Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marcheta

Living in Australia as the descendant of Italian immigrants, Josie is trying to find where she belongs. She doesn’t seem to fit very well at school and, at times, with her family. Her mother is a single parent and after school Josie must stay with her Nonna who constantly criticizes her. Once Josie starts to mature and see that her Nonna is a person who was young and in love at one time, their relationship begins to change. Josie begins to see her family, schoolmates, and close friends differently. Her last year of school brings about the culmination of her growth.

I enjoyed this book. Marcheta brings to light many different topics and situations that I have never experienced and reading this book has helped me to see a different point of view. It is difficult not to fall in love with the main character, Josie. It is easy to see parts of oneself in her as her spirit and search for belonging take place. With some of the topics (suicide, sex), I think that high schoolers could read this book but it might not be healthy for students younger to read it.

Confessions of a Good Christian Girl by Christina Maltby

Even after being saved by the blood of Christ, we are all human and still have problems and sin in our lives. Maltby brings to life many of the issues women struggle with in the area of sin or as a result of previous (or continuing) sin. She also brings to light the fact that no area of life is untouched when sin is present in one’s life. While her approach is almost “too honest,” it helps to bring the message home.

This book is good and has a lot of strong messages that should be heard. I liked many parts of this book and it could even be used to help a friend through a tough time. Some parts are hard to read when thinking of other peoples’ pain. Overall, this is a good book and I think that it might be good for girls in high school (or even middle school possibly) to read it and see how their lives could change in the matter of a moment.

Love and Respect by Emmerson Eggerichs

Fights between couples almost always boil down to the fight really being about Love and Respect. Eggerichs looks at different areas in life and how this topic interacts with those areas. Not only that, he gives a guide to both man and woman on how to better understand what is going on with the other person. He assures readers that implementing love and respect into the marriage will change the marriage for the better. When one spouse loves or respects, the other is motivated to reciprocate.

As a married person, this book has helped me to understand what my husband is looking for in our marriage. This book would be good not only for married couples but for those who are engaged or who are seriously thinking about marriage.

No More Lone Rangers by David Chow

Youth ministers often find themselves fighting a losing battle, and fighting that battle on their own. Besides youth meetings and the planning that goes with it, there are many demands that the parents and church expect the youth minister to fulfill. Chow’s solution is to find others to work alongside the youth minister. If the youth minister can organize and lead a group of volunteers to aid in building relationships with teens, running errands, preparing for lessons, and cleaning up then the youth minister will have more time to seek God and lead the teens in a discipling manner.

As a former youth minister, I can see how Chow’s ideas can be very practical and influential in the entire ministry. The more people there are working together on the same goal with the same way to get there, the more likely that goal will be achieved. This book is easy to read and could be applied to many different areas of ministry and organizations. It is also very easy to read and understand.

God Speaks Your Love Language by Gary Chapman

As an updated version of The Love Languages of God, Champman further brings home the ways that God can speak his love to us. Since God created the love languages and gave them to us, it reasons that he would use them to love us as well. Using many of the same thoughts from the previous book, he further explores the ideas that were first related in it.

It is interesting to see how God has impacted the lives of others; and how if we are wiling to see how he works in our own lives, we will see that he loves us very much. This book is easy to read and could be read by middle schoolers.

Darcy's Story by Jane Alymer

From Mr. Darcy’s point of view, this retelling of Pride and Prejudice captures what might have been his thoughts and actions away from the main story. Even if it is not exactly what Austen would have designed for Mr. Darcy, it is interesting to hear someone’s ideas of what he thought and did on his own time. Alymer attempts to reproduce language from that time to set the mood.

I enjoyed reading this book but yet it is not Austen. I have often wondered what was going on in Darcy’s mind when the book does not record it and this is Alymer’s rendition. It was very easy to read but is more enjoyable after reading Pride and Prejudice.

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Based on several of the legends and fairy tales that many of us grew up with, Carter puts a new perspective and twist on each, even combining some. From damsels in distress to werewolves, this collection of short stories keeps the reader surprised even to the end.

I enjoyed reading these versions of the originals that I love. This book is better for older readers with the sexual content. Even with that, this book brings very interesting ideas and thoughts to these beloved tales.

Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris

A continuation of I Kissed Dating Good-Bye, Harris puts the ideas into play in his own life. He takes us on his journey of meeting, courting, and marrying his wife. He tells not only his part of the story but also includes her part of the story.

This story is heart-moving and sincere. Once again, not all of the suggestions will work for everyone but the principles are at least worth reading. As with the other book, middle schoolers could understand this book.

I Kissed Dating Good-Bye by Joshua Harris

Broken hearts, sleepless nights, and unforeseen endings are just a few reasons that people often wonder if dating is really such a good idea. Joshua Harris takes on this topic with a new point of view. He suggests that having parents involved, starting out as friends, and not making premature promises can possibly be the change that is needed. These ideas, and others, can help the couple to not create emotional baggage that often remains from other styles of dating. Focusing on the important parts of the relationship before becoming emotionally and physically involved can help prevent problems later, even marriage takes place.

I agree with Harris that there are a lot of problems in how many people look at dating. At the same time, each person needs to figure out what works for themselves. This book would be a good read to look for suggestions and ideas. Since it is easy to read, anyone in middle school could understand this book.