Author: Bergers Book Reviews

Author and book reviewer.
children, mathematics

Could You Lift Up Your Bottom?

Bergers Book Reviews

Could You Lift Up Your Bottom
Author: Hee-jung Chang
Illustrator: Sung-hwa Chung
Publisher: TanTan Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-939248-04-6
Pages: 34
Price: $16.95

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Frog is on her way to a friend’s house when her hat is blown away. Elephant sits down on the hat before Frog can retrieve it. But Elephant is very hungry and won’t give back the hat unless Frog provides food in many shapes. First round foods, then triangle, then rectangle. Then circles within circles, triangles within circles, and other combinations. Elephant continues to demand more food, while Frog pleads for him to lift up his bottom.

Finally, Frog tricks Elephant into standing up, and quickly grabs her hat. Elephant gets a nasty surprise and learns a lesson in treating others more kindly. The last pages of Could You Lift Up Your Bottom? are ideas for food in different shapes and how to recognize the different shapes. Lots of pictures are provided.

Kids will giggle at Frog’s desperate attempts to get Elephant to stand up, and Elephant’s determination to eat everything he possibly can. And while they’re having a fun time with the story, they will be learning how to recognize shapes. This book would make a great addition to any classroom library.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian

Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth

Bergers Book Reviews

Flesh
Author: Hugh Halter
Publisher: David C. Cook
Genre: Christian
ISBN: 978-0-7814-0997-1
Pages: 224
Price: $15.99

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Jesus came to earth to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins through His death and resurrection. But he also spent 33 years living among us – three of which are recorded in the Gospels. In those three years, He didn’t just teach us. He also showed us how to live.

Jesus was really good at drawing people to Him so they would listen to His teaching. But as Christians try to evangelize, sharing the truth with a reluctant audience, we often simply drive people away. By emulating Jesus, we can create opportunities to talk to people who might not want to hear what we have to say.

Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth shares some of the important things Jesus did while on earth that made Him so successful at reaching people. By becoming God in flesh, Jesus could touch us in a way the Father in Heaven couldn’t. And if we study this book that shows us what Jesus did, we can also lead others to God. Isn’t that what we’re really here for?

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, fitness

F.I.T. Faith Inspired Transformation

Bergers Book Reviews

Faith Inspired Transformation
Author: Kim Dolan Leto
Publisher: Fedd Books
Genre: Fitness / Christian
ISBN: 978-0-9907044-0-9
Pages: 173
Price: $19.99

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Health and fitness can be a struggle when we don’t have the right support. But if we partner with God in our weight loss efforts, we may find we’re a lot more successful. God cares about us and our bodies, and if we ask Him for help, He will provide it.

Kim Dolan Leto suggests that we permanently lose the diet mentality. Weight loss and fitness are not something we do for a little while and then quit once we’ve reached our goals. Instead, we should focus on God’s goals for us for the rest of our lives. Studying God’s word, praying, eating the natural foods God made, finding proper perspective and living in joy, we can change our lives for the better. Weight loss will not be our only concern – but it will most likely occur when we turn our fitness and health over to God.

F.I.T. Faith Inspired Transformation doesn’t give us any specific diets or exercise programs. Instead it focuses on making small, positive changes and becoming closer to God. Small groups will find this a great book to study and share together.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history

Dirty Rotten Pirates

Bergers Book Reviews

Dirty Rotten Pirates
Author: Moira Butterfield
Illustrator: Mauro Mazzara
Publisher: Ticktock Books
Genre: Children / History
ISBN: 978-1-78325-048-6
Pages: 64
Price: $8.99

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A pirate’s life is often portrayed as fun-loving and adventurous. But was this really the way pirates lived? Kids would be surprised to find out that life aboard a pirate ship was hard work, with vermin, bugs, hunger and disease. And if a pirate crossed the wrong enemy, his life might come to an abrupt end.

In Dirty Rotten Pirates, kids get an up-close and personal view of pirate life. This unique book introduces some of the most famous pirates, seafaring lingo, and a history of piracy throughout the centuries. Although this is a history book, it’s far from stuffy, with cool illustrations and lots of fun facts. Boys will especially appreciate these horrifying and disgusting pirate tales.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Fun and Fruit

Bergers Book Reviews

Fun & Fruit
Author: María Teresa Barahona
Illustrator: Edie Pijpers
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Genre: Children
ISBN: 9788416078325
Pages: 24
Price: $16.95

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Two little girls live in a town where magical trees grow wonderful fruits with thousands of different colors and aromas. One day they decide to pick a color each day of the week. Then they will eat fruit with that color and make up a story about those fruits. Finally, they envision a rainbow of fruits so yummy to eat.

