Christian Children's writing has improved in 60+ years

Newspaper Caper by Max Elliot Anderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Newspaper Caper by Max Elliot Anderson



Tom Stevens is a twelve-year-old ambitious salesman in Rock Island, Illinois. He recruits his two best friends to assist him with not one but three newspaper routes in order to help them train for football tryouts in the fall and to save up money to buy a car to distribute more papers. All this during summer vacation. Ambitious. Salesman. Yep.



In the wee hours of the morning before sunrise, the three boys stumble across some suspicious activity. A tow truck begins to hook up an expensive car in someone’s driveway along the paper route. But when the tow truck driver sees the boys, he drives off in the truck, leaving the car behind. Later, Tom reads of a string of car thefts around the area in the papers the boys prepare to deliver. He begins to see a connection between the local car repair shop and the thefts. Developing his detective skills, Tom and his friends piece clues together. Where are the cars going? Why don’t the cops see the clues the way Tom does?



This is a fun, easy read for kids ages 8-12. Though Christian, the message is subtle and not heavy at all. There is excitement, adventure, with a few twists and turns for added fun. I will definitely recommend Newspaper Caper by Max Elliot Anderson to my daughter, nephew, and my friends with kids in the age group.





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Keep in mind this book was originally pubbed in 1940

The Swamp Robber by Paul Hutchens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sugar Creek Gang: The Swamp Robber by Paul Hutchens



William Jasper “Bill” Collins and his five friends are growing up in a small rural town. Bill and his friend Roy “Dragonfly” Gilbert discover a hidden disguise while out fishing one summer afternoon. The next day, police report a bank robber on the loose and possibly in the area. Bill and Dragonfly get together with their Sugar Creek Gang—Little Jimmy Foote, Big Jim, Leslie “Poetry” Thompson, and Daniel “Circus” Browne—to discuss what they can do about it. Mix in a missing old man from the hills, his long-lost nephew, and the resident drunk and it adds up to quite an adventure for a group of boys, all but one under the age of twelve.



Overall, this is a fun and easy read. I realize this is a Christian book, but still I think it weighs a little heavy on the preachy side. I would recommend The Swamp Robber by Paul Hutchens to any of my friends with boys or girls ages 8-12.





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October's book review post

Go to http://http//jennyrosewriter.blogspot.com/2010/11/when-your-child-is-hurting-by-glynnis.html to read my review of Glynnis Whitwer's When Your Child Is Hurting. It is a great Bible study.

Look for Glynnis Whitwer on Facebook or at her blog http://glynniswhitwer.blogspot.com/