Andrea Carter and the Price of Truth, by Susan K. Marlow

Trouble has no problem finding thirteen-year-old Andrea (Andi) Carter. Despite best intentions, her plans almost always get thwarted. In this sixth and final book of the Circle C Adventures series, Andrea Carter and the Price of Truth, Andi secretly plans to earn money herself so she can give her mother a very special birthday gift. But keeping those plans a secret from her family is easier said than done.

One of Andi’s ideas seems to be working out. That is, until she identifies an upstanding citizen, and her brother’s best friend, at the scene of a back-alley murder. When the town bully holds her beloved horse hostage, pressuring Andi to recant, the young girl must decide if the price of telling the truth is worth the cost of losing Taffy. Her thoughts express her frustration, “All I did was tell the truth, and now everything’s in a muddle.”

While this book brings the series to a close, Price of Truth is quite enjoyable on its own and can stand alone. I do recommend reading books one through five, though, to get to know Andi, her friends, and her family, and to catch a glimpse of the Old West and 1880s America.

A FREE, downloadable, 24-page enrichment guide comes with each book in the Circle C Adventures series and includes:
• Vocabulary
• Discussion Questions
• Geography
• A "Closer Look" at history that ties in with the book
• "Just for fun" hands-on activities, crafts, cooking, or games
Lapbooks are available by separate purchase for grades 3-6. Find it all at Circle C Adventures!

Now younger children can get to know Andi too! The first two books of Susan’s Circle C Beginnings, a new series of early reader chapter books that introduce a six-year-old Andi to the elementary audience, have just been released. Each Circle C Beginnings book has color covers and illustrated pictures, with FREE supplemental activities available online. Visit Andi’s blog for an adorable treat to hear little Andi herself tell all about it.

The Circle C Adventures and Circle C Beginnings series are wholesome reading for the entire family. Read more about Susan in this Aim for Perfection Editing interview or by visiting her website.

Compensation Disclosure: I received one complimentary copy of this book from Kregel in exchange for reviewing it on my blog.

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Red Ink, by Kathi Macias

Zhen-Li, a young Chinese woman raised in a prominent family, marries a Christian peasant and adopts his faith. Her parents, obedient to the Chinese government, are appalled and ostracize Zhen-Li and her husband. When Zhen-Li becomes pregnant for the second time and refuses to have an abortion, her family pays to have her kidnapped and the baby aborted.

Zhen-Li stands firm in her faith and boldly teaches children about Zhu Yesu ("Lord Jesus"), distributing Christian literature every chance she gets until she is imprisoned and accused of adopting a foreign religion “who regularly surrendered state secrets to foreign devils.” Her faith does not falter during torturous “re-education” sessions, and Zhen-Li continues to minister to her cellmate, fellow prisoners, even the brutal prison guard, Tai Tong.

Kathi Macias’ Red Ink is based loosely on the life of Christian magazine editor Li Ying, who is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence in China for printing and distributing Christian materials, particularly to children, and for whom the author prays daily. As a reminder for Christians to “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3 NIV), a secondary story line follows two ladies in a nursing home in California who see to it they accomplish one thing if nothing else each day, to pray for those afflicted, especially someone in China.

Though I have enjoyed other works by Kathi Macias, this is the first of her novels I’ve read. So far, there’s been nothing she’s written I would not recommend. Kathi is a very talented, multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 30 books and ghostwritten several others. She has taught writing courses, been a guest on many radio and television programs, is a popular speaker, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, California, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time riding their Harley. You can learn more about Kathi at her website or blog.


NOTE: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me as a blog tour host by New Hope Publishers in exchange for posting this interview on my blog. Please visit Christian Speaker Services at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com for more information about blog tour management services.

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Judging Books by the Table of Contents

I read a blog post last week that was written by someone I respect, someone very highly regarded in the publishing industry, someone who is in charge of what books get published. I normally enjoy reading this person's articles, because they're very informative. I even follow him on Twitter and am a fan of his on Facebook. One thing he said in this particular post, though, struck a raw nerve.

Regarding how to read a nonfiction book, this writer gave a list of ten tips. Item #1 recommended NOT reading a book all the way through. He basically said not every word is worth reading. I was shocked to see this coming from someone in his position, especially when he went on to advise "reading" the book by skimming through the author's bio, studying the table of contents, and scanning the text (taking note of bold headers and block quotes). In his opinion, following these suggestions would give the reader enough information to review said book.

Now let me ask you, is it possible to form an accurate opinion of a book without reading it in its entirety? If you read the beginning and the end but skip the middle, are you getting the whole message? Can you grasp the complete concept by skimming the table of contents? Would your answers depend on whether the book is fiction or nonfiction?

My simple answer to all of four questions is NO. 

Now, I understand there are some books that don't hold the reader's interest all the way through. I've read plenty of books that tempted me to put them down halfway through and never open them again. But I persevered. Yes, some disappointed, but others picked up the pace and revived my interest. I would not have known the outcomes if I had not continued to read.

The tips offered in that article may help generate a book review, but picking and choosing only certain pieces of a book to represent the whole will not produce a very reliable assessment of the material. It is not alright to judge a book by its cover or by its table of contents.