Hello,
I’m Kelsey and I seriously like to read, a lot. I love God and drumming and my puppies and family too, but I really, really love to read. I am forever frustrated trying to find great, clean books with a good story that does not throw junk and weird ideas in my face that I would rather not see.
So, I am reviewing books and making this online resource available to help others find great books that teenagers and kids can safely read.
My website is based off the verse Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
You might not agree with my views or preferences – and you almost certainly won’t agree with me on everything that I like in a book, but maybe you can find a great book to read because of this website. Or maybe you can avoid a book after finding out what strange stuff is hidden in there. If I helped you, then I have succeeded.
Here are the rules and goals I use in my reviews:
I started this website with my dad’s help to make a resource where other young people, especially Christian youth, can find books that they might like and love. I’ve also picked up books at the library and bookstore – books that are supposedly meant for youth – but found cursing, violence and other things that really don’t belong in youth books. You might disagree with me on this, and that’s fine. But this website is intended for Christian youth who are looking for honest and direct reviews so they can find the kind of books that they might love. These reviews are not for everyone – but maybe they are for you.
The reviews are scored based on three different areas or questions:
- Is it a good story?
- Is it compatible with a life of faith and friendly to Christian thinking?
- Is it actually youth appropriate?
Or did they slip something stupid and annoying that does not fit in youth fiction.
The reviews have Pros and Cons and I also tag the reviews based on the type of book and content that might be in the story. I also add tags for content that I wish wasn’t in the story. Some of these tags may be controversial, so I hope you can understand that these are my opinions and I respect your right to disagree. I hope you can respect my right to have an opinion as well.
Notes on the specific review tags:
- Adventure
This entry has some adventure. That’s why we created the adventure tag. That’s how tags work. Welcome to Earth and the Internet. - Birds n Bees
Using code words here. When kissing gets a little too intense, this tag shows up. Not sure why we call this “the birds and the bees” but it doesn’t belong in youth literature, so I give lower ratings when it comes up. If you don’t know what the Birds n Bees are, go ask your parents. - Christian
This entry is a Christian one. It mentions church, God and/or the Bible in a positive way that I enjoyed. This does not mean the book is perfect or perfectly agrees with the Bible. I just like how faith was displayed in it. So there you go. - Curse Words
Curse words and foul language and using God’s name in vain and such. They don’t belong in youth literature, so I give lower scores where they show up. - Dark Topics
This entry contains darker topics such as death, suicide, depression or puppy abuse. The usual. See the review for more details. - Funny
Ha-ha or lol or mildly funny content. I laughed at least once. - Historical
These books are connected to historical events – stuff that actually happened. They may be fiction or non-fiction, but they are connected to real history. - Kid-Friendly
This tag is used for entries that are totally clean and safe for younger readers to enjoy. No icky bedroom stuff, magic, violence, curse words or dark topics. - LGBT Alert
These books contain LGBT characters and teachings that go against Bible teaching, and as a Christian reader, I don’t enjoy these things in my books. So I created this tag for others that want to avoid this content as well. I am not against people who feel this way, but I am very frustrated at the way publishers are sticking this stuff into so many new books in youth literature, and so my reviews have lower scores for entries with this kind of content. - Magic Alert
This entry contains magic or witchcraft. I like how magic is sometimes used in books, but I don’t care for witchcraft and avoid it. So I created this tag for others who want to avoid it as well. Read the review for more details. - Non-Fiction
This stuff actually happened! - Part of a Series
This book is part of a series of 3 or more books. - Realistic
This stuff could actually happen or might have happened. - Romance
Kissing and lovey-dovey stuff. Apparently there is some of that in here. See the review for details. - Sci-Fi
Science Fiction includes space ships, aliens, Donald Trump, the future, and possibly super heroes. - Star Wars
So I kinda like Star Wars a lot. It gets its own tag. My blog. My reviews. My rules. - Violence
You know… blood, war, murder, that kind of happy stuff. Especially where things are described with details. See the review for details.
Book of the Month Rules
I want to pick great books for this award. Even if a publisher or author pays me for a review, it has to be a really good book. And if I am paid, I will mention that in the review.
Your book needs to receive a 3.5 llama review or better. I want to recommend books with more than 4 llamas but it might score high except for one category. So an amazing but sad book could get 3.6 llamas or an awesome book that isn’t easy to read might get 3.8. if it scores low on youth appropriate or Christian friendly you can forget about book of the month.