Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway for Jason McIntire's New Release FLIGHT SCHOOL

Well, I promised that we'd be having a busy - and fun! - week here at A Brighter Destiny. Thus it continues with this review and giveaway (How I love those!) for Jason McIntire's FLIGHT SCHOOL, the stand-alone sequel to THE SPARROW FOUND A HOUSE.

{GIVEAWAY AT THE END OF THE POST.}

First of all, what's Flight School about? :-)

For those of you who have read The Sparrow Found a House, you'll welcome back the Rivera-Sparrow family. For those of you who haven't read the previous book in this series, you'll love meeting each member of this household, from parrot-raising youngster Moe right on up to the highly-disciplined but loving Sergeant.

This story (which could certainly be read as a stand-alone) continues to detail the personal, educational, and especially spiritual growth of the Rivera-Sparrow children as well as their close friend, concentrating on the three eldest: Ben, Chris, and Jessie. In one spring and summer, these three face difficult decisions and must learn how their faith in Jesus Christ applies to real life situations -- career choices, romantic relationships, and friendships.

What Did I Think?

In Flight School, Jason McIntire has created another wholesome, engaging contemporary story that affirms traditional values, all done with the author's trademark gentle humor. The interesting plot - surrounding Christian movie-making as well as law internships - not only entertains but also encourages young people to think more deeply about the consequences of their behaviors and actions.

Because the novel focuses on the upper-teen members of the family, the story is of most interest to ages 13 and up. However, younger children would surely enjoy the majority of the story, especially the parts about the family as a whole. Indeed, this is a wonderful read-aloud story for the whole family - The story - the characters and their choices, their motives and their thoughts - provide a truly excellent jumping-off point for family discussions.

Overall, highly recommended. I'm planning on giving this book as a Christmas gift to a younger cousin.

What I Loved:

There was a lot! :-) I'll stick with three points.

1. The discussion that Jessie has with "Sarge" (her stepdad) near the end of the book. The focus on Christ was so excellently interwoven here, pulling all the mini-storylines of the novel together. Quoting:

"'Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.' Not 'keep the rules' like John or 'make it up as you go along' like Galen. Walk in the Spirit," [Sarge explained.]

"That seems hard to define," Jessie doubted.

"It is hard to define," Sarge agreed. "That's one of the reasons you and I can't do it on our own, by 'trying our best.' It requires constant dependence on the only One whose life can empower us to live for Him. And people do fear that, Jessie. The law seems safe and predictable by comparison to the Spirit, and they gravitate toward it.... Or else.... they proclaim 'liberty' and proceed to do what they like without regard to God and His Word. Either way, the Spirit is shut out and they're defeated before they start.... Each person no matter what their heritage or denominational background, can know and follow God by faith. He doesn't deal with institutions, but with individual hearts. And if someone is open to Him, He'll send them more light."

2. How the spiritual growth of the characters was so integral to the novel, yet never preachy! McIntire handled this deftly. Having worked with them, I believe that teenagers are starving for spiritual guidance that is relevant (in the best sense of that word) to their actual, contemporary decisions. In particular, Jessie provides an excellent role model for upper-teen girls.

3. The way that the family reached out to those around them with the love of Christ. This is a central aspect of the novel, and the Rivera-Sparrow parents demonstrate this the most, with their children learning from them. In line with this, the redemption theme for many of the minor character is excellent - hinting, in some cases, that there may be a third book! :-)

Parents of young children might want to know:

As I mentioned above, Flight School focuses on the teenagers in the Rivera-Sparrow family. That means that mentions of romantic attractions (though these mentions are mild by my conservative standard), particularly in the case of aspiring lawyer Ben and Chloe. What I loved about the handling of these romantic attractions was the way that McIntire brought the focus back to how Ben/Chloe's walk with Christ should direct their paths. Well-done.

Flight School is published by Elisha Press. You may purchase e-book OR print copies directly from their website or on Amazon / other online booksellers. Click HERE to go to Elisha Press' website.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

{Giveaway is administered by Elisha Press.}

Looking Ahead + Elisha Press Giveaway Winner

{source}

Looking Ahead...

I've been busy as a proverbial bee this week, so there is very little in the way of a blog post for you, my friends! :-) However, I thought you might like to see this pic that reminded me so very much of Lady Tarian ... Looking forward to writing the sequel to The House of Mercy perhaps this late fall/winter, Lord willing. And Lady Tarian seems to insist on playing a large role in that sequel, which some of you will be most happy to hear. :-) Meanwhile, I'm pinning away {different from "pining" away - see the difference a letter makes?} - this is one of my "pins" - and I would LOVE to have you follow along: click here.

