Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

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Learning about how to handle money is an essential life lesson that kids and teens need. The following book review is written by my thirteen year old daughter:

The Money Challenge for Teens, by Art Rainer, is a finance book with a Christian perspective that teaches you how to start managing your money early by giving, saving, and spending wisely.  The book’s topics vary from giving to your local church to saving for retirement as a teenager.  The book is divided into 3 sections: Give Generously, Save Wisely, and Live Appropriately. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when you begin to handle money. This book solves that problem by giving you steps that you can take in order to have a successful money system in the future. In addition, there are 30 helpful and varied money challenges for you to complete. These challenges range from reading and reflecting on a specific Bible verse to opening a checking account.  In every chapter, there are interesting and relatable fiction stories and personal insights from the author.  The most interesting part in the book for me was the way Rainer describes debt.  He shows how dangerous it can be and how it can negatively affect your future.  The Money Challenge for Teens would be a great read for both boys and girls that are around 13-15 years old.  I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

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Modern Parents Vintage Values, by Sissy Goff and Melissa Trevathan, is a handbook of practical parenting guidelines for today’s parents. While some of the topics that “modern” parents need to deal with are actually new (e.g. social media, phones, e-cigarettes, etc.) the underlying values that parents want to instill in their children are the same as they have always been. For example, this book discusses the values of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, integrity, responsibility, patience and confidence. I found these chapters particularly helpful and inspiring. Such lessons are best taught through real-life situations, and this book includes many examples. The authors also use several lessons gleaned from the Bible, and their advice is given from a Christian point of view. Modern Parents Vintage Values would be beneficial for parents of children of all ages, as they discuss issues regarding dealing with toddlers up through teenagers.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Both of my kids are avid readers, so we are always on the lookout for quality kid lit. The Edge of Everywhen, by A.S. Mackey, is a recently published book that combines fantasy with real and valuable life lessons. This novel tells of how the main characters, Piper and Phoenix mourn the loss of their mother, how they learn to overcome their tough circumstances, and how they don’t lose hope in reuniting with their long, lost dad. Even though the book was a little scary when describing the state that their imprisoned dad is in, the story was intriguing, held my interest, and made me keep wanting to read more. I liked how the book provided many unexpected twists and turns, the plot was well thought-out, and how the whole story came together at the end. I think this book would be suitable for kids around the age of 11 or 12.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Good Man, by Nathan Clarkson, immediately caught my attention because I am a big fan of his mother, Sally Clarkson. I have read her most of her books and even attended a few of her conferences. Sally Clarkson’s books are about motherhood, and I was always impressed with the accomplishments of her four children, (who are all now young adults). It would be easy to have an impression that the Clarksons are the “perfect” Christian family, but we all know that everyone has struggles. Nathan Clarkson’s book offers a glimpse into some of his personal struggles, and it is quite eye-opening. Just because someone was raised in a strong Christian household that cares deeply about education does not mean that they will automatically become a “good man”.

Clarkson writes about his journey to becoming the man that God wants him to be by weaving personal stories and passages from the Bible. The chapters of the book each address a different attribute of what he believes a good man should be (e.g., heroic, honest, emotional, authentic, wise, etc.) Clarkson also comments on the current culture of manhood and explains how it differs from God’s desire for him as a man. He explains why it is important for young men to recognize this dichotomy and not to succumb to sin or settle for mediocrity. I will be saving my copy of Good Man for my son to read when he is a little older, perhaps in high school.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Talking With Your Kids About Jesus: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have, by Natasha Crain, is a thought-provoking book that might be as helpful for parents as it is for kids. The premise of the book is that it is important for parents to have conversations about Jesus with their kids before they leave the house and go into adulthood. The author frames these conversations around questions that kids might encounter from doubters, atheists, or anyone else who wants to challenge Christian beliefs. Some of these questions include, “Did Jesus Really Perform Miracles?”, “If Jesus Is God, How Could He Die?”, “Was Jesus’s Tomb Really Empty?” and “What Does It Mean To Be Saved?”.

As you can see, this book covers some weighty topics. Crain does an excellent job of finding everyday life stories that tie into the introduction for each chapter. However, her detailed explanations of some of these questions were difficult for me to grasp; I think it would be even more difficult to explain the arguments in a way that children could understand. This book showed me that I myself have a long way to go in being able to explain what I believe to critics. At the end of each chapter, there is a “Conversation Guide”. It provides questions (and answers) for each topic geared towards younger kids and then to older kids, depending on their level of understanding. Being able to defend your faith is important when the culture is full of people who want to attack it. Therefore, I would recommend Talking With Your Kids About Jesus in order to have a better understanding of effectively answering difficult questions about Christianity.

Disclosure: I received these books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

With more time at home, now is the perfect time for some activity books (for both kids and adults!).

Ocean Life, by Jill Richardson, has a good variety of activities for kids, all with a fun ocean theme. There are word searches, dot-to-dots-, coloring pages, and mazes. I also like how there are facts about various sea animals woven through the activities. I would recommend this book for younger elementary school-age kids,

100 Large-Print Crossword Puzzles, by Chris King is a good book to have when you want a quick diversion. I think these puzzles are pretty easy, (as indicated in the sub-title), but they do require some thinking. The large squares are nice for those who have a difficult time working smaller puzzles.

I would say that the title of Only The Hardest Puzzles, by Willa Chen, is very accurate. I tried doing the first crossword puzzle and the first “warm-up” Sudoku puzzle, and I failed. I am going to have to save this book for my retirement-ha! If you know someone that needs a challenge, or maybe that someone is you, I would recommend this book. It is sure to keep you engaged for hours!