Rachel Starr Thomson

Review by Heather N., Age 16

I find in Beth Makes a Friend an amazing example of an author taking the characters out of Little Woman and placing them in a story all her own.  She has caught them all exactly as they are!  Since I have never read a story with this factor it amazed me immensely at how perfectly she completed this work.  Truly, the only way you would realize that the author of Beth Makes a Friend is not the author of Little Woman is by Susan Pfeffer’s use of modern day English.

Beth is a gentle and sweet girl.  She is one of those people who sweeten the world around them with their presence.  Thoughtful, kind, patient, and gentle, is our hero Beth.  You may well understand then why Beth did not get angry when the basket of apples she held was stolen out of her hand by a hungry Irish boy.  Yes, she was not pleased to think that the Aunt March’s basket was gone yet she hardly even thought about the apples.  She reasoned, “’Aunt March really does have more apples than she knows what to do with.  And actually, she told me to pick the apples for us.  So it’s more as if we gave the apples to Sean than that he stole them from Aunt March.’”

Beth felt sorrow for the way the O’Neill family was living.  They had little food, few clothes, no work, and just a shack to live in.  But would the small amount of help she and her sisters were able to give, take the family through the winter?

Rachel’s Note: Several of the reviews in this contest have looked at authors who took old stories — usually legends or fairy tales — and retold them. In this review, Heather looks at a book based on the characters from another book. She shows the power of vivid characters to endure, becoming so real that they can even be transferred into the work of other authors. Thanks for sharing this, Heather!

Review by Katya G., Age 16

I was in 7th grade when I read a book called Call it Courage . At school, every quarter we got to pick a new book to read. As I was marching to the shelf where all the books were, my goal was to pick the easiest and the shortest book to read. I truly did not enjoy reading. Fortunately while I was reading the book I realized how much it has impacted me because when I was little my parents also died. I personally think that Mafatu and I can really relate to a tragic occasion that happened to both of us.

Call it Courage is a very interesting book. I have never read a book like it. Mafatu who was the main character in this book was described as someone who has been teased, taunted, and even blamed for the storms on the sea. What would you do if you were in a situation like that? Happily at the age of fifteen, Mafatu couldn’t stand those ridiculous rumors and because of this he wanted for the people to stop making fun of him so he decides to paddle to the sea and show people that he’s no longer afraid. Although it worked! People started to think of him as a hero because of his journey to the sea.

Call it Courage is a book that has very interesting writing technique. Armstrong Sperry who is the author if this book describes feelings, people and animals in a very good way. He tells exactly how a certain person felt. The one example from the book that really stood out to me was this, “His voice rose clear and string across the jungle stillness. Sea birds and parakeets hushed their cries to listen to the strange, intruding sound.” Honestly don’t you think that this is a wonderful description? All in all, Armstrong Sperry uses great writing technique.

In conclusion, Call it Courage was not a book that I was bored with, I loved it. A lot of people like that book because its so short and easy to read but that’s not the only reason why I liked this book, I liked it because Mafatu and I relate in several ways which makes the book even more interesting.

Rachel’s Note: Katya’s is the second review in this contest to cover Call It Courage. Interestingly, both reviews point out how relatable the book was—in very different ways. Katya shows us how the author brought a story to life, describing people, animals, and even feelings in such a way that she could connect with Mafatu and be impacted by his story. Well done, Katya!

Review by Emily R., Age 15

Reader Advisory: This review deals with adult themes.

The Atonement Child is a wonderfully written novel filled with emotion. As I read through the book I began to feel incredible sympathy for Dynah, the main character, and other girls who may have gone through a similar tragedy. Thinking what she went through and how she was acting in the situation made me think about what I would do if I were in her position. Honestly I don’t think I could be as strong as she was through it all.  Since I read this book, it really made me thankful for my life because it showed me the reality of challenges that others face.

