Janey's News

November 13, 2006

Friends living in Europe sent interesting responses to my last blog: They understand my viewpoint. Last week I had the joy of watching the Country MUSIC Awards on TV. Wow, loved it. Of course, the music was superb, but beyond excellence was again that God-element that is so prevalent in America. And I mean God, not god, not Budda or Allah or some other such counterfeit. I’m not saying that all the songs that mentioned God refer to the God of the Bible (although I’d like to believe that) but clearly some do. And while many people who received rewards thanked God (which could be abstract), some thanked Jesus. But whatever way you look at it, God had a place in this special music event. And as a Europer, I wept with gratitude for America.

Think about it! If it had been a secular rock concert (as opposed to Christian rock, obviously), would we have heard people thanking God? Doubt it. Some might even have thanked the devil. Or if this had been a European concert, it’s very unlikely you’d hear God mentioned.

I loved many of the songs including “Anyway” sung by Martina McBride, “Jesus Take The Wheel” interpreted by Carrie Underwood, & a super lovely song sung by Vince Gill (husband of Amy Grant) & Sheryl Crow about giving (I forget the exact name but wow, it was all about Heaven, eternity, choices, giving…LOADED with biblical content). LOVED IT. Let me know if you find the exact name.

Forgive me for harping on how wonderful America is. In future blurbs, I’ll tell you things I miss in Europe whether in France, Italy, England or wherever…But for now, I’d like to discuss CHILDREN’S FANTASY LITERATURE.

R.K.Mortenson’s third book in his Landon Snow fantasy series is a delight: Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum. The book is ideal for, say, 8 – 12-year-olds, and is rich in character, family values, and biblical backbone. It conjures up all the enchantment of a fantastical voyage filled with suspense and wonder without the ensorcelled content found in certain disturbing pop fantasies.

The plot is motored by the turning pages of an old Bible which steers the key characters into adventures or places paralleled by Bible stories such as Noah’s Ark. The Auctor—meaning author and, in this case, the Author of the Bible, God—uses the adventures to increase the children’s faith and combat evil as in Malus Quidam.

The amusing characters and animals in the book range from Epops the bird and Melech the horse and add another delightful dimension to this fantasy.

This action packed story would, in my opinion, appeal equally to boys and girls alike. The series provides a great read for fantasy-hungry young readers whose parents desire that their children’s minds be filled with reflections of what is pure, right, whole and true.

See other reviews here:
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Frank Creed
Gene Curtis
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Leathel Grody
Karen Hancock
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Karen and at Karen¹s myspace
Oliver King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
John Otte
Cheryl Russel
Hannah Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
Stuart Stockton
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Chris Walley
Daniel I. Weaver

I thank God for good Christian children’s writers. Another book series to look out for, and which I’ll be mentioning again in the future is the Mercy Force Adventure Series, beginning with The Secret of the Ancient Crowns by Herbert J. Kellner & Connie Penn.
More in the future. Meanwhile, I need a cuppa coffee…