I got my daughter, who loves to read, the Sadie's series for Christmas. She and I are reading them together. They are great, wholesome books! Just what I was looking for! After getting a book from our school's Scholastic book fair that had a character with 2 moms (not from remarriage) and nothing about alternative life styles on the cover, I was searching for something for her to read. She loves them!!! Faithgirlz, keep the books coming!

Typical Sadie: "Frankie grinned. Nice shoes, Sparkie. I chose a desk, pretending not to hear one of the girls say, Sparkies my dogs name. Everyone burst into laughter. Okay. No big deal. The best thing was to laugh too. Once they saw I could take a joke, the Sparkie thing would go away."

Moving from California to Michigan in seventh grade isnt easy. Especially when your dad is a mediator hired to settle the infamous bear-hunting dispute in the community. Should hunting bears be OK? Sadie doesnt think so. But with Dad arguing that he shouldnt take any side, Moms illness not getting any better, a friend hiding the truth, and seeing a bear being shot outside hunting season can things get any worse? Where can she run when everything goes bad?

"Shades of Truth" is a book that deals with a lot of issues: moving, betrayal, friendships, illnesses, trust. Throughout the story, Sadie grows a lot in her faith. She learns how to pray and Who to come to when everything doesnt seem to make much sense. Naomi Kinsman weaves in lessons of faith, art, and friendships beautifully.

Myself, I also had a sort-of move in seventh grade, so this book resonated with me in that sense. At the end of most chapters, Sadie wrote an email to her best friend back in California so like me.

This is part of the Faithgirlz! From Sadies Sketchbook series. I recommend it to all middle school girls.