family-friendly books – ♛ The Joys and Trials of a Christian Teen ♛

BOOK INFORMATION

Publication Date: April 5, 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Age Category: Middle Grade (MG), roughly for kids between 10 to 14 years old

Pages: 352

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

SYNOPSIS

Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.

And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can’t wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn’t placed in one of the five covens. She’s a Spare!

Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle to seal their coven and cement themselves as sisters, it doesn’t work! They’re stuck as Witchlings―and will lose their magic.

Seven invokes her only option: the impossible task. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they’ll gain their full powers. If they fail… Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever.

But maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all…

MY TAKEAWAYS

The purchase of this middle grade novel during a long-awaited visit to my favorite book store (see that post HERE) was very impulsive and based on three factors; I loved the cover art, I loved the synopsis, and I saw the stellar reviews. But it was a quick decision that I’m very grateful I made.

I honestly loved Witchlings a lot more than I expected to. A story filled with important lessons, tons of funny moments to keep readers laughing, and wholesome, well-developed characters, I think many more bookworms of all ages will find this a very rewarding read.

While I loved so much about this book, I have to admit that after the character introduction and Seven, Thorn, and Valley (the Spare coven) were assigned with their impossible task, the plot was a little uneventful and flat for a while–maybe the first 100 pages or so. Even so, I really wanted to keep going to see if the plot would enfold. And I wasn’t disappointed, as the fantasy adventure soon got off the ground.

There are a few epic magic duels, but I like how the author kept them family appropriate and fairly brief—even while using them to keep the novel action-packed and exciting.

After Seven and Valley–who was once her bully–decided to put their differences aside and work together, the entire story seemed to take flight through its many surprises, cliffhangers, and plot twists that kept me at the edge of my seat. Literally though, I was unable to put it down towards the end and read the final 150 pages—if not a little more—in one sitting. At this point in the journey I really came to an understanding of the meaning of each noted character and event–everything begins to click to create an impactful (yet heartfelt) ending.

The amount of character development among each of the main characters was a really great element of the story. As Seven’s bond with Thorn and Valley gets stronger, she seems to drift away from her former best friend Poppy, who stopped talking to her since she got into House Hyacinth, the coven of Seven’s dreams. It really proved that we can form the strongest bonds with the most unlikely (or different) people, and other times, friends go onto different paths. And that’s okay! If and when that happens, we should move on in love.

Me and the characters alike learned the importance of selflessness, never giving up (even through fear), facing intolerance head-on, forgiving and learning to love those who have hurt you, speaking up when you see someone you love being mistreated, and to cherish every moment as if its your last. I would agree that the protagonist, her friends, and her family serve as great role models to kids.

As my conclusion, Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega is a humorous, exciting, and magical adventure that kids and adults alike can enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am praying that a sequel will come out in the next couple years. If you are a fan of the show The Owl House, the Harry Potter series or other teen prodigy magic-filled adventures, this one is for you.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5, 5 being the best of the best)

Recommended Age: for readers 10 or 11+

Thank you so much for reading, my fellow bookish friends! God bless you all, and peace in! ♡

Okay. So it’s been a little while since I posted another book review or anything related to literature. Lately, I’ve been reading a book for this month’s book club meeting (which I will be sharing in this post) and it inspired me to write about the books that I’ve started but just haven’t got around to finishing.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to read, and I have for a long time. So much that ‘love’ might be considered an understatement. But I think we’ve all had that book–or multiple books–that we just put down one day and never finish.

Here’s my list of some of the books that I’m currently reading (or am in the process of reading) but haven’t finished, quite yet. I plan to finish all of them in the future. Enjoy!

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

What would you do if you were literally struck by lightning? What would your life be like? This question is answered by the main character of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl: a germophobic, introverted, and insanely smart 12-year-old girl named Lucy Callahan. Although her constant compulsion to have a pack of Clorox wipes with her at all times and sit-stand 3 times every time she takes a seat might seem weird to others, the amount of numbers that race through Lucy’s mind on a daily basis is hidden from everyone except her Nana (guardian) and her Uncle Paul.

