Maggie Hope WWII Spy Series

Last month while at our local library perusing the new books, the title The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal caught my attention. As I looked through it, I noted it was the most recent book in the Maggie Hope series and seemed to recall that I had read at least one of the books in the series previously. As I dislke hopping into a series part way through, I proceeded to check out every copy of this series available in the library. I was delighted to find that the copies not available in print were available as ebooks for check out as well. As this was just before Christmas, I anticipated plenty of time to read through this series.

As I revisited the first book in the series, Mr. Churchill's Secretary, I quickly found myself caught up in the adventures of American raised but British born main character Maggie Hope who finds herself in London during World War II. Life finds her working at #10 Downing Street and soon she is in the midst of a variety of intriguing situations. As the series continues, Maggie and her friends find themselves interacting with numerous famous individuals and participating in spy and espionage activities. Over the course of the novels, Maggie interacts with not only the Prime Minister but also the royal family, the President and First Lady, and famous generals. I was most disappointed to reach the end of The Paris Spy only to be presented with a huge cliff-hanger and discover the next book The Prisoner in the Castle doesn't come out until August. I'm waiting on pins and needles to find out what happens!

I highly recommend this excellent and award winning series. It is an adult series with some minor adult language (it is set in war time) and veiled references to the characters sexual activity. Even so, I do not hesitate to encourage my teenage daughter to read these books.

Understanding Your Teen

In less than one month, I will be the proud mother of not just one but two teenagers. Thus, receiving a copy of Understanding Your Teen: Shaping Their Character, Facing Their Realities by Jim Burns, president of HomeWord, was quite timely and appreciated. Jim Burns writes from the perspective of both an expert in adolescence who has spent a lifetime working with teens and a parent who lived to tell about raising his three daughters to adulthood. As such, the book is grounded in research but filled with stories illustrating the concepts.

This volume is divided into two parts--Part 1: Parenting Teems to Become Responsible Adults and Part 2: Common Teen Issues and What Parents Can Do. Jim Burns opens Understanding Your Teen by describing the vast changes that have occurred since today's parents went through the teen years and that parents cannot make assumptions about their teens' experiences. This is a theme he often returns to throughout the book. Burns continues to lay a firm foundation by briefly outlining adolescent development and general parenting strategies before delving into adolescent issues. As expected in a book about parenting today's teenager, the subjects of media, sexuality, education, and communication are addressed as well as spirituality. Surprisingly, Burns also addresses the importance of a strong marriage in effectively parenting teens. Part 2 of Understanding Your Teen functions as a mini encyclopedia describing numerous teen issues, symptoms of the issues, and brief suggestions on how to handle them. This section is intensely practical and useful to have on hand when needed.

A highlight of this volume is the great questions that appear at the end of each chapter in part one. These questions are ideal for spouses to use as they read and interact with the material. They also make this book an ideal resource for a parenting class or Bible study group. Youth ministers will wish to be familiar with this book as a resource to recommend to parents. Church and public libraries will desire to add this to their shelves.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from InterVarsity Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”