Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry

  

Billy Allman is a simple man living in the small town of Dogwood, located in the hills of West Virginia.  His goal in life is to live to the glory of God, although  things are hard and never seem to go according to his plan.  His life seems unimportant and unnoticed by others.  However, Heaven has not overlooked him.  Malachi, an angel sent to watch and protect him, wonders what the Creator’s plan is for Billy.  As Billy’s life unfolds, Malachi begins to sense the music in Billy’s life and the plan God has for him.

What can I say?  I love Chris Fabry’s books for several reasons.  They are set in West Virginia, the state I grew up in.  He handles difficult and real life situations with grace.  He writes from a Christian perspective, and his characters capture my heart.  Almost Heaven was no exception.  Chris kept my attention with a well-paced plot and interesting characters.  I loved the fact that “June Bug” from a previous book showed up in this one, too.  I look forward to reading many more of Chris’ books.

The Guest Book by Mary Beth Whalen

Every year, Macy Dillon has drawn a picture in the guest book at the beach house where her family has vacationed for years.  An anonymous artist responds to her drawing every summer, and at long last writes a letter in the book to invite her to meet him.  Due to a tragedy in her family, the meeting never takes place.  Now, after many years, she and her family have returned to the same beach house.  Her greatest desire is to find the anonymous artist and to finally meet him.  She prays to find him and God brings three men into her life.  Any one of them could be her mysterious artist.  How does she find him?

The author writes about Macy’s family’s grief over her father’s death and how they grow through it.  As a reader, I wanted to keep reading to find out which man was  Macy’s mysterious artist.   The twist at the end of the book was a nice surprise.  If you are looking for an easy beach read, you would enjoy this book.  I am grateful to Zondervan publishing for allowing me to read this book and this is my honest opinion.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

“Bod” Owens grows up in a graveyard.  He is cared for by the inhabitants there after a man named Jack murders his family.  He learns the ways of the dead from the ghosts and his other-worldly guardian Silas.  In the graveyard he comes to know many diverse characters including a Hound of God, ghouls, and the Sleer.  His adventures include a trip to the land of the ghouls and a brief foray to school.  Eventually, he must leave the graveyard permanently, but what will happen when he comes face to face with his family’s murderer?

This book’s setting and characters were a bit bizarre.  However, I found it very readable and difficult to put down.  As a parent and a teacher, I would want to have read this book before I let my child or student  read it.  Mr. Gaiman does not write from a Christian worldview and his view of death is in direct opposition to the biblical view.  In my opinion, younger children, even avid readers, should not read this book.  They do not have the skills to think critically about the characters and story.  Even though I enjoyed this book, loaned to me by our school librarian, I would not recommend it, unless the reader is an older child able to handle the contents and characters.