September 30, 2011

Gabby, God's Little Angel by Sheila Walsh

I recently read "Gabby, God's Little Angel" by Sheila Walsh , and found it be wanting.  After reading this short children's story I have to say that I am disappointed. I was expecting a sweet story with child characters that my children could connect with.

The message conveyed in the end was good, God Loves You, but the journey there was a little misguided. The character dialogue between what appears to be 6-7 year old girls is far too mature to be realistic. The words and phrases used aren't typical of young girls and seemed to not fit. I also found the book hard to follow because of its strange format, having certain parts of sentences indented, spaced and bolded. It didn't make a lot of sense to me.

I did enjoy however the message, it just wasn't arrived at in a way that children could relate to because of the complex language involved. Not to say I am a fan of "dumbing down" literature for young ones, but there does need to be a degree of comprehensibility in a piece when geared towards young children that I feel is lacking in this book. I hope the rest of the series is written more towards the children.

**Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”**

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

Andy Andrews has done it again! The author of The Traveler's Gift, an excellent must read, has produced another intriguing piece. The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity  is written with an almost satirical flavor. Andy Andrews is an excellent writer, thorough in his research and accuracy. The historical characters represented in the book have been incorporated in such a fashion as to lend to the efficacy of Andrews' statement. The main theme that stood out to me through reading this was that man alone is not enough to save humanity, God must be present to make significant and real change. The main character in both of Andrews' novels is David Ponder, his name an obvious allusion to his role in each stories.
I usually am not a fan of science fiction, preferring to read more practical literature, but this was an excellent read and I recommend it to anyone wishing to have their perspectives broadened.

**Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”**