Jason McIntire

I actually enjoyed this book more than I expected. It was much better than the first book, in my opinion. These books are very slice-of-life. Which isn't a "genre" I have read a lot in, but I did still enjoy it very much! It took me a bit to figure out what was different about these books, but I finally did: they have a very old fashioned feel. I know not everybody likes that, but I LOVE old books! Most of my library consists of old books. Jason's writing style is so eloquent and wordy, and I just love it. I love a book that will expand my vocabulary, and this one did. Sometimes though, he did go a little overboard on the wordings, and used a few words that aren't really words, such as adding an "ly" to a word. Overall, it was very well done!

Story-wise, like I said, it is very much slice-of-life. It basically chronicles the Sparrow's lives. I really liked the main storyline with Chris and Galen and the movie. It reminded me very much of me and my siblings when we started our family production company It felt so real-life and relatable. I also loved the new addition to the Sparrow family. There wasn't enough of that storyline for me. ;) The ending was pretty good, if a bit rushed again. I think it might help the author to do a little more outlining, in order to avoid that mistake. I feel like as you get to the last three chapters, he wraps up 3-4 different storylines all at once, and it just feels a little hurried, in my humble opinion. :)

Something else to mention: I am shocked that a GUY would have the AUDACITY to mention Elsie Dinsmore. :P Congrats Jason, you're a better man the my brothers. LOL!

One last thing that I should mention, I didn't entirely agree with the religious (for lack of a better word) views portrayed in this book. I am not saying the author is wrong, and it is clearly written from a Christian perspective, but a few of the things just made me feel a little uncomfortable. I can't really pin them down and put my finger on them, but they were there. And like I said, not exactly wrong, but not something I would stand behind and endorse. I don't think that is a reason not to read this book, but it is something to consider.

Overall, an improvement on The Sparrow Found a Home, and a good book. If you are looking for a slice-of-life (now I am sounding redundant.) lighthearted book, check this one out!… (plus d'informations)

I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall, it was quite well done. The wordings, grammar, and punctuation were all pretty spot on. Story-wise, it seemed a bit lacking. The storyline with Jessie and her relationship with her new step-dad wasn't anywhere near as prominent as I thought it would be, considering as that is the impression it gives in the book description. But that being said, that storyline was still very well done. I do find it interesting that a guy would chose to make his main character a girl.

The character development was pretty good. The best characters in my opinion, were Sergeant Sparrow, and Ben.

I liked the parts about CreationEvolution, particularly the part with Chris and Ben in the museum. The Sparrow's sudden decision *SPOILER ALERT* to homeschool seemed a bit sudden and out-of-the-blue, and the children's reaction seemed a bit off. In my mind, a 15 or 16 year old person who has gone to public school all their life wouldn't give into being homeschooled without a fight. In my experience anyway.
I really was not a fan of the storyline with Mr. Dimes. It seemed very unrealistic to me. Especially the whole *SPOILER ALERT* (forgive me, I don't know how to use spoiler tags) cherry bombs-on-the-Sparrows-back porch thing.
One last critique, it seemed to wrap up very quickly, Like within two chapters. It felt very sudden to me.

Overall, I think this book was definitely worth a read. I appreciated how clean it was, no romance or adult content, no swearing, no drugsdrinking. (there was a little bit with drugs actually, but the author BARELY mentioned it) In spite of my critiques, it was still a fun book. It would be a great family read aloud. The Christian messages and lessons were portrayed very well, and it was very theologically sound.… (plus d'informations)

I enjoyed this, the second book in the series about the Sparrow family. I think the author should write further books in the series as the characters are starting to develop now.

This book revolves around some of the local youths including the Sparrows making a movie. It deals with the following issues; animal death, fame vs faith, jealousy/contentment, child-birth, drunkenness (just slightly touched on,) competitiveness, anger issues and violence, legalism (in terms of salvation by works,) unequal yokes in business, greed/wealth and using it to buy friendship, honesty and probably others that I have neglected to mention.

The major theme that I picked up was the impact that each of us has as Christians and how we are being watched by those who don't yet know the truth. The Bible tells us that we are surrounded by witnesses and that we should be a light, but we often forget this and forget that we are being observed. It is essential for us to remember this at all times, not that we get it right all the time, but that we need to be honest, real and admit our mistakes as we try to live like Jesus.

The author writes wholesome, family, Christian fiction and includes a lot of useful spiritual lessons through the lives of his characters. There are few books around of this genre for this age group. They tend to either be fantasy or have compromised Christian values to cater for a wider audience. This author sticks to his values and ensures that his Christian characters do the same! Right is right and wrong, wrong, the characters are not perfect by any means but they recognise sin and deal with it through prayer (confession and repentance.)

I have recommended the first book in this series to several families looking for wholesome reading material for their children. I will also recommend this, the sequel. I preferred the first book, which appeared in my top ten Christian reads for 2016 (http://christianmissionaryuk.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/top-10-christian-books-read-in-2016.html) hence the slightly lower rating for this one. However, I highly recommend both books....

… (plus d'informations)

I was asked by a Christian friend for recommendations for her pre-teen children. I realised that I couldn't think of anything other than the Junior Pilgrim's Progress. But, they were already reading that. It was then that I thought of the "Sparrow" books that I had seen on Goodreads.

Sergeant Sparrow marries a nominal Christian mother with four children. He has conservative biblical values that he begins to try to instil in the household. Obviously there is tension as the children had become used to their worldly freedoms with few boundaries and a lack of discipline. Who will win the battle of wills?

In addition to clearly explaining the Gospel, the author deals with bullying, violent computer games and movies, use of gadgets, modesty in dress, the state's interference in family life, home-schooling and creationism vs evolution. The issues are covered biblically and are very relevant for pre-teens up to early teens. I was surprised that the author managed to cover so many issues in what is a relatively short book and that they seemed to naturally arise through the story rather than being forced into the text just to make the point. These are the type of issues that children are dealing with now. But there is sadly a lack of good Christian literature available for this age group--it tends to be fantasy or fairy stories. These have their place, but a diet of them may distract children from thinking through the real issues of life and how they will make their own important decisions.

The book is free of bad language, sexual content and there is just some minor violence that isn't graphic. I would describe the book as idealistic but not necessarily unrealistic. We would all be blessed if things in our lives turned out as well as they seem to for Sergeant Sparrow. But he is attempting to follow God's commands which is what we should all be doing.

I highly recommend this book for Christians who want to give their children something wholesome to read that will cause them to think about life biblically. The author's heart to see people living for God is translated through his writing--he is writing for Christ and not on his own agenda. It is an encouragement that there are still authors out there thinking about how they can bring the reality of their Christian faith to the minds and hearts of the public.… (plus d'informations)