Fruit is vibrantly colored and delicious, but children often pass it up, preferring to eat sugary sweets instead. Fun and Fruit demonstrates that fruit is tasty and even fun, encouraging them to enjoy more of it. There is no preachy message in this cute book, and kids will enjoy reading it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, tween

Catie Conrad: How to Become the Most UNPopular Girl in Middle School (Desperate Diva Diaries Series #2)

Bergers Book Reviews

Catie Conrad - How to Become the Most UNPopular Girl in Middle School
Author: Angie Spady
Publisher: B&H Kids
Genre: Middle grade girls / Christian
ISBN: 978-1-4336-8461-6
Pages: 304
Price: $8.99

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Catie Conrad’s diary continues where Faith, Friendship and Fashion Disasters left off. As she vents to her diary, she gets better perspective on her problems and relieves some of her frustrations.

Catie’s least favorite holiday – Valentine’s Day – is fast approaching. Her little brother, Jeremy, offers to watch his friend’s bearded dragon while he’s away for a few weeks. Her best friend Sophie is competing as part of the academic team, and has new friends and less time for Catie. And her worst enemy – Maranda Maroni – is determined to make Catie’s life miserable. How can she possibly cope?

Middle school is one of the most stressful times in a young girl’s life, and Catie Conrad’s reactions to the turmoil around her are very realistic. But Catie turns to God when things get tough, and that makes all the difference in how she handles things. The Desperate Diva Series sends very positive messages to girls, reminding them that God is in charge, and to just hang on for the ride.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, science

Jake’s Bones

Bergers Book Reviews

Jake's Bones
Author: Jake McGowan-Lowe
Publisher: Ticktock Books
Genre: Science / Children
ISBN: 978-1-84898-852-1
Pages: 64
Price: $12.99

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Jake has an unusual hobby – he’s the world’s youngest bone collector. When he finds a bone, he identifies the animal it belonged to, records the time and location he found it, and preserves it in a plastic storage box. He also takes pictures of the bones he finds and posts them on his website.

Since Jake loves his hobby, he wants to share it with other young bone collectors. This book covers interesting facts about bones and bone collecting, along with lots of pictures of his unique finds. From dinosaurs to the squirrel in your own backyard, he touches on all kinds of animal bones.

Kids are always fascinated when they see dinosaur skeletons displayed in museums. If they’ve ever wanted to know more about the study of bones, Jake will guide them. Jake’s Bones is a great book to keep in classrooms for science lessons, but kids will also enjoy reading it simply for pleasure.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian

When Grace Sings (The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy – Book 2)

Bergers Book Reviews

When Grace Sings
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Genre: Christian Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-307-73133-3
Pages: 352
Price: $14.99

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Alexa has finally gotten to meet her mother’s family in When Mercy Rains. After working to restore her grandmother’s old farm house, she turns it into a bed and breakfast. Her first long-term guest is Briley Forrester, a tabloid reporter from Chicago. But Alexa doesn’t know Briley’s hidden motive in visiting the Old Order Mennonite community.

Although Briley’s stay causes Alexa some grief, she is even more worried about her cousin Anna-Grace’s visit. Anna-Grace is adopted and unaware of the identity of her birth parents. But Alexa knows, and if Anna-Grace discovers the truth, it could threaten her own position in the family.

In this second volume of the Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy, we get to know the younger Zimmermans who have been affected by the family secrets. More layers of the truth unravel, and the family continues to heal. When Grace Sings is an enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing the conclusion to this wonderful trilogy.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Rufus Goes to Sea

Bergers Book Reviews

Rufus Goes to Sea
Author: Kim T. Griswell
Illustrator: Valeri Gorbachev
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1052-7
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

Author’s website
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Rufus the pig really loves school. When summer arrives and the school doors are locked, Rufus knows just what to do. He needs to find a new adventure. After reading a bit, he decides to go to sea, but the pirate captain doesn’t think a pig would make a very good shipmate. Rufus needs to prove exactly how valuable he really is.

Rufus Goes to Sea is a cute story of a very determined pig. Although the captain insists that a pig doesn’t belong on board a pirate ship, Rufus is sure he’ll succeed if he keeps trying. Kids will love Rufus in his latest adventure.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

mystery

Chaos Theory

Bergers Book Reviews

Chaos Theory
Author: M. Evonne Dobson
Publisher: Poisoned Pencil
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-9293-4508-3
Pages: 294
Price: $10.95

Author’s website
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Kami has no intention of getting involved in Daniel’s problems. He’s been accused of selling drugs – the drugs that killed his sister, Julia – and the whole school is whispering about him. But when Kami notices that Daniel’s actions are inconsistent with the crime he’s supposedly committed, she realizes he can’t possibly be guilty.

Gathering her friends together, as well as a reluctant Daniel, Kami is determined to find out what really happened. As the group meets for strategic planning in their “Bat Cave” in the library, they review the events of the last months of Julia’s life. Someone gave Julia those drugs, and it wasn’t Daniel. But who was it, and did that person intend to kill her?

Chaos Theory is a fast-paced mystery with great characters. Although the mystery takes center stage, Kami and her friends have unique personalities, and it was great fun getting to know them all. I really enjoyed this mystery, and look forward to reading more of this new series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger