This Friday starts Spring Break for my kids and for me! I can’t wait. I get to go on a writer’s retreat and then the next weekend we’re going to see Lorena McKennet in concert! In between these two events I have four days to relax. I may grab another book, I may just write. I don’t know. But if you’re wondering what to do for Spring Break and need a book to read, here’s some ideas.

Blast of the Dragon’s Fury

L. R. W. Lee wrote the Andy Smithson series. Blast of the Dragon’s Fury is the first of the series. She’s created a very intriguing story of a young boy who enters a new world through a trunk. This world is plagued by a curse that the king believes Andy can fix! Andy finds friends and goes on a quest to help lift the curse. Lee has created a wonderful world full of interesting characters, intriguing ideas, and subtle plot twists. The story is good for ten-year-olds on up. It would also make a good read aloud to a younger child.

Between Heartbeats

Between Heartbeats is a young adult story of exploration and mystery. Diana is a senior in high school when her mom drops a bombshell on her on her seventeenth birthday. Finding out that who she thought was her dad isn’t, causes Diana turmoil and winds her into the middle of a mystery. As Diana tries to find the truth about her birth father, she uncovers a tangle of events that happened seventeen years ago. Donelle Knudsen has created an intriguing story of love of all kinds, from Diana and her boyfriend, to Diana and her parents. She looks at various issues in an objective way with a mother’s heart. I would encourage teens on up to read Between Heartbeats.

The Seed Savers series

Yes, I all ready gave this series a high five in my post for February reads, but since then, I’ve read book three. I can’t wait to read books four and five. S. Smith has create a very realistic look at a future America where GMOs have taken control in the government, and it’s illegal to own seeds or to garden. In book 1, Treasure, we were introduced to Claire, Dante, and Lily. The three kids learn about gardening from an elderly lady from Claire’s church. When the government raids Claire and Dante’s house and imprisons their mom, they take off on a journey to find freedom. In book 2, Lily, Lily has been left in the city. She meets new friends, Rose and Arturo and learns about her family history. She’s rather surprised by what she finds. In book 3, Heirloom, Lily takes off in search of her father. Her departure is more thought through than Claire and Dante’s. She heads south on a hazardous journey meeting new people in the seed saver organization. Heirloom shows some young love budding and slowly introduces some of the history of how seeds became illegal. The story is written in such away that the reader is led on the journey with the characters. I love how S. Smith has created a believable future world and how the children interact with their world.

The Field

I first heard about The Field this past fall. Lydia Thomas, the author, was a guest author on the Facebook party for the release of The One Who Sees Me. I was intrigued with the idea of her book: Three girls who disobey the king’s edict and go into the field. Growing up, I remember reading simplified versions of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The Field followed the same allegorical style. I finally was able to read it recently. In my family, we have a comparison on fantasy. We say that J. R. R. Tolkien was a genius with fantasy by being detailed and complex; whereas C. S. Lewis was a genius with fantasy by simplicity. After reading The Field, I would use the same comparison. John Bunyan was the detailed and complex allegorist, but Lydia Thomas is the simple allegorist. Both are geniuses in their writing styles and story lines. I love how the plot unfolded among the three women; even though it mainly focused on two–Deliah and Lily. Lydia portrays the true struggles that believers face in everyday life, from the struggle to listen to the deceiver to self-worth issues. Unfortunately, this book is no longer in circulation.