This is the library book that I’m currently reading for book club. I’m about halfway through. What I found so insanely crazy towards the beginning of the book is the fact that Lucy is just like me: she’s a homebody, she’s been homeschooled since the 3rd grade, and she’s a straight-A student. It’s almost like I’m reading about myself. I plan on finishing this book in a few days, though I thought it would be a good addition to the list since I haven’t completed it, yet. I’m loving it so far, though!

The Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman

This is the second addition of a trilogy written by Tara Dairman about a tweenager named Gladys Gadsby who is a food critic for her homestate, New York’s, newspaper. In fact, she has recently completed her first restaurant review for the New York Standard paper. Now, it’s summer break, and her friend Charissa Bentley has invited Gladys to her parent’s summer camp–Camp Bentley. Gladys has been assigned to find the tastiest hot dog in New York, and it turns out that summer camp life isn’t as smooth sailing as she hoped. Is this the end of Gladys’s reviewing career?

This is a book that I actually ordered myself, and I stopped toward the beginning of it. I really enjoyed the first book of this series “All Four Stars” so I’m determined to finish this one, too. Books with a strong, young, female lead always seem to grab my attention. So, of course, the fact that Gladys is a 12-year-old food critic was part of what reeled me into the series, in the first place. Finishing this book is definitely a goal of mine for the near future.

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

Jinxed takes place in the future. Now, a company called MONCHA have created ‘bakus’–mechanical animal companions that function as a phone and a fur baby. It’s Lucy Chu’s dream to work for MONCHA one day, and one of her first steps to her goal is joining Profectus — a school for students who are skilled in all things technology. The only catch is, in order to be accepted into the school of Lucy’s dreams, you need to have a baku of your own. Lucy is able to turn scraps of a seemingly handmade baku into a full-functioning companion, whom she names ‘Jinx.’ Although Lucy finally makes it to Profectus, Jinx is different from any other baku that she’s encountered. It’s almost like he’s…real?

This is one of the books that I put on the list of books that I want to read this school year, and I have gotten started on it—I just haven’t finished it, as of now. The amount of technology and action in this book is super exciting to read. And the whole concept of bakus makes me want one of my own! I’ve already gotten well into this one, so I’m curious to see what happens next!

Soul Harvest, Left Behind Series #4 by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides by Tim LaHaye

In the fourth addition to the Christian novel series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, two men named Buck and Rayford begin to search for their lost family members from different corners of the world. Both of which having survived “the wrath of the Lamb”–a global earthquake in the twenty-first month of the Tribulation. This journey of a novel takes you all the way from Iraq to America in a journey around the world.

I must say that overall this novel is extremely complex. Many twists and turns, amounts of suspense, and unexpected outcomes. I got about 160 pages in–pretty well into the novel–and I must admit that it is extremely well-written with good character development. I think I’ll be able to relate more to the Left Behind: The Kids series, which is written by the same authors, due to the close proximity of my age to the protagonists. However, this series is a great read! I hope Rayford and Buck find their family in the earthquake.

Frozen II: Forest of Shadows by Kamilla Benko

Set in between the popular Disney movie, Frozen, and the hit sequel, Frozen 2, is a story about one of the best animated sister duos, Anna and Elsa. And Anna wants to be nothing more than a help to her older sister, Queen of Arendelle. But in Anna’s sight, Elsa has been doing just fine without her. Just as Elsa is about to set sail for a grand tour of the world, Anna makes it her goal to accompany her sister. But, all of a sudden, a strange sickness begins to show itself in Arendelle, and Anna’s childhood nightmare of a giant fearsome wolf has seemingly become a reality. And worst of all, Anna thinks it’s all her fault.

Earlier on my blog, I dubbed this masterpiece as one of the BEST novels that I’ve ever read. That opinion still stands today. There is just an inevitable amount of detail added into the book that incorporates the whimsical Disney aspect while still creating some suspense and mystery that makes it hard to put down. I really, really, REALLY want to finish this one. I’m sure the ending will be a banger!

Wow. That definitely took a little while to write, but any post about reading and books is one of my favorites, on my blog.

Do you have any books that you’re in the middle of but haven’t finished? If you have any exciting, family-friendly recommendations, feel free to comment them down below. :))

Have a beautiful and blessed day, y’all! ✨