| 
Books that Anticipate Christmas
By Holly E. Newton
Christmas is just around the corner,
and I have some of the newest and best books and activities to give
as gifts for this special season of the year.
Click to Buy
 First,
let’s begin with picture books for all ages: A Christmas
Treasury for Latter-day Saint Families, by Lloyd and Karmel
Newell, is a beautiful book of “Christ-like” gifts delivered with
the majesty of goodness and purity. There are 25 chapters
describing the gifts we all aspire to achieve. Some include
charity, peace and selflessness. Each chapter has stories,
quotes and poetry. Many include the admonitions of apostles
and prophets. The pages are extra heavy and the pictures have
an heirloom quality. This book will be cherished throughout
the year!
Click to Buy
 Your
eyes and ears are in for a real treat in this next picture book.
The message will linger for a long time and the pictures are breathtaking.
But the CD is just as mesmerizing: God Bless Your Way:
A Christmas Journey is a story written by Emily Freeman,
that was based on a song (that’s included) by Hilary Weeks.
The awe-inspiring illustrations are by Dan Burr. This book
is a must for Christmas!
Click to Buy
 The
Book of Mormon Says…, with illustrations by Debbie G. Harman,
is filled with scriptures set with one scripture per page and surrounded
by Harman’s folk-art work. Simple yet powerful!
Click to Buy
The
Boy Who Ate America,
by
Nathan Smith Jones, and illustrated by Casey Nelson, should have
a byline that reads something like “…Or the Boy who Learns How
to Feed his Soul.” The title alone doesn’t reflect the
great lesson and moral that it teaches in regards to spiritual food
in comparison to worldly food.
Click to Buy
And, if you’re looking for the perfect
gift for a sibling, mother, or relative, Ardeth G. Kapp has recently written
a small size book for you! The Joy of Believing is
a wonderful blend of the author’s memories of Christmas’s past as
she blends love for Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.
Here is a gift that you may end up giving to yourself!
Hidden
Light: Millennial Glory Volume I, by Wendie L. Edwards, is an
exciting novel that takes on the possibilities of what might happen
in the last days and makes it into a story. Even though the
protagonist and the other characters are fictional, the events that
lead up to these possibilities are real and are supported with scriptural
footnotes at the end of every chapter. The story is suspenseful
and riveting, but more than the story, the reality of what might
happen in the last days will inspire the reader to become a better
person!
Click to Buy
 Sheep’s
Clothing, by
Josi S. Kilpack, will shock the
reader into becoming much more careful when using the internet.
Jess’s parents are loving and supportive parents but what they don’t
realize is that their teenage daughter is about to be caught up
in a dangerous web of communicating with someone she’s never met.
And he convinces her to sneak out without her parents' knowledge.
It all seems so easy, and so disarming, just like the wolf in sheep’s
clothing. There’s much to learn in this captivating novel.
Click to Buy
 The
next four books are geared for ages 9 and up. If you’re always
on the lookout for an exciting and unusual mystery, The Candy
Shop War, by Brandon Mull, is perfect for you! Mull serves more unusual sweets with his creative flair and creates
an adventure with a sugar coating that’s surreal. Four kids
go into the new candy store in town, but extraordinary things begin
to happen to them. But it’s a curious discovery that sets
in motion their quest to find a hidden treasure. This book
is sure to please more than just your sweet tooth! Once again,
Mull delivers the goods!
Click to Buy
 Rescue
the Prophet, by Rob Ficiur,
is the second book in his “Time Travelers in Church History”
series. His first book is Trouble in Palmyra which
I didn’t read, but from the reviews, it looks as good as this second
book. Tom and Becky travel back to 1830, and they witness
the printing of the Book of Mormon. Their adventure only gets
more complicated when they find themselves stranded in Palmyra with no money and no means to get back to their normal time.
The excitement begins with the first page!
Click to Buy
The Final Farewell, by
Patricia Wiles, is the fourth book in a clever and thoughtful series.
In this installment, Kevin is trying to decide about going on a
mission or accepting an incredible scholarship. The story
reads with humor and flows with the sense and sensibility to guide
youths at a crossroad onto better paths!
Click to Buy
 Ambushed
in Africa, by Sian Bessey, is
another book in the successful series, “Kids on a Mission.” Matt and his older sister, Emily, are about to
open a magical envelope that will tell them where they are about
to go on their secret mission. The date and place of their
newest mission is West Africa in the year 1978.
Matt soon realizes the vital importance of that date because that
was the year when the blacks were permitted to hold the priesthood
― and their exciting adventure begins.
And I will end with activities that
families can enjoy together. Righteous! A Book
of Mormon DVD Game, is geared for fun and learning all
at the same time and all centered around The Book of Mormon.
There’s trivia, word play memory and more. Here’s a DVD that
is perfect for FHE ― and any other night as well!
Click to Buy
 Book
of Mormon Family Night: Lessons that Teach with Treats, by Cindy S. Pedersen, is packed with
yummy lessons that will bring the family crowd together in fun and
knowledge. (Try the angel food cake recipe along with the
great lesson in 3 Nephi when the people looked to the heavens and
saw angels and then Jesus appeared.)
Book of Mormon Heroes Puzzle
Cube has 6 different puzzles. All you have to do is
find them by turning the cubes over until they match. The
puzzles include Nephi, Captain Moroni
and Mormon.
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates
© 2007
Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
