Reviews written by Jillian Van Leer

The moment I started this book, I could not put it down. Harper is a sixteen year old girl, who has just lost her older sister, June, to suicide. The raw emotions and vulnerability that come from that are not only real, but relatable as well. I have never personally lost someone to suicide, but I could feel the hurt, anger, guilt, and every other emotion through Harper. Hannah Harrington does an impeccable job of writing this story.

The characters were real. Not a single one of them was perfect (in a nothing is wrong with them way). Harper feels guilty for not seeing that her "perfect" sister was about to commit suicide. She was the one who found her sister, and is now angry at June for not even leaving a note to explain why. Harper's best friend, Laney, is always there for Harper, no matter what. And after Harper's mother and her judgmental aunt aren't there for her like she needs them to be, she turns to Laney to help her figure out how to get June's ashes to California (June wanted to move there). At the wake, Harper meets Jake, a boy she's never seen before, and she wonders why he is there. When Jake insists that he drive Laney and Harper across the country to California, she agrees.

The road trip was written perfectly. I enjoyed how the road trip wasn't rushed, they three of them took their time, seeing sights, eating local foods, even participating in a protest in Chicago. I certainly enjoyed the stop in St. Louis very much since that is where I'm from! :) As they cross the country, Jake and Harper start to form something more and Harper must decide if she knows him well enough to trust him with her heart.

I thought the story had a wonderful pace and when it ended, I didn't want it to. Harper's story is a heart felt, gut wrenching coming of age story. By far the best contemporary book I've read! You need to read this book!

Having two young children (a third on the way) in my household, I'm always looking for wonderful faith related books/devotionals to read with my children. 'Little Visits with Jesus' is the book I've been looking for. Each devotion is 1 page long, to the point and easily keeps young children's attention.

The devotional is set up by months and each devotional within that month pertains to the goings on of that time of year. My boys absolutely love sitting down to read a devotional from this book and it starts wonderful discussion between our family members.

I cannot recommend this book enough for families with young children looking for a great devotional. It's simple, easy to understand, but still brings out the true message. What a blessing this book has been to our family!

So, before I even had a chance to open my copy of 'The Hunt' I was reading all about it on the internet. People I "know" were talking about how scary it was and how unique. I was pretty excited to pick it up and get started, and I wasn't disappointed. From page 1 I was terrified. I don't want to tell you what page 1 says, because you can read it yourself, but I think you'll know the part I'm referring to, once you read it. It involves a kindergarten girl, that's all I'm saying. I just sat there, stunned, and freaked out, and not being able to wait to continue!

As the book went on, it started getting a bit "weird". The rituals the vampires have are a bit disturbing. The fact that Gene is human (a heper as he is called in the book) and has to live around the vampires everyday is just scary in itself. The things he has to go through to make them believe he is a vampire, just to survive, are disgusting. The vampires even have a unique way of making out.

Honestly once the book got to the part where the vampires are getting ready to hunt "hepers" (humans), I kind of lost interest. It just wasn't as believable to me anymore. Not that vampires are believable to me in general, but I just think the vampires would have actually noticed the human right next to them. And I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but that's just part of reading the first book in a series.

Overall, very unique vampire story. Both terrifying and unique.

This book hit home for me because we have a new baby on the way and we are trying to figure out where to put everything in our home to make room. The Berenstain Bears are going through the same thing. They think about moving, but don't really want to. So, after going through each room in the house, they decide to clean up a few things, add a few walls and stay right where they are! I love that. I think it's an important lesson to teach our children. In our society today we are always wanting the bigger house with more space, without even looking at the space we already have!

This book is a great book to read with children and discuss the importance of valuing what we already have, instead of wanting more and more. I adore The Berenstain Bears series, and this book is no exception! Keep them coming please!

First of all, I'm a big fan of author Amy Clipston. Ever since I read her book 'Roadside Assistance' I have put her on my "favorite authors list". So, I was pretty excited to read RECKLESS HEART, even though I'm not a huge fan of Amish books. However, Amy Clipston does a fantastic job of keeping the story realistic to those outside the Amish community, while still keeping it true to Amish tradition.

Lydia is the eldest of 4 children. As the oldest of 4 in my family as well, I could relate. A lot of times the eldest (especially when they are a girl) gets handed a lot of responsibility, and even more so in the Amish community. My heart was breaking for Lydia with all the stress she was under with her two part time jobs, her youngest sibling being very ill, and strict limitations being put on her that she wasn't quite sure how to handle. Lydia is a very strong female lead character and I think she is a great role model for teenage girls. Not only did she have her faith shook up a bit (which, come on, what teenager doesn't), she had to find the strength within herself to be selfless and faithful (which is hard to do, especially during those late teenage years).

I admire the family unit that Lydia has. Not only her parents and siblings, but her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, not to mention her entire Amish community around her. It's what I would love for my community to be. Just knowing that I would have that much support from those around me is encouraging. It was a bit hard for me to get past the obvious "issures" the Amish community had with the "Englishers", but I thought Ms. Clipston did a wonderful job of exploring that side of the community, and I was pleasantly surprised with how it ended.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! A great book for religious teenagers. It's not too "in your face religious", but the religion is strong and I think a lot of young readers could relate to Lydia's struggles.

