I'll Find You, by Clair M. Poulson is a fantastic fiction book about two best friends that were separated and tells how they try to find each other once again.

     It all started on a sunny summer day when Jeri Satch and Rusty Egan were playing in the front yard. Rusty’s mother Mindy tended to her infant daughter in the front room of the house and glanced out the window to where the two were playing together. When Mindy glances up after hearing a terrible scream, she saw a green car driving off down the street. Mindy rushed out to find out what the commotion was all about to find that Rusty was gone. As the car drives off Jeri shouts to Rusty "I'll Find You." When help finally arrived all that Jeri could recall of the incidence was that a green car pulled up and the man in the car took Rusty. Hope for finding Rusty slowly diminished, but Jeri never stopped trying to find him. Jeri felt guilty and responsible for Rusty's abduction which was one thing that motivated her to find him again.

     Seventeen years passed and Jeri was assigned to work at a minimum security prison and was invited to tour the facility. There she saw this strong man name Randy Moore with the familiar blue eyes that Rusty had. As Jeri tries to discover if this Randy Moore was her best friend that was carried away in the green car, Randy tries to unveil and remember what happened during his childhood.

     I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down as I started to read it. As I started reading this book I felt like who would even start a book with a six year old being kidnapped on the first couple pages. Some topics that Poulson brought up that I thought were important and I agreed with were not judging people, having the benefit of the doubt, and most of all to never lose hope. I think that these are a few of the topics that as a society, we all need to work on. I personally believe that after reading this book I became more cautious of those around me and ability to work on these topics.

     I do want to warn the reader that this book does deal a lot with the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormons) which may bring up topics that can make the story a little confusing. Aside from that, this it is a great book and nothing should prevent you from reading it.

Of Grace and Chocolate By: Krista Lynn Jensen

Of Grace and Chocolate by: Krista Lynn Jensen is an amazing LDS fiction novel that includes mystery and a little bit of romance. This book teaches the importance of family and safety. In order to understand my summary, you need to know that Jill's younger sister has been a drug user since high school. You also need to know that Jill's mother died of an infected liver caused by alcohol.

Jill Parrish is an author and editor at a local publishing company. One day, an old friend, who Jill hasn't seen since her trip to Costa Rica in high school, tries to get her attention by stealing her cell phone and her car keys. However, Jill is anything but impressed but this will not be the last time she sees Scott Gentry over the next few days. That night, Jill's long lost sister, Evie, arrives at Jill's apartment asking for Jill to take care of her and her baby girl, Shiloh. Evie makes Jill promise that Shiloh is safe with Jill. The next morning, Jill wakes up and hears Shiloh crying. When Jill goes to get her, she realizes that Evie is gone. Jill was immediately panicked and called her singles ward bishop and the police.

Her bishop and his wife arrive with plenty of baby supplies and began taking care of Shiloh while Jill is talking to the police. The police begin to search for Shiloh's mother. Jill begins to relax and have fun with Shiloh. The next day, when Jill returns home from church, someone has broken into her home and destroyed it. Over the next few days, Jill gets to know her bishop's family and Scott Gentry at her bishop's cabin on the beach. However, the person who broke into her apartment continues to search for her. He tells her that he wants to get back at Evie. Eventually, He is captured by the police without hurting anybody. However, Jill never returning Shiloh to Evie.

This book shows exactly how drugs and alcohol can tear a family apart and hurt relationships. This is through Evie's story. She ran away to be with another drug addict who Caused her many griefs and gave her a child. This is also shown through Jill's mother. Because her mother chose to drink alcohol, she passed away of liver disease. Before reading this book, I didn't realize how damaging drugs were to families.

This book also talks about the principles of the LDS church. They appear often in this book so if you don't know them but are wanting to read this book, you may want to learn at least the basic principles and facts.

This book was an amazing novel that I could not put down. This book was a quick read and is very suspenseful. If you are going to read it, I would recommend reading it when you have a lot of free time for reading because once you put it down in a suspenseful part,you can't wait to pick it back up. I would rate this book an A+.

The Band of Sisters By: Annette Lyon

The Band of Sisters, by Annette Lyon, is an amazing LDS fiction novel. This book is about five women whose husbands are deployed in Afghanistan. The story line is set in Utah.

