Where to find trustworthy book reviews?
Here’s a good questionfrom a mother who takes her parenting responsibilities seriously. She knows that what goes into a young mind has influence beyond the immediate. She asks: “Is there a website that is like movieguide.org that reviews books? My 11-year-old wants to read a work of fiction that is contemporary that I’ve not heard of and wonder if someone of a Christian worldview bent has…”Answer: Dear Amy~ Thank you for your question! Other than recommending ChristianBookPreviews.com and Elizabeth McCallum’s “The Book Tree”, I’m drawing a blank as to a trustworthy site similar to Movieguide. (You can visit Elizabeth’s site for her book and info at http://elizabethmccallum.com/ ). One of my teaching friends also recommends checking out the classical and Christian homeschool sites.
When you have time Amy, could you send the name of the fiction book in question and we’ll see if any of PM’s friends have hellpful insights.
Your question also reminds me to finish my blog list of recommended reading –In the meantime, perhaps someone else reading this would share their list of favorite books for eleven year olds.
And, if anyone knows of good sites in answer to Amy’s question, would you please send those to me and I’ll share the info on Protocol Matters.
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written by Valerie (Kyriosity) , August 10, 2008
So many more books than movies are produced (which is something to celebrate in our increasingly audiovisual world!) that I wonder whether such a site would be possible.
Standards vary so greatly even among Christian families (I have friends who would read Harry Potter, but never Elsie Dinsmore, and vice versa!) that talking to friends who have standards similar to yours might be the best way to check out new-to-you titles and get reading recommendations for your kids. If your kids attend school outside your home, talk with teachers to see if they’re familiar with the literature in question. The Web is great for checking with others if you participate in a Christian discussion forum or listserv, or even have a blog. One final idea: read the reviews at Amazon.com. Even if you can’t find one from a Christian perspective, you might be able to discern a little bit more worldview between the lines.
Friends Relatives and pastors
I am Christian who prefers science fiction. My brother doesn’t read sf, but his teenage son does. My brother sometimes uses me for his sounding board when it comes to books. Ask around your church for people who read books that you wouldn’t read. Don’t ask if the books are okay. Ask what the themes strengths and weaknesses are. Is there something in the book that can be used as a moralism? Is the book sexually out there? (Anne McCaffrey books are very pro-gay) Who do you know that might be able to answer these questions? Another source is to go on Amazon and look at fan reviews. Any reader that has an sf question, feel free to ask me.
Robert Seward
good books
http://www.chinaberry.com/
When my children were babies and toddlers and early readers, I relied on Chinaberry for recommendations.
good suggestions
Thanks for contributing your suggestions and ideas. Very helpful for busy parents… We can also add http://www.goodreads.com to the list.