First, let me just say that the illustrations in this book are amazing. Every page is like a new painting to enjoy. The story is great, too! Moyo and Japera are siblings walking through town to get to the baobab tree. Who will they find there? They are not sure, but they cannot wait to arrive and see.

As they two siblings walk along they are able to gaze upon gazelles, a termite mound, among other things. While they are walking they both give praise to God for his wonderful creation.

My boys and I adore this book. As I mentioned, the illustrations are incredible and the story itself allows the reader to really think about what they are grateful for. It's a great book to get discussion going with young children about the world around them. I see this book as a must have for a home library. Great story, wonderful illustrations, what more could you ask for?

This is the second book in the 'Sisters in all Seasons" series. Diana and Stephanie are back, and the family is going on spring break. Diana is still a bit elusive, angry and a bit hard to get along with. Stephanie is still the girl everyone loves. When the family decides to head to the beach for spring break, everyone is excited. Diana will have the opportunity to see wild horses, and Stephanie will get to hang out at the beach!

I thought this was a great second book of the series. Even though a few months have passed since the last book and the stepsisters are still having to adjust to each other. The girls attend the same school and while Stephanie is popular, she notices the other kids making fun of Diana behind her back. Stephanie has to make a hard decision to either ignore the name calling or stick up for Diana. Diana is still a bit rough around the edges and selfish. But, she has grown some since the last book and is doing her best to adjust to her new life.

Just like the first book, this book has it all. Heartwarming moments, along with some tough situations the girls find themselves in, and a great lesson is to be learned from both girls.

I really enjoy this series. I never had a sister (just brothers for me!), so even though these two girls are stepsisters, I love the bond that they share. I also really enjoy reading their POV's as well. They are so different from each other, and it's very interesting to see things through their eyes.

If you read the first book in the series and liked it, you will enjoy this one as well. And even if you haven't read the first book, go ahead and pick this one up. It's a great book for ages 10 and up!

Diana and Stephanie are step sisters. Their parents recently married and now they are forced to figure out how to be friends. When their parents decide to take a family vacation, Diana is thrilled with the choice. After all, they're going to visit a ranch and Diana loves horses! Stephanie on the other hand isn't so sure about the trip.

This book is told from two POV's, Diana's and Stephanie's. Diana has a bit of an attitude and tends to get along better with animals than she does with people. Stephanie is a people pleaser and is well liked by pretty much everyone around her. The two clash quite a bit, but they also learn how to be friends as well as step sisters.

I found this story to be very heartwarming. While Diana tends to be selfish, she is able to learn from Stephanie how to put others first. And Stephanie is a bit scared to try new things, but learns from Diana to be a bit more adventurous. I loved the bond that the two girls share and how they grow to be friends and actually want to be around each other. The story was easy to read and follow while also kept me very interested in what was happening. There is the heartwarming side, but there is also a bit of a scandal and some heart thumping moments!

I think this story is great for younger girls. It helps them to realize that we need to give others a chance, even if they are hard to get along with (as is the case with Diana). And I think it's a great book to read if you are learning how to be a family when a parent remarries after a divorce. What a great series for young girls!

This is the first book in the Katie Weldon series that I have read, and I had no trouble picking up the book and reading straight through. This could be a stand alone book by itself, so if you haven't read the previous books, don't worry!

I enjoyed reading this book overall. I thought the pace was a bit slow in some parts, but I think that was kind of the point. Katie travels to Africa and realizes that life isn't all about the hustle and bustle there like it is in the USA. I liked how Katie and Eli were taking things slow in their relationship, and not rushing into anything (though a few times I wish they would've kisses, hee hee). The overall message of the book came through really strong though. Letting God guide your life isn't easy to do, but when you do it, things tend to work out better than you could ever have imagined!

Like I mentioned before, I haven't read the previous books in the series, but this book is a great stand alone. A sweet contemporary that stars good role models for both girls and boys.

I wanted to read and review this book based on the cover and the title. I guess that says something about me, but it's the truth. The cover is gorgeous and the title had me curious. Imagine my surprise when I started reading the book and realized it was a sequel. At first I was utterly and totally confused. There are so many characters, and they have all these names for the beings that they are and I was lost. However, I did not give up, and I'm so glad I didn't. Here's why:

First, the writing. The writing is so well done. I literally could imagine myself there with the characters, which doesn't happen that often to be honest. Leah Clifford's writing style comes across as effortless and REAL. The whole time I was reading the book I was blown away at how easily the words flowed. Secondly, the characters. There are lots of them, however after reading through the first couple of chapters, I had no trouble keeping track of them all. And each of the characters is important to the story, which I loved. There wasn't just a bunch of secondary characters thrown in the story for good measure, they all needed to be there. And what unique characters they are! Thirdly, the actual story. The story simply blew me away. It's a unique telling of Heaven/Hell that hasn't' been told before. Now, like I mentioned before, I haven't read the first book (A Touch Mortal) yet, but I plan to now! This is a story that has never been told before. It's not just a fallen angel struggling to somehow get back into Heaven, no. It's much, much more than that.