Each of the men's families has their own problems or trials. Nora, who is Russell's wife, finds out her mother is dying of colon cancer. Marianne, Brian's soul mate, does not have a great relationship with her teenage daughter. Tim's wife, Jessie, is trying t0 raise three children without her husband there to help out. Brenda, Rick's husband, has two young twins and a second-grader who are driving her bonkers , while Justin's wife, Kim, is pregnant and due before her husband arrives back safely in the USA. The women are all stressed and worried about their loved ones.

While fighting against the Taliban, Russell, Brian, Tim, Rick, and Justin become great friends. Each husband encourages his wife to get to know the wives of the other men. Eventually, the wives meet up and go out to lunch once a week. After a few of these weekly lunches, the women become bonded. They help each other get through the trials they have.

These women help each other get through deployment, job issues, and depression. After one of the husbands die, these women become more bonded than they had ever been before. Beacuse they feel like they are a group of close friends, they call themselves sisters.

This book was an entertaining, informative, and interesting book. I learned al ot about how badly soldiers' families are effected throughout deployment. It was fun to read the stories of each wife and learn how little things, like someone knocking on the door, frightens them.

I agreed with a lot if the author's opinions and views. I can relate to the religious things these women do to calm and reassure themselves. The author put a lot of her own feelings into this book, although it was very discreet.

This novel is a very clean book. There is nothing inappropriate or offensive. However, there is a part about Marianne's oldest daughter that involoves drugs, cutting herself, and dating a guy her mother doesn't approve of. It doesn't go into a lot of detail though.

I really liked this book. In some parts, I wanted to cry and in other parts, I couldn't stop laughing. It was a fairly quick read. While reading this story, I learned about a whole new perspective about families and war. This book was very appropriate for all ages. I rate this book an A+.

Lockdown

The second book in Traci Hunter Abramson's Saint Squad series. This book could either be read alone or you could read it in order. Lockdown is a fast paced novel that follows Riley Palmetta, a survivor of the Virginia Tech Massacre.

After that horrible day that countinues to haunt her, Riley is assigned to work with a team of Navy SEALS to try and prevent something like the massacre from ever happening again. This means creating a week long conference in which law enforcement officers are taught what to do in a hostage situation.

It is through this team of Navy SEALS that Riley meets Tristan Crowther, a SEAL who's dealing with his own share of problems. Mainly his mother, the general, who abandoned him during his childhood.

The two start a tentative relationship that quickly becomes much more serious as they're thrust into situations of peril and danger. What started as a simple week of training local law enforcement, uncovers deadly plots that are taking place around them.

Traci Hunter Abramson is an amazing author that manages to pull you into the emotions and personalities of the characters. They all become real and exciting to you.

The story was based on a true event and at times it was scary and kind of disturbing to listen to what happened and to see how people could influence you. It was also kind of disturbing at times as they discussed the motivations behind how people reach a point in which they can do horrible things to others.

Overall it was a great book and I deffinately plan to read the other books that Traci Hunter Abramson comes out with. I look forward to reading more about the Saint Squad.

Children of the Promise: Rumors of War

Rumors of War by Dean Hughes is a phenomenal book. This is the first out of four books. In this book, the characters learn a lot about themselves, others and World War 2. I'm not one to cry in movies or books, but this one really got to me.

In Rumors of War, an LDS missionary is serving in Germany. World War 2 is right around the corner and bad things are starting. Elder Thomas's only intention was to teach his faith to the people of Germany. He encounters a lot of challenges and hardships, but with letters from home and his companion, he's taught many lessons about life.

Elder Thomas is worried that he won't be able to finish his mission. War is on it's way. Mobs are setting synagogues on fire and the Nazis are always around. Watching. Waiting. Nobody knows how to escape them. Everyone can tell that in an instance, their whole world will be turned upside down. Elder Thomas has an idea on how it might affect him, but he still isn't sure how it's going to affect his family back home in Salt Lake City.