Dynah Carey is a young godly woman that had what she classified as the perfect life. But in one day, her perfect life was shattered in a radical way. Unfortunately she was a victim of rape. As you can imagine that turned everything in her world upside down. She faced challenges some of us could never imagine because of what happened to her. For instance she faced difficult things such as whether to have an abortion, whether to commit suicide, and her parents having mixed feelings about the situation. Being faced with challenges she never thought was impossible, helped her to grow in various ways. But it was very hard. Expected by many to have an abortion, she shocked them all and kept her baby, which in my opinion was the right decision, even though it was a hard one to make.

As I read this book, I began to realize more and more how well Francine Rivers showed how the characters feel. Reading every sentence just made me feel more in touch with how the characters were truly feeling and thinking. She used very good, descriptive words when to showing emotion. For example, “ He heard her soft shuddering sigh and then felt her withdrawal.” Instead of just using simple words to describe how the character feels, she uses very descriptive words, which further shows the reader what is happening. Interestingly, she can use those words to show you exactly what she is feeling just because of the words she chose. Overjoyed by the fact that those simple descriptive words she uses, I continued to enjoy immensely interesting book. I simply loved it!

The Atonement Child was an absolutely wonderful book to read. As I read it, I felt every emotion running through my heart and mind. I believe this would be an eye-opening book to anyone who picked it up.

Rachel’s Note: Emily’s review of The Atonement Child explores the power of a writer to delve into human emotion, helping us touch the deepest parts of a fictional character’s heart. In this way, we can all come to a greater understanding of the challenges others face. Thanks for this insightful review, Emily!

Review by Chloe M., Age 14

If you could live forever on this earth, would you? Living through every generation and witnessing every bit of history, how cool would that be? In a sense, that would be fantastic. Although this thought sounds good, think about what you would miss. Stopped in the middle of life, never being able to grow older, and looking the same way you did one hundred years ago, how would it feel? Surprisingly, there are many pessimistic angles to what seems like a good idea. I want to experience everything! Who wouldn’t want to fully perceive the beauty of getting married, having children, and even growing older? In Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, she really captures the beauty of life and death.

This story goes on to talk about a family that drank water out of a spring and quickly learned that this water was far from ordinary. Coming in contact with several life and death situations, they soon realize that they are unbreakable. Shockingly, they could live forever.  But when someone else discovers the water, the story takes a whole new twist. Although they don’t want to, the family is forced to kidnap the girl and tell her about the spring’s powers. Troubled was the family when they learned a businessman who was searching for the water overheard the tale. This man wanted to sell the water.  The story continues with a plan to stop the man and safely return the child to her home.

Inside the pages of this book is a magnificent tale filled with lots of truly fantastic description. Amused is how I felt because this author really has a way of portraying things. She writes, “In Treegap, the same moonlight slivered the roof of the touch-me-not cottage.” Clearly, it is very descriptive. I absolutely love when authors give detail to paint pictures in my head, but also leave enough description out to let me imagine how it may look. Painting your own picture, in my opinion, is the best part about books. Authors, who use this technique, make their books so much more fascinating. When I read books with a lot of description, it makes it harder and harder for me to put it down.

Obviously, I loved the book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Her topic was intriguing and I enjoyed her descriptive words. This book definitely falls into the category as one of my favorite books.

Rachel’s Note: In this review of another modern children’s classic, Chloe points out one of those magical balances that make a book work. She writes, "I absolutely love when authors give detail to paint pictures in my head, but also leave enough description out to let me imagine how it may look." That collaboration between authors and readers is key to the power of literature!

Review by Anissa G., Age 15

Follow My Leader by James B. Garfield was not a book that would initially capture my attention, since it is not a very feminine book. But because I couldn’t find anything else to read, I decided to read it. During the time spent reading the book, I realized how much it related to my current situation. I was in the middle of adjusting to many new things, such as leaving my church, moving schools, and welcoming another sibling. While reading this book, I received courage and perseverance in welcoming those changes. Helped by the strength of one of the characters, I was able to obtain an optimistic attitude.

