Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent
Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Winner 2007
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
http://www.tyndale.com/products/fiction/details.asp?isbn=978-1-4143-2432-6&subpage=
I orginally read this book out of duty, as it was the monthly selection in the book club I attend. I was immediately hooked! I could not and did not want to stop reading this book until I saw the story through to its end.
Jessalyn Lassiter is a thirteen year old girl whose life is turned upside down in the summer of 1932. Her best friend, Gemma, loses her parents in a house fire. Jessalyn's parents take her in, vowing to raise her as their own after a promise Jessalyn's father made to Gemma's father. This stirs up the small community of Calloway, as Gemma is black. The Lassiters endure the disapproval of the townspeople. The family comes under the scrutiny of the local Klu Klux Klan, who terrorizes the family with bullying and threats of violence that seem to escalate over time.
There is a wonderful contrast in this novel of darkness and light, having nothing to do with skin color, rather the darkness or light in the hearts of the characters. Amongst the hatred and ignorance, there are characters that exude love, acceptance, and compassion. This book reminded me that love is and always will be more powerful than hate, and will always ultimately prevail.
This is also a coming-of-age novel for the main character, as she faces for the very first time the sweet pain of unrequited love, her first crush. She also comes to realize that the truth is not all that it seems, and sometimes good people make bad choices.
It is my understanding that the sequel to this novel will be out in September of 2009, titled Cottonwood Whispers. I cannot wait to read Cottonwood Whispers. To all my loved ones: my birthday just happens to be in that very same month....hint, hint.
Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Winner 2007
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
http://www.tyndale.com/products/fiction/details.asp?isbn=978-1-4143-2432-6&subpage=
I orginally read this book out of duty, as it was the monthly selection in the book club I attend. I was immediately hooked! I could not and did not want to stop reading this book until I saw the story through to its end.
Jessalyn Lassiter is a thirteen year old girl whose life is turned upside down in the summer of 1932. Her best friend, Gemma, loses her parents in a house fire. Jessalyn's parents take her in, vowing to raise her as their own after a promise Jessalyn's father made to Gemma's father. This stirs up the small community of Calloway, as Gemma is black. The Lassiters endure the disapproval of the townspeople. The family comes under the scrutiny of the local Klu Klux Klan, who terrorizes the family with bullying and threats of violence that seem to escalate over time.
There is a wonderful contrast in this novel of darkness and light, having nothing to do with skin color, rather the darkness or light in the hearts of the characters. Amongst the hatred and ignorance, there are characters that exude love, acceptance, and compassion. This book reminded me that love is and always will be more powerful than hate, and will always ultimately prevail.
This is also a coming-of-age novel for the main character, as she faces for the very first time the sweet pain of unrequited love, her first crush. She also comes to realize that the truth is not all that it seems, and sometimes good people make bad choices.
It is my understanding that the sequel to this novel will be out in September of 2009, titled Cottonwood Whispers. I cannot wait to read Cottonwood Whispers. To all my loved ones: my birthday just happens to be in that very same month....hint, hint.
I am an intern for A Larry Ross Communications, and have been referred to your blog as a popular internet opinion site. ALRC is a full-service media and public relations agency focusing on bridging the gap between faith and culture. We would love to include you on our list of bloggers to receive information about available book review copies so you could read and review them for your website. If you are interested you can e-mail me at dache@alarryross.com with your contact information and we will gladly add you to our list. Please feel free to visit our website at www.alarryross.com for more information about who we are and what we do, and thank you for your consideration.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in being included in our list of bloggers for book reviews, we are currently representing Joni Lamb, author of “Surrender All,” in which she shares the message of discovering the amazing journey God intended and fashioned for each of us. Through simply offering control to the One who created us, we can learn the peace that comes through trusting God.
Joni Lamb is co-founder and vice president, along with her husband, President and CEO Marcus Lamb, of Daystar Television Network, the fastest growing Christian network in the world. She is executive producer and host of “JONI,” a talk show addressing relevant Godly issues for today’s complex problems, and co-hosts “Celebration” with Marcus. She released her debut book, “Surrender All,” in late 2008. In addition, she is full-time wife to Marcus and mom to three children, which she considers her foremost and greatest accomplishment.
We would like to send you a free copy of “Surrender All” in return for a 300-word, honest review of the book. If possible, we request this review be posted between June 29-July 10. If you are interested but the post date is a problem, please let us know. To receive and review the book, please reply to this e-mail with your mailing address, and we will send a copy to you as soon as possible.
Thanks again,
Dache Johnson
a. larry ross communications
972.267.1111