Monday, January 21, 2013

The Reunion (a book review)

 

 

 

As a homeschooling mom and woman of faith I’m always on the look out for wholesome quality reading.  The Reunion by Rachael McIntire met both of those goals for my family!

 

 

But before I dive into what I enjoyed about this novel can we just take a sec to talk about the cover?  A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!

 

 

The calming colors and sweet little baby toes stole our hearts right away!  My 11 year old son would rather not admit he thought the baby was cute too, so I won’t tell if you won’t.

 

 

“The Reunion was written in 1982 for the specific benefit of the six home-schooled children in our family…to give them something entertaining and innocent to read, while…reinforcing in their hearts important principles from God’s Word.” -- Rachael McIntire, author

 

 

I heart connected immediately with the author’s intro to the book.  While I love and utilize our local library, I am always excited when I can share something with my children that either drives home spiritual truths or offers a catalyst to think on them.  Also, it’s pretty cool to find a book written by a homeschool mom for her kids!

 

 

Rachael McIntire openly shares that some things may seem outdated in our i-Everything world.  And was it a little old fashioned-y?  Yes.  But I find that the older I get, the more I crave “old time religion” in my life.  And as Rachael says, “…the Gospel…story remains relevant.”

 

 

Indeed and always.

 

 

“Four-year-old Rebecca opened the door further to get a better look.  It was then that she noticed a tiny bundle cozily nestled in a wicker basket, the baby’s enormous blue eyes peeking through the folds of its blanket into the equally blue skies of the morning.  Rebecca began once again bouncing up and down, clapping her hands together and shouting, “Mommie, she’s here, she’s here!  Jesus has sent me my little sister!”   (from the back cover) 

 

 

The story flows around the lives of two very different families.  One, a family of faith.  The other a family of fortune.  Both blessed with a very special gift that would unexpectedly link their lives together.

 

 

The Gladstone family has already been blessed with one daughter but their family wasn’t complete until Sarah arrived on their doorstep.  Through the novel we watch the two sisters as they find Jesus, grow and come of age. 

 

 

It is really sweet following the girls as they apply Biblical truths in difficult situations.  Without giving too much away, there is one scene where one of the girls is VERY mistreated by another student at the Christian School they attend.  She grapples with how to respond because choosing grace is easier said than done. The scenario fit perfectly into our real life adventures and provided wonderful opportunities for conversation.  Spiritual truths aren’t just for the kids!  My mommy heart was touched and challenged as we walked alongside the girls through the pages.

 

 

The Wellington family had everything desirable from the outside.  Yet they still felt incomplete.  Amanda was supposed to fill that void and when she didn’t, they put her on the backburner to chase their own passions.  You can’t read this novel and not have your heart stirred for Amanda…and all the Amandas out there.  Girls who have everything but the One thing their hearts’ crave.  Unconditional Love.

 

 

Because our family enjoyed this story so much, I hesitate to saying anything negative.  But this is a review and for the sake of honesty, I confess the one thing that bothered me was the Gladestone girls seemed almost too perfect.  That’s probably why I fell in love with Rebecca’s best friend, Meg!

 

 

The bottom line is…

 

 

my family thoroughly enjoyed The Reunion!  It’s a beautiful story of Hope and Redemption.  And makes for a great family read aloud!

 

 

Good news!  I have a special gift from Elisha Press just for my readers!  By using the code:  REVIEW-RHODIES you’ll get $2 off each copy of the book you purchase!  Head over here to add The Reunion to your homeschool library today!

 

 

…danielle

 

 

**Disclaimer – I was given a copy of The Reunion for the purposes of this review.  I was not required to give a positive review.  All thoughts expressed here are my honest own.  And I received no other compensation.**

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