I also learned to enjoy reading this story. Jimmy, a teenage boy, is the main character. While playing around firecrackers with some friends, Jimmy is left blind, literally. After this unfortunate accident, he must learn to adapt to his new life, which is very difficult. Hoping to live as normally as possible, Jimmy attends therapy where he learns to read Braille and use a cane. But even though he uses a cane and reads Braille, he seems to be missing something. Eventually, he finds his missing piece, Leader, his new guide dog. In the end, Jimmy and Leader become more than owner and guide dog; they become close friends. Jimmy also realizes how much of his strength had come from Leader.

Throughout his book, Garfield continually allows the reader to know exactly what’s going on in each character’s mind, which I took into favor. Remembering, I recall this example, “ “Play ball!” The umpire was trying to regain his importance.” I enjoyed how Garfield makes the intentions of the characters’ actions clearly known. While reading, I also noticed how I felt as though I was standing in the pages watching everything happen. James Garfield has an excellent writing style, since he was able to capture a girl’s attention through a typical boy’s book.

Seeing Jimmy’s success in adapting to his new life, I became encouraged to build up strength to do the same. Not only was Follow My Leader an encouraging book, it was simply an enjoyable story. I was also pleased with Garfield’s writing style. As a freshman in high school, I will always be happy to pick up Follow My Leader and read it, even as I get older.

Rachel’s Note: Anissa’s review tells the fascinating story of Follow My Leader and shows its unique ability to capture her attention, even though she is not necessarily the book’s target audience, and to impact her in her own life. As in other reviews, this is a fantastic look at the power of literature to cross boundaries and help us deal with our own challenges. Thanks for sharing, Anissa!

Review by Cameron D.

When I read Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. As in all good books, what would happen next was always a mystery. I’ve always thought that the best books don’t follow a story that’s already been used hundreds of times. This author used a creative new plot that I had never seen used before, as well as interesting dialogue and characters. In short, Ender’s Game really displayed all the qualities that I look for in a good book.

The story of Ender’s Game spans several years, but overall the story is set sometime in the future where all the children have holographic porta-desks and kitchen tables display virtual newspapers each morning. When children are very young, monitors are attached to them and people review the data to decide whether or not the child is worthy of being sent to “battle school.” That is where the children are trained in preparation for the next invasion by the “Buggers,” an alien race that humans have warred with twice.

When the book starts, Ender is having his Monitor removed. Ender later discovers that he is being sent to battle school, which surprises him. He thought that he hadn’t been accepted because they had taken his monitor off before he was told whether he had gotten into the school, which was the usual way.

At the time the story takes place, having more than two children is strongly discouraged. Being his parent’s third child (called a “Third”) – along with having kept his monitor longer than is usual – makes Ender a social outcast. At school, a group of bullies gangs up on him, and Ender’s moral struggle begins when he fights back, causing serious injury to their leader. At home, his evil killer brother, Peter, also beats him up, but his older sister Valentine shows up to save him. Ender loves Valentine dearly, in an I-don’t-want-anything-to-happen-to-her sort of way. His love for Valentine drives him to do very well in Battle School.

Once he gets to the space station he is introduced to the first “game” – sort of like laser tag in an anti-gravity chamber. As he plays the game, he shows immense talent, stays first on the scoreboards and goes up in rank several times. Eventually, he gets promoted to Command School, where he starts playing a different game which is set in a little holographic play area, where he has to command little spaceships as he would if he were in a real fight. After a couple of shocking discoveries, Ender goes out into space with Valentine, and the book comes to an end. But don’t worry; Card leaves plenty of story for the sequels.

I’ve never liked the way many science fiction authors will babble on about some unimportant details the reader really doesn’t need to hear about, only to continue on with the story several pages later. What I like about Card is that he keeps the story going, and I could actually read the entire book without skipping big chunks.

