothing new here for you. If you are looking for a new copy or a gift for someone, this makes a nice edition for that.

This book was provided to me for free by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Victory on the Walls (Bethlehem Books)

Most of us have heard the name Nehemiah before. Unfortunately, very little of us know anything about him or even where to find his book in the Bible. I can tell you that it appears in the Old Testament; after the book of Ezra, but not much else. That is pretty pitiful considering that I have actually read its contents. Unfortunately, it was when I was reading through the Bible in one year. If you've ever participated in one of those reading plans, you know how overwhelming it can be. The days come quickly, and you always feel like you are reading too many chapters in one day to appreciate what you are reading, let alone understand it. Therefore, when Bethlehem Books offered me the opportunity to review Victory on the Walls, I jumped at the chance.

Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah, to my surprise, is actually not a "Christian" book. In reality it is part of a series called Covenant Books, which were designed as an "expedition into the realms of Jewish experience," and to "stimulate the young reader's interest in his cultural heritage and prove a rewarding spiritual experience." That's not to say that a Christian audience won't benefit from reading this book, it's just they weren't the original audience. The two main characters in this book are Nehemiah and an author-created fictional nephew named Bani. True to the Bible, Nehemiah is cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes. Bani is Jewish as well, but has lived in Susa (a Persian city) his whole life, so he identifies himself as Persian, not Jewish, which dismays his uncle.

The first 2+ chapters give us background for the main characters; introduce us to other minor fictional characters, such as Jadon and Oebazus; educate us on the city and culture of Susa; and give us a minor tease of the problems afflicting Jerusalem. In Chapter 3, we see passages in this book which are straight out of the Bible itself, including Nehemiah in ashes and beseeching the Lord. We also see Artaxerxes realizing Nehemiah was distraught in his presence and giving him permission to go rebuild Jerusalem. We then see the journey from Susa to Jerusalem, and are treated to an ancient history and geography lesson. Young boys will like some of these chapters because there are military tactics and battles as well. When they finally arrive in Jerusalem, we see politics abound and several people questioning and doubting Nehemiah or trying to persuade him to do things against God's will, as well as more battles. I won't divulge anymore of the book, so I don't completely give away the plot.

I found this book surprisingly enjoyable. I say surprisingly, because I am generally not a fan of Biblical stories that take such creative license. However, this book made the story of Nehemiah come alive. I found myself reading this book and reading the book of Nehemiah simultaneously, just to see what was actually in the Bible and what was not. This was great for building my interest in an important time in Jewish and Biblical history. I wish the Ms. Hyman's other work was in print as well. Be sure to check out Bethlehem Books for other great historical fiction works in their Living History Library series. Also like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to keep track of their monthly free eStacks book. This month's selection is ending tomorrow and is entitled Wild Cat Ridge!

This book was provided to me for free by Bethlehem Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Image Books: On Heaven and Earth

With the election of Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, there was a rush among Catholic publishers to be the first to publish a book about the new pope. If you look at Amazon rankings for Catholic books, about a dozen different books on Pope Francis fill the Top 25. Even Life Magazine tried to get in on a piece of the action. But which one(s) should you read and which ones should you avoid? I can't vouch for all of them, but over the next couple of months, I will be reviewing what I view to be the Top 3 books to read about Pope Francis, starting with my #3.

On Heaven and Earth is a book of dialogue between Pope Francis (then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) and Rabbi Abraham Skorka. Both men are Argentinian and both are respected religious leaders as well as brilliant minds. In these conversations, which read like brief letters back and forth to one another, various subjects such as God, the Devil, Science, Education, are covered. My initial impression was that it was nice to see subjects other than religion covered. This has potential to attract a wider, perhaps secular audience, who would otherwise never read a book by the Pope.

Each chapter reads like a friendly debate (for lack of a better word). One man gives his and his religion's viewpoint on a specific subject, and the other replies with their viewpoint. The tone is never harsh, and you can tell that these men have a good deal of respect for each other. If you are looking for fireworks or one party to declare the other wrong, you need to find a different book. I must admit there are times when I wish Pope Francis would have told Rabbi Skorka that he was wrong, but that is not how dialogue, especially religious dialogue works. Both men exhibited what a religious dialogue is supposed to look like - loving, respectful, willing to listen, and willing to share.

Some chapters were more appealing to me than others. For example, the first chapter, "On God," was very interesting. I'm not sure what exactly I expected them to discuss as it related to God, but Rabbi Skorka's explanation of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel, according to Talmudic tradition, was very interesting and a perspective I had never heard before. The chapter "On the 1970s" had a hard time keeping my interest because I wasn't alive during that time. The beautiful thing about this book though is that you don't have to read it in order or completely if a chapter doesn't interest you.

I originally thought that this book wouldn't hold my interest as I tend to only want to know what the Catholic viewpoint is on things, but I was very wrong. It was very well put together, covered a wide variety of topics, and I felt that both men educated me, not just Pope Francis. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend that you read through each section slowly and reflect on each one. Tune in next month for #2 in my list of Pope Francis books.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. Some helpful resources related to this book are listed below.

• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

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