I'm delighting in some of the boards I'm currently following - the picture of Lady Tarian comes courtesy of fellow author-friend Rachel Rossano's fascinating boards.

Meanwhile, we have the Elisha Press giveaway winner to announce!

With over 200 raffle entries, the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please look for an e-mail from me soon, Kris!

Happy Independence Day!

May you have a blessed week.

"The Sparrow Found a House" - Review and Giveaway! (and we all know how I love giveaways!)

Today, I have a book review for you, followed by a GREAT giveaway, sponsored by Elisha Press and hosted by yours truly. :-) {I solemnly swear that I was in no way persuaded to positively review this book due to fondness for my new little nephew Elisha. ;-)}

 

The Book:

The Sparrow Found a House by Jason McIntire. Published 2013 by Elisha Press. {My thanks to Elisha Press for providing me with a review copy.}

The Back Cover Description:

Fifteen-year-old Jessie Rivera is living every teenager’s nightmare. Her widowed mom has married a man who wears his heavy Christian values like his sergeant’s stripes – on both sleeves.

Glenn Sparrow is persistent, immovable, and not afraid to be firm. Worse than that, he’s loving, kind – even fun – and he has Chris, Moe, and Katie completely won over.

But Jessie is determined that she won’t be won over, or give up her “freedom” without a fight. She knows what she wants, and it isn’t what they’ve got.

Or is it?

My Thoughts:

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Author Jason McIntire shows how the Gospel can transform a family that is "broken" like the Rivera-Sparrows, and he does it in a often funny, down-to-earth way.

Author Jason McIntire

I enjoyed every character in the Rivera-Sparrow family, not without reservation but with the negative-positive connections you feel toward people in real life. Though the back cover mentions only Jessie, The Sparrow Found a House delves into each child in the Rivera-Sparrow family, which makes it a great read-aloud for a family with children of various ages and genders. There's somewhat passive older brother Chris, determined and straightforward older sister Jessie, bright and cute little sister Katie, and little brother Moe. Each of the children caught my interest quickly, and I found myself rooting for them to "win" their individual battles, whether over violent video games {Chris} or over conceit {Katie}.

McIntire places quite a number of secondary characters in the story as well, but I found it easy to keep track of them. Each of these secondary characters helped move the plot along and further developed the theme of how the Gospel transforms family life, working from the inside to the outside. We find that once a person has been changed by Christ, he or she cannot keep that alteration to themselves; it will affect everything he or she does and says.

The writing is easy and quick-paced and enjoyable. I found myself looking forward to how the story would twist and turn. I'd love to see a sequel that followed one or all of the Rivera-Sparrow children into their teen years/adulthood. I applaud Elisha Press for striving to create wholesome books that the entire family can relish.

Any Reservations?

Well, I have the blessed situation of having experienced public school, private school, and homeschooling, all for approximately the same amount of time. I enjoyed all three and saw negative attributes in each that could have benefitted from the others' positive points. Thus, while I personally favor homeschooling and most likely will homeschool my own children in the future, I can't "cotton" to the way in which McIntire dramatically glamorizes homeschooling and vilifies public schooling. His portrayal of the public school system as a whole and its teachers seems unrealistic in an otherwise lifelike novel, and his implicit equation of homeschooling with Christianity rings false, in my opinion.

Overall:

I recommend The Sparrow Found a House for a good family read-aloud or for teens {its intended audience} to read by themselves. The book includes a little violence and frightening elements: Two thugs threaten Chris and Jessie on their way home from school; a neighbor tries to scare the Sparrow family with illegal fireworks; a burglary occurs. There are no romantic elements, unless you count the eldest son's crush on a girl at his school, but this is undetailed.

Special Notes:

Elisha Press provides free e-copies of their titles through their website: ELISHA PRESS. Their current titles make great read-alouds {as mentioned above}. You can also sign up for their e-mail list to be apprised of new releases, etc.: click here.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Elisha Press in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation for this review and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

 

Now it's YOUR TURN! :-) Would you like to an Elisha Press book for free?

Elisha Press is generously providing a paperback copy of ANY of their titles to one WINNER of the GIVEAWAY below! {Winner will be notified by e-mail.} Feel free to enter and SHARE!a Rafflecopter giveaway