Also, I learned that good dialogue and a strong beginning are important to a good story. Each chapter in Ender’s Game begins with a brief, slightly revealing dialogue about Ender’s situation between two of the people in charge of Ender’s experience. From the first sentence, the author catches the reader’s attention by setting up some mysteries: “‘I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re going to get.’” This sets up several questions already, such as “Who is talking?” and “Who are they talking about?” and “Who is ‘the one’?” Card gets the reader to ask these questions, and then keep reading to find the answers.

Over all, I think Ender’s Game was a very good book, and I would recommend it to any fan of science fiction.

Rachel’s Note: Cameron’s review goes into lots of detail — and it’s that, more than anything, that has earned him first place in the 11-13 Age Category. He never gives away too much, but he shares enough about the story and characters to make us care about them. He also does a fantastic job of explaining some of the writing techniques used by Orson Scott Card that make Ender’s Game such a great read. Congratulations, Cameron!

Review by Aaron F., Age 14*

The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon is the first book in the Trilogy The Lost Journals of Ven Polytheme. Within the book the main character Ven goes on his first incredible adventure.

Ven isn’t human, although his race is very similar to humans. His people, the Nain, seem to live longer and have different habits. Many humans are afraid of them for their differences, in a racist way.
Polytheme’s family works on building ships in a giant factory. His adventures begin when a ship he was inspecting blows up at sea, and amazingly, he survives to meet many new friends and enemies. He is
always unsure about whether his family was able to take the economic blow of losing a ship and if they still love him. When Ven remembers these problems and the other ones at hand, he feels lost and confused.

I personally liked how Ven was always unsure about who was on his side, but he was smart and made the right choices. Most of the time.

Haydon uses several interesting writing techniques. She does a great job of twisting the plot, never letting me know what to expect next.

The most interesting technique was the switching from first person to third throughout the book. Although these switches seem random they are placed to make the story more interesting and make more sense. The first person is parts of Ven’s diary while the third person is a narration filling in the missing pieces. Here is an excerpt:

Narration: As he ran to the side of the ship through the back hallways
Ven kept his mind focused the memory of the ships model. Two turns
here – there should be a porthole right across from me—

Diary: Then the world exploded

Although these diary excerpts range from a couple of words to a couple pages, the switch between story telling helped me look at the story from different angles. Furthermore, captivating dialogue and very depictive descriptions kept me engaged throughout the story.

Ultimately, I liked the book. The interesting narrative change and plot twisting kept me reading. Ven becomes a new person by the end of the book and watching his transformation is very interesting. I can’t wait to read the next books.

Rachel’s Note: Aaron’s entry has won second place in the 11-13 Age Category. Aaron does a great job of introducing and sharing opinions about the story, and his conclusion is great. I especially liked the way he pinpointed the author’s use of first- and third-person narrative and how that made an impact on him as a reader. Congratulations, Aaron!

* Yes, Aaron is technically older than this category — although his birthday squeezed just under the wire! Because of that, and because of an age category mix-up on my part, Aaron is sharing his second-place win.

Review by Sarah B., Age 11

In Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson finds out that ancient Greek mythology isn’t so unbelievable. He finds the Greek gods and monsters and Titans and satyrs are still living in our modern age. Percy finds that he is a half-blood (half god, half mortal), and that his only hope of survival is to train and learn at Camp Half-blood.

I find Rick Riordan’s tale particularly enchanting for his incredible skill to take those ancient Greek myths and turn them into a humorous, suspense-filled, action-packed book. He took Poseidon (god of the sea), this guy who you picture as this big powerful man with a long white beard and a trident, and turned him into this surfer dude with beach shorts and sunglasses!

I also fell in love with the way he chose his words. For example, instead of simply saying, “She had orange freckles”, he decided to say, “Her freckles were orange, as if someone had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetoes”.

He livens up the story a bit with humorous chapter titles such as, A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers, We Get Advice from a Poodle, I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher, and so on.