I applaud Leah Clifford for her amazing job on this book, and I plan to hurry on out and buy book 1 so that I can read that, too. It's not very often that I read a sequel and then WANT to read the first book of the series.

My eldest son cannot get enough Science. So, this book is HUGE hit in our household. He loves science experiments, science shows, etc. So, when we started reading this book, he was in seventh Heaven.

This book is divided into 4 sections; Touch It! Build It! Change It! and Move It! Each section has 10+ topics and experiments to do and discuss. From making a mosaic to learning more about gravity, this book has it all. It's great for preschool to young elementary aged children.

I plan to use this book during the summer when my boys are off school. I'm pretty sure there are enough activities and experiments to get us through the whole summer without getting bored. If you are a science lover, or are looking for a simple, yet informative book for a little one, get this book. It's worth it! I highly recommend this book for preschools, and young elementary school classrooms.

This book really impressed me. Not only is it a great book to learn from, but it's an EASY book to learn from. IT's not your typical boring educational book, no sirree. It's simple words are easy to read and talk about it with young children. Plus, it's about bats! My boys are completely into bats right now and loved reading this book over and over.

On each page of this book there is a section dedicated to a certain bat. So, on each page you not only learn how to help bats live and grow, you actually learn specific things about different types of bats. How cool is that? Plus, the book also talks about plants and animals that need bats, and how we can help bats thrive!

With realistic illustrations, simple fun facts, and overall fun theme, this book is sure to please a little bat lover! I highly recommend this book for schools, libraries, homeschooling libraries and even just your regular household libraries. I will definitely be looking for the other books in this series!

We love the "How Do Dinosaurs...." series in our household. This book was even more fun than the previous books! Not only are there fun rhymes and great illustrations to look at, but there are scratch and sniff cookies and even recipes to share. My boys and I had a blast reading the fun pages and then sniffing the scratch and sniff cookies. I mean seriously, how fun is that? This book got us all excited to bake some cookies on the next rainy day!

If you love (or know a child who loves Dinosaurs, particularly this series), then grab this book today! What a great way to share cookies in a fun way!

This adorable story about Martin's first day of school is sure to delight all ages. Martin is a daydreamer and finds it hard to concentrate during class. He takes us all sorts of places while the teacher is talking. From comparing his teacher to his beloved cat to a sandy beach on vacation.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my children. I think it sets a good example and lets children know that it's okay if it's hard to pay attention in class sometimes and what to do about it. It opens the door to this discussion with children and I am all for that. I also like how Martin's teacher doesn't punish him for daydreaming, she actually lets him talk about what he was thinking! What a great example for all of us.

This is an adorable story that the entire family will love. There is even mention of poems, and a cute poem in the story. Since my eldest loves poems, it helped us to talk more about poems and the prospect of writing our own. A delightful story that your entire household can enjoy together!

I was hooked on the Shadow Falls series when I picked up the first book "Born at Midnight" by C.C. Hunter. Since then I have been anxious to find out what happens to Kylie and the rest of the students and faculty members at Shadow Falls Camp.

This book continues Kylie Galen's story. Kylie is a unique "supernatural" attending Shadow Falls Camp (a camp specifically for the supernatural), but the problem is she doesn't know what kind of supernatural she is, and no one else knows either. To add to the confusion, she is torn between a hot werewolf, Lucas, and a half-fae boy, Derek. Oh, and she is haunted by ghosts!

I was so excited to read this book because I thought we would finally get an ending to this saga and learn what is going on! I am so sad to say that this book only gives out a little bit of information, and I found out that there will be a 4th book. I am a bit frustrated with this because I truly feel this series could have ended with a 3rd book. I almost feel like the story was a bit dragged out in this book and I really wish the author would have ended the series with this one. That being said, it's still a good book. It still stays right with the previous two books on Kylie's story, and we do actually get to learn what kind of supernatural Kylie is (eep!), and a bit more about her family.

I had the same problem with this book as I did the previous two in the series. C.C. Hunter goes a bit too in depth for me on the feelings of the characters. I almost feel that it's easy to tell how the characters are feeling, but Ms. Hunter goes into further detail. That's just me though. I know some readers prefer as much detail as possible, so if you love that, then you'll love this "voice"!

I really feel for Kylie. I can't help but want her to know what kind of supernatural she is and figure out more about her family. It's very easy to root for her. I also adore Lucas. I realize he's a "bad boy" and I was very happy to read more scenes with he and Kylie in this book.

I hope my review isn't coming across as being mean, I sure don't mean for it to. I'm definitely going to read the 4th book because I'm so emotionally involved with these characters and I want to know what happens next. I just truly feel that the series could have ended in this book, but alas, it doesn't. So, if you loved the first two books in the series, you'll enjoy this one. Just be forewarned, it doesn't END.