A mother's slow death and the support of just a few friends change ten-year-old Bicks, who is supposed to go to her aunt's home to live. This is the involving story of a very self-reliant child who cares for mother and suffering friends alike, and who finds herself alone at to early an age. A moving, meaningful story.

This is a haunting story of a young inner city girl who faces the loss of her mother, which will leave her a penniless orphan. In an heartbreaking attempt to leave a final tribute to the mother she loved and lost, she sacrifices everything and sets out on the road alone to face her sorrow and uncertain future. The characters are complex and believable, the subplots are heartwrenching, and the ending is inspiring. The scenery is vivid and you will find yourself feeling the cold and desolation described within the pages. The plot is well thought out and ties up all loose ends in the final chapter.Well written and memorable. Highly recommended.

As a teacher I have read this book aloud to my fifth grade for the past 6 years. It is by far their favorite novel of the year. However, because the setting is Minneapolis, MN, we are a bit partial as we live here and are familiar with many of the places that Bicks and Stubs visit. The friendship between the two main characters is what interests the children most in that Bicks (Victoria) is a girl who lives with her dying mother and Stubs is a boy who lives with an abusive mother. It is a story about life, love and death. But in the end it is the "journey" which captures our attention. As we walk with Bicks from St. Paul to DesMoines we will never forget how she deals with her grief and comes to an acceptance of her mother's death and of her own future. And we can never, ever forget the part about the cockroaches!!!

Jeff McLean: His Courtship, chronicles the story of a mid-20 year old farmer who lives on his family farm. The reader is taken through his several year search for a wife - in the process, meeting women of both Godly character and those of less tasteful disposition. Jeff's parents and family guide him in this search, while pointing out the proper traits for his future wife. The writing of this book is oriented mainly toward youth in their teen tears. The family is idyllic in its orderliness and strict conservatism, but still leaves opportunities for the characters' faults to surface. These faults, though they seem out of place, are no doubt intended to cause the reader to examine his/her own life for the same failings in preparation for courtship.

The overall focus of this book seems to be more on methodology than on the actual implementation of finding a wife. The first 9 or so chapters (out of 20) did not even include the appearance of any eligible young woman. And it was not until the final 3 chapters that "the one" actually came along and was "courted". In fact, the bulk of the story seems to be one of a sermon, embellished with a "Little House On The Prarie" storyline. The viewpoint of the writer is clearly substantiated through various family Bible studies made at varying points through out the story. For those who may be new to the idea of courtship in general, it can be a very informative book which uses Biblical evidence to determine the role of men and women.

For those who are already familiar with courtship, and/or are ready to begin it themselves (i.e. 18+), this book may not give the practical, modern advice you seek. It is however a decent book to introduce the concept of courtship to teen youth. If you're looking for a good book with Christian values and teaching on courtship - you've come to the right place. If you want realistic characters with an emotionally-satisfying courtship ending - you should look elsewhere.

This is a very good book if you are commited to courtship this book tells the story of Jeff's courtship...I have commited my self to courtship and found it very help full I would reccomend all the books in this serise and I would also reccoment "courtship VS dating" and "of knights and fair maddens" both are also very good and are related to courtship

"Huh?" about sums up this rather silly book. The extremely brief summaries of the more notable Celtic saints is plush with legends that no critical, modern mind could put on a level above fairy tale. Granted fairy tale can be very educational, but there is no room in Sellner's summaries for a modern critique of what these legends indicate about the mind or faith of the hagiographers, much less the actual saints. Sellner's introduction is a feeble attempt to explain the symbolic importance of the legends, but he is obviously more concerned with Celtic culture than Christian faith. One is left wondering whether Sellner is a druid disguising himself as a Christian "theologian".

The Introduction is worth the price of the book. In the beginning of the book, the writer does a great job of introducing the reader to the Celtic way of sprituality. It is impossible to do justice to this section of the book in just a few words here. Suffice it to say that this one section of this one book is one of the best I've ever read as an overview to the way the Celtic person viewed the world and spirituality. The rest of the book is full of stories about numerous Celtic saints, and after following the great intro, was a bit of a let-down for me. Still,although I read this book three years ago, I have not forgotten how helpful this introduction was to my understanding.

Sellner, an associate professor of pastoral theology, brings historical interest and spiritual insight to his fine book on the celtic saints.

The main part of _Wisdom of the Celtic Saints_ consists of excerpts from original documentary material about the lives of various celtic saints. One flaw of the book is that Sellner does not tell you which original manuscript the excerpt is from, but, knowing a little about the material, I can see that he has been wide-ranging and very thorough. Among the saints whose lives he includes are such famous beacons of the Faith as St. Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Bride; but he includes also many who are not widely known: St. Ia, St. Ethna, and more. Nineteen saints in all make up this "gallery of faith."

But perhaps the most exciting part of the book is the ;material which brackets the main section. In the introduction, Sellner does one of the best jobs I have seen describing the complex, compelling, and somewhat alien celtic christian mindset. After a historical overview, he sets out for the reader seven characteristics of celtic Christian spirituality, including love of the environment, love of learning, and a peculiar attitude toward time. Each of the seven is discussed consicely yet adequately, and in such a way that the reader is invited to meditate further.

This is followed by a brief discussion of stages of spoiritual kinship with Jesus and of various symbols which symbolic objects and numbers which occur frequently in the stories to follow.

In the conclusion he beautifully provides one sentence for each of the saints the reader has just encountered, "mythologizing" that saint into the representative of some particular virtue or way of approaching life. For example, "Patrick's openness to letting the spiritual realm, including angels, lead him;" "Ia's placing her life in God's hands and letting go of the results." This feature hints to the reader that the holy people are not to be approached as historical relics, but as living companions and active guides on the road to fellowship with God.

I recommend this book with no reservations.