What did I learn from this book? I learned that it can be fun toying with the past and present, to have fun with the chapter titles, and that modern fantasy can be pretty amusing sometimes. I highly recommend this book series to readers of all ages. My whole family has read it, and I’m starting it for the third time.

Rachel’s Note: Sarah did a great job of giving specific examples in this review to help us picture the book’s mood, sense of humour, and writing style. Great work, Sarah! Percy Jackson has been making a splash in readerly circles lately, so it was nice to see him make an appearance here :).

Review by Morgan W., Age 12

Everyone imagines fantasy worlds, but how many of these really come into existence? The world of a man named Mr. Tolkien did more than reach reality through paper, pen, and mind. He gave his world a voice, which speaks out to humanity under battles and swords, hobbits and rings, of the Thought which brought all things into being.

A first reading of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings might not expose very much to one at once. A strange hobbit named Frodo finds himself suddenly flung into a perilous quest full of despair and strenuous toil which will determine the fate of “Middle Earth.” The weight of the world is on his shoulders, literally! He must destroy the enticing Ring of Power in the Horrendous Cracks of Doom. Setting out with nine companions, one by one each find out that he is called to a different destiny. They will assist Frodo, but Fate calls them to help in another way. Finally, only Frodo and Samwise, his faithful servant, are left to trek the road through the Land of Evil itself. The illustrious story and its zenithal ending captivate the mind with as much tragedy and charm as any other exalted fiction, perhaps more so. “So,” one possibly will ask, “where’s the supposed ‘meaning’?”

Like any other wise teacher, Tolkien expected us to do the thinking. He intended to have his works make us exercise our minds and think, like he did so well and not just have it as plain and simple as the nose on our face. This is for one clear-cut reason: the full, entire truth is never simple. Obviously, those who don’t dig deeper; who don’t make out or acknowledge the answer (even if they discern it); who say after their first glance, “Okay, the meaning!!!!” and just wait for it to emerge in type on the page are NOT the people Tolkien wished to enjoy his byzantine masterpiece. He exploited his mind to help all of us laypeople to understand our marvelous and filling Catholic Faith in a fresh and delightful manner. He expects us to use our wits to find out what he wants us to know.

Although lots of people have read the Lord of the Rings, perchance, just a handful has truly grasped its complete meaning. Being a devout Catholic, J. R. R. Tolkien wanted to do more than engross his readers; he desired to bring all to the whole Truth through his writings. To do this, he used the characters, events, places, actions, and dialogue to relate to the beliefs and truths of the Roman Catholic Faith. He, similar to one of his friends and fellow writers, C. S. Lewis, spoke in analogies in his books. This writing technique is clever and practical for intentions such as his, because the laity can comprehend facts under parables. Hey! Even Jesus, the Truth itself, used this “modus operandi!!!” Furthermore, as many can observe, it works. When one reads the trilogy in the light of the Bible, Sacred Tradition, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, little by little, everything comes up perfectly. This tremendous and seemingly unfeasible work of literature makes absolute sense; the Catholic Faith is the key to the unending jigsaw puzzle.

Here is an example: I at last became au fait with this quotation from Gandalf in the Two Towers after I had read the book quite a few times: “ ‘Yes, I am white now,’ said Gandalf, ‘Indeed, I am Saruman, one might almost say, Saruman as he should have been…’ “ Here, Tolkien ingeniously elucidates the institution of St. Michael the Archangel as Prince of the Angels in the stead of Lucifer, the “light bearer”. Consider it this way: Gandalf represents Michael and Saruman symbolizes Lucifer. If one has read the books, he should know that Saruman was the White Wizard, the head of the Council, the supreme authority. He became arrogant and turned evil. Gandalf was set as the White Wizard in his rank. Lucifer was the uppermost in heaven next to God, but he became pompous because of his distinguished echelon and fell from God. Michael the Archangel was then established as the highest. Does not Michael hold the right to say, “I am Lucifer, the ‘light-bearer’, that is, Lucifer as he should have been”?