Back home, Elder Thomas's family is worried sick about their missionary. Elder Thomas has a little brother named Wally. Wally doesn't really care about anything. He's not that worried about his older brother or what might happen to him. Wally is careless. However, he wants to serve his country in the military. He can't decide. Wally has always wanted to follow his older brothers example and do everything he does. Is he going to choose the military...or serve a mission? Elder Thomas also has an older sister. Bobbi. She's having some troubles. Bobbie is worrying about her brother like the rest of her family and to add to her crazy college life she also has to decide who she's going to marry. Will it be the amazing Phil Clark....or the smart University of Utah college professor who's not a member of the LDS church like Bobbi and her family? Decisions. Decisions.

In Germany, war broke out. LDS missionaries had to leave the friends and families they have met and flee out of Germany and away from the Nazis. Elder Thomas feels bad that he couldn't stay and help the amazing people he was teaching. Elder Thomas is returned home and back to work in his fathers car company. Like other sad missionary stories, he finds out that his high school sweetheart got married while he was gone. He didn't get the job he was promised before he left and he still has to find a better job than the one he has. Things back home didn't turn out the way he expected. Elder Thomas listened to the radio every day to get the update on Germany. He didn't hear good things of course. Elder Thomas starts to get the idea of joining the air force and helping those he didn't get the chance to help earlier. Will he...????

I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave a good look at what happened during WWII. I would definatly recommend this book to others.

A

The Forgotten Warrior

The Forgotten Warrior, by Kathi Orem Peterson is a great fiction novel for teens of any religion. I say of any religion because the main character in this book, Syd, time travels back to a time in the Book of Mormon. It's not really teaching you "Mormon Principles" or trying to "convert" you to the Mormon church, but it's teaching to you the importance of family and to have faith.
Sydney Morgan is a sixteen-year-old girl with a black-belt in karate. She lives with her mom, who teaches karate classes, and her younger sister, Gracie, whom is mentally challenged. Even if her dad abandoned them ten years ago when she was six, she thinks her life is perfect... until her mom gets diagnosed with cancer.
When Syd visits her mom at the hospital, her mom asks her to look for her dad. Why? Syd doesn't know. Was her mom insane? She obediently finds him and tells him about Mom. At the hospital, her parents ask her to check on Gracie.
However, Sydney didn't get to see Gracie that night. She bumps into two strange men, who asked her to deliver a backpack to some guy named Steve. Reluctantly, she does the favor. On her way to deliver the backpack, accompanied by a Great Dane name Ximon, she drops the backpack right when she's about to deliver it to Steve. She picks up the white stone that fell out, but as she did, it started to glow and everything went black.
She wakes up and finds herself in a tent. She realizes that the man having a conversation is Captain Helaman himself. For some weird reason they didn't see her but as she got out of the tent, some guy attacks her and puts a knife to her throat. She realizes that he's one of the stripling warriors named Tarik. Being a black-belt in karate, her instincts kick in and she attacks and beats him... knocking him out. Now Captain Helaman and everybody else thinks she's a Lamanite spy... and a boy because of her short hair. The white stone that transported her to this time isn't great help either. It turns out that the stone is one of the sacred stones that the Lord touched when the brother of Jared asked for light. Helaman now thinks she's a thief and sends her to be imprisoned.
Tarik, being the second in command in the army, is furious that Syd "bested him". Captain Helaman even asked him to stay behind in camp than to go fight so that Tarik could "babysit" Syd. The next day, Captain Helaman sends for Tarik and Syd. During their journey, Tarik finds out that Syd is a girl... not a boy. While he gets a littler angrier, thinking she's not only a spy, but a liar as well, Sydney can't help but think how handsome he is.
When they arrive, they find it awkward and dangerous to be around each other when everyone else thinks Syd's a boy. She has been asked to teach the warriors karate! Now she goes crazy. This isn't her war. Her war is back home where her mom might be dying in a hospital bed and where Gracie needs her help because she's mentally challenged.
Will Sydney ever go home? And when she does, will it be harder to say good-bye to Tarik? Or will she stay in that era for the rest of her life?
This is a really interesting book because some of us can make text-to-text connections. There are some parts where it gets kind of cheesy but sometimes you can connect yourself with Sydney. I want to agree with K.L. Fogg, author of the Serpent Tide series, when she says "... [it] proves that faith can make us strong in spite of our weakness." I really like how K.O.P.  shows how important family is and how everything happens for a special purpose.
This is definitely a great book you want to read in which you can relate to. Again, it teaches faith and family importance. I really enjoyed reading it. Grade: A :)