I first fell into fantasy through the pages of Narnia. I loved the fantastic, the possibility, the idea that there was so much more than just what was accepted by all the “normal” people. I was always an oddity in school, and I felt far more at home in the books that swept me away, as if there, even amidst the danger, I could be myself. The books on my list are books that built me up and challenged me to be true to live for what is right and noble.
This book was an interesting challenge to my personal view of what happens right after death. It was really amazing the way the author wove Biblical characters into a story populated with modern and historical people, many of whom had forgotten who they really are.
While The Blue Tower did not change my mind about whether or not purgatory is real, it was a fun, clean, ride with a strong theme of redemption.
Cipher wakes up in the Blue Tower with no memories of his former life. He discovers that he is not alone. Dozens of boys and girls must compete in a battle called the Scouring against four other towers--Red, Green, Yellow, and Black--each with its own rules and powers.
In his first Scouring, Cipher captures Emma, a girl from Yellow, whose memories from Victorian England move Cipher to uncover his own past. He must learn who he was before he can figure out why he's here...and how to get out.
The Last Battle stopped me in my tracks growing up. I was the kid who sat in church and flinched when the music minister joyfully proclaimed we would all sing forever when we reached heaven’s shores. I flinched because I wanted to fly. I wanted to climb mountains. I wanted Jesus to show me stars flung out where I couldn’t possibly go now.
My attention span was not built for singing eternally.
So when I first read The Last Battle, I’m pretty sure I cried with relief. I decided that if C.S. Lewis could imagine a heaven like that, then surely God would come up with something even better (no matter what the music guy said).
A full-colour paperback edition of The Last Battle, book seven in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition is complete with full-colour cover and interior art by the original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.
During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge-not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to The Chronicles of Narnia.
I both hate and love this story. It is hard to read because the author faced some of the most horrid things, but somehow, despite the darkness, I always close the book feeling deep down in my soul that God is good. Not only is He bigger than the dark, but He reaches down and touches the tiny lives of normal, regular people like me. Reading how he worked in Corrie’s life is like seeing a record of the fantastic touching reality, and when life throws challenges my way, I often remember the Ten Boom sisters and that not only puts things in perspective, but helps me to choose joy.
It's World War II. Darkness has fallen over Europe as the Nazis spread hatred, fear and war across the globe. But on a quiet city corner in the Netherlands, one woman fights against the darkness.
In her quiet watchmaking shop, she and her family risk their lives to hide Jews, and others hunted by the Nazis, in a secret room, a "hiding place" that they built in the old building.
One day, however, Corrie and her family are betrayed. They're captured and sent to the notorious Nazi concentration camps to die. Yet even…
Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga is packed with action, adventure, and a family that sticks together through thick and thin. One of the things I love to read about is a core group of people that are far from perfect but are striving to live and love to a high standard. The Wingfeathers fight, they make costly choices, they fail, they grow, they laugh, and they quest together. And when everything is on the line, they do what they must to make things right again, and I think we could all use more heroes like that.
After living for years under the occupation by the evil Fangs of Dang, the Igiby children find a map rumoured to lead to the lost Jewels of Anniera - the one thing the Fangs will do anything to find. The family is thrown headlong into a perilous adventure, uncovering truths about who they are that will change their world forever.
Repackaged with new illustrations, this is the opportunity to discover the Wingfeathers.
I enjoyed this series because it was a well-written, fast-paced, interesting, clean story that I was happy to share with my children (especially my daughters). Each of the four books follows the perspective of one of the four main characters, and all of these girls are strong, loyal, and have a clear sense of right and wrong. They are not ashamed to be “good,” which is a refreshing find in dystopian futures!
In a terrifying future world, four girls must depend on each other if they want to survive.Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school -- but she’s excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure!Country Manor School isn’t all excitement, though. Louisa isn’t sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything’s-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time. Still, Louisa loves CMS…
Lost in a magical world, an ordinary group of teenagers finds themselves under threat from the Hunters of Avoria.
When a teen mission trip goes wrong, Nani and her friends find themselves stranded in the world of Milana. The key to their survival is buried somewhere in Nani's broken memory. Nani's friends are counting on her, but if she wants her memories back, Nani will have to align with one of the very men trying to capture her friends. Can she trust the Hunter? Can Nani forgive him for his past, in order to regain her own?
In a previous career, I traveled extensively to many parts of the world. I always found new cultures, old traditions, strange languages, and exotic environments fascinating. Perhaps even more fascinating, were the expats I found who had traded in their home country for an existence far from where they were born and different from how they were reared. In many instances, I’ve attempted to incorporate—in Heinlein’s words—this stranger in a strange land motif in my work. It always seems to heighten my interest. I hope the reader’s as well.
San Diego Private Investigator, Brig Ellis, is hired by a wealthy industrialist to help him acquire the final horse in a set of twelve palomino miniatures that once belonged to the last Emperor of China. What begins as a seemingly reasonable assignment quickly morphs into something much more malevolent.
The gumshoe has to deal not only with brigands, kidnappers, and commies, but also with the beautiful, enigmatic daughter of the industrialist whose involvement raises the danger level exponentially. As complications and the body count rise, Ellis tries to make sure this ill-fated job won’t be his last.
San Diego Private Investigator, Brig Ellis, is hired by a wealthy industrialist to help him acquire the final horse in a set of twelve palomino miniatures that once belonged to the last Emperor of China. What begins as a seemingly reasonable assignment quickly morphs into something much more sinister. The intrepid gumshoe finds himself having to bargain with brigands, kibitz with kidnappers, clash with commies, and duel with a stone cold assassin incapable of feeling pain. All while navigating potentially deadly pitfalls instigated by his employer's beautiful but enigmatic daughter. Conflict and danger increase at warp speed as Ellis tries…