I, akin to numerous others, have learned a great deal from reading these sagas. I discovered that I can wield the power to speak the Truth under a fantastic tale. I have learned that stories with meanings behind them don’t have to be “tedious.” I have learned how to write, surpassing others. That is the way Tolkien wrote, the method that confirmed his books as significant. Most of all, I have learned that I can dream a dream and make it a reality. Tolkien had a dexterous mind. He caught a thought. He made it achieve his purpose: to instruct the soul as well as entertain the populace. I bet countless people out there are appreciative toward him. I certainly am one of them.

Rachel’s Note: Morgan’s review of The Lord of the Rings goes beyond just reviewing a book, instead exploring deeper themes like allegory, the power of literature to make us think, and the impact a story can have in sharing truths with us. I love this line from the review: “Most of all, I have learned that I can dream a dream and make it a reality.”

On Monday I promised to wrap up the CSFF tour for Stephen R. Lawhead’s Tuck by writing about "Deux ex machina , highly improbable happy endings, and the marvelous, unpredictable power of prayer." It is very late now, and I’m typing in the dark at the end of a long day that ran away with me, tired and groggy but still happy to think — and to write — about such marvels.

Marvelous most of all because they affect me so much, so often.

A warning, first off: I’m going to talk about the end of Tuck . I won’t actually tell you what happens, but if you don’t want hints, you might want to read the book first.

End of warning.

On to a quote: Becky Miller, fearless leader of this CSFF adventure, said in her review yesterday that Tuck’s weakest element was theme.

Not because it is false but because it is … weak. As I thought about the story, which I enjoyed immensely, I had to consider long and hard to arrive at any lasting meaning . . . In saying several things weakly, the story left me unaffected. I finished the book, left the March with sadness, but felt unchanged by the characters and their struggles. I guess I’d just like more.

Read her whole post here — it’s good. But in a sense I disagree with her assessment of Tuck’ s ultimate theme. For me, at least, that theme was prayer, and it lead to the last thing I expected — a happy ending.

There’s an old literary term called Deux ex machina, or "God in the machine," which I believe refers back to Greek plays or some such larks, in which sometimes happy endings would occur against every single odd because a god would suddenly show up and fix everything. If you read my writings often, you’ve probably heard me talk about this before. Usually it’s seen as a bad thing. Overdo it, and the critics — especially your readers, the most important critics — cry foul. Life isn’t like that. Endings have to make sense. Foreshadow them, reason your way into them, surprise us but don’t make it unrealistic. Don’t, actually, make it too miraculous.

Because there is no God in the machine.

Except that there is.

As I drew near the end of Tuck , I found myself torn between skeptical disbelief and joyous, readerly abandon — "Of course it turns out like this! Who cares if that would never happen in real life?" The joyous part of me won, because all of a sudden, born on the wings of an impossibly happy ending, truth announced itself.

There is a God in the machine. Sometimes He steps in and changes things. It’s unpredictable. It’s wild. It’s grace. But it happens.

Lawhead foreshadowed his improbable ending all along, from the first time Tuck opened his mouth to ask "How long, O Lord?" and complain about the heat. Most characters in Tuck pray. Friar Tuck does. Angharad does, in her ancient Celtic way. Even some of the villains do. They pray because they know, as so many of us don’t, that God is there and is listening. Even when He doesn’t step in and make things go our way.

Prayer is a good thing, is in fact an absolutely necessary thing, because people who live under the wings of such a God should acknowledge the fact. Because He listens to prayers. Because sometimes, He personally steps in, stirs up the situation, and transforms everything. Deaths into resurrections. Dark nights into dawns.

Horrible, bloody, heartbreaking, humiliating defeats into unexpected happy endings.

So Tuck , which at first seemed to be simply a romp with heart, lacking any deep theme, has stayed with me for days after all. I keep replaying that happy ending and mulling over what it told me. What it reminded me. That God is there. That He listens.

I should go pray.