By Jan Pease
I’m introducing a guest book reviewer, 15 year old Raechel Kelly, who graciously agreed to produce three “teen book reviews” as part of “You Are Here” the summer reading program for teenagers. Raechel is a delightful young person who happens to be an avid reader.
One of her selections is the book, “Pearl in the Sand,” by Tessa Afshar. Raechel says, “This book was an amazing retelling of Rahab, from the Bible, and her story of faith. As reading it, I found that it really enchanted the Old Testament. The book is fiction, and so cleverly written. Ms. Afshar did a beautiful job with this Bible account, and I was blessed to read it.”
I would add this bit of information from Amazon.com. “Pearl in the Sand” was published in 2010 by Moody Press, and is available at Litchfield Library. Tessa Afshar was born in a Muslim family in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She survived English boarding school for girls before moving to the United States permanently. Tessa holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-Chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and currently serves as the leader of Women’s and Prayer ministries at a church in New England.
Another book chosen by Raechel is “Dug Down Deep,” by Joshua Harris. Raechel says, “I highly recommend this book to everyone. This is a non-fiction read that uncovers a lot of truth, and shows the lies we unknowingly believe. No matter where you are in this life, you will surely learn something from this book. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and have learned a lot from it.”
Me, again, adding a little more to Raechel’s thoughts. “Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters” was published in 2010 by Multnomah Books. It is available at Amazon.com and by interlibrary loan through Mnlink. Joshua Harris writes about matters of faith for young adults and is best known for his books about relationships and dating.
Raechel’s final selection was an entire series of books, “The Knights of Arrethtrae” by Chuck Black. Rachel says, “I couldn’t pick just one of the six books to review, so I decided I’d do the whole series. These books were so great in many ways. They’re filled with excitement, bravery, courage and most importantly, faith in the Lord. The books are individual stories of knights and ladies as they go through with their training and missions. These books blessed me hugely, and encouraged me.”
I would add that this is a series of books published in recent years by Multnomah. They are available at amazon.com and by interlibrary loan through Mnlink. Chuck Black, according to amazon.com, spent eight years in the Air Force traveling the world as an F-16 fighter pilot and a communications engineer. Today, Chuck is the author of seven novels and a product-design engineer. He has invented or co-invented eleven patented construction products now being sold internationally. He lives with his family in North Dakota.
Thanks, Raechel, for enthusiastically taking on this challenge. We’re looking for other teen book reviewers, so please speak to a staff member at the library if you’re interested. See you at the library!
