Transparent heart icon with white outline and + sign.

Life's busy, read it when you're ready!

Create a free account to save articles for later, keep track of past articles you’ve read, and receive exclusive access to all RP resources.

White magnifying glass.

Search thousands of RP articles

Articles, news, and reviews that celebrate God's truth.

Open envelope icon with @ symbol

Get Articles Delivered!

Articles, news, and reviews that celebrate God's truth. delivered direct to your Inbox!





Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Teen non-fiction

Finding My Vocation

by William Boekestein 2024 / 154 pages William Boekestein wants to help young readers figure out how they can pick the right job, and like the good Reformed pastor that he is, he offers up three points.... or, rather, parts. In Part 1, “Pondering Vocation,” he covers what work is, and the different reasons that Christians have to want to work, like providing for our family, serving others, and as a means of expressing our gratitude to God. Part 2 gives us biblically-grounded tips on how we can start “Preparing for Your Vocation.” We need to make ourself valuable to an employer by fostering key character traits – honesty and respect for authority might seem bare minimums, but they can really set a Christian apart – and by developing specific marketable skills, like welding, framing, accounting, etc. The author encourages readers to be ambitious to make the most of the skills God has given you. And he reminds us also of the other vocations God has called us to, like parent, elder, friend, and more. Then in Part 3, “Practicing Vocation,” we’re challenged to work hard, and reminded that God does give us a weekly Sabbath rest. This is a solid primer, and could be a great tool for high schoolers, Grade 9 or 10, as they start planning for their post-school years. It'd be best used with a parent or teacher along for the ride. If I were to pick a nit, it would be with a couple of the appendices – “Is my vocation compromised by sin?” and “Is Military a Good Option for Me?” – that raise important topics, but in what struck me as too cursory a manner. The military question, for example, raised some cautions about women in the armed forces, but didn’t even touch on the issue of women in combat roles. It's one thing for women to serve in the armed forces when male and female differences are understood and appreciated, and another thing for women to serve in the military when the higher ups have started to pretend that men and women are interchangeable and want to have women leading the charge. But this critique – not for what Rev. Boekestein said, but for what more I wish he had addressed – is indeed a nitpick, faulting his 154-page book for not being a dictionary-sized tome instead. And he offers us some of that more I was after in his great conversation with Lucas Holtvlüwer in the Real Talk episode below, so be sure to check it out. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

Saboteur

Drama / Mystery 1942 / 109 minutes RATING: 7/10 This is World War II as seen from the other side of the ocean. Barry Kane is one of the hundreds of employees at an airplane factory in Glendale, California, and when the plant suspiciously burns down, he becomes one of the chief suspects. Barry knows he's innocent, and thinks the real saboteur might be a man named Fry, who he bumped into just before the fire started, But Fry doesn't seem to exist – the factory never employed anyone by that name – which makes Barry look even more suspicious. With the authorities looking in the wrong direction, Barry decides he has to track Fry down himself and takes off. He has only one key clue, and to make it even more difficult, police departments across the country are now on the lookout for him! Love-interest Patricia Martin is a girl he meets along the way, and whose blind uncle somehow knows that Barry is trustworthy, no matter what the police might think. Patricia isn't quite so sure, and seems as likely to turn Barry in as to help him. Together they follow the clues and cross the country, uncovering a network of fifth columnists – Nazi sympathizers and agents amongst the highest echelons of American society. But now that they know who's responsible, will anyone believe them? This cast does a solid job, and while there's no one you'll recognize, the director is a name you'll know: Alfred Hitchcock. He always brings the stark, dramatic shots, of course, but also a bit of oddness. His quirkiness shows up in this picture when Barry and Patricia hitchhike a ride on a circus caravan and hide out among the circus sideshow performers – a midget, bearded lady, set of Siamese Twins, and more – who end up arguing it out about whether they'll help the pair. And this being an Alfred Hitchcock film, we can expect the director to make a brief appearance on screen – look for his cameo just after the one-hour mark. Cautions The caution here is also a feature: this is a film for discussion, not just consumption, and the conversation will be of a Romans 13 sort (or more specifically, Rom. 13:1-7) – when should we, and when shouldn't we listen to the appointed authorities? Barry is fleeing the police because if he doesn't, the true saboteur will get away, and because the police, however unwittingly, are aiding the fifth columnists. But while his motivation is clear, some of the people who choose to help him are defying those same authorities for tenuous reasons. Patricia's uncle, for example, trusts Barry based on little more than gut instinct. Conclusion This was already well into development before Japan's 1941, Dec. 7 bombing of Pearl Harbor pushed the United States into World War II. That might be why the focus was on the homefront – American soldiers weren't fighting in the trenches yet when the script was being written.Regardless, Hitchcock wanted his audience to know the fight was already going on, behind the scenes, right on American soil. This is an enjoyable film, but not the sort you'd pitch folks who aren't already up for black-and-white films. Start them on other World War II fare like Casablanca, The SeaHawk, and  Desperate Journey instead, and if they love those, then they'll be more inclined to enjoy Saboteur for the great war film it is. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

Roman Holiday

Comedy 1953 / 118 minutes RATING: 8/10 Princess Ann is on a tour of Europe, and the masses can't get enough of her. It's no better inside the palace, where minor nobles, maharajas, and even the papal nuncio, all need to shake her hand. Can't a poor girl rest her aching feet? When the prospects of yet another day of innocuous speeches and forced polite conversation drive her into a tizzy, the royal doctor gives Ann a little something to help her sleep. But the moment the doctor is gone, so is the princess, out the window and down into the streets of Rome, hoping for some kind of adventure. But it's hard to have an adventure when you've been valium-ed up. Instead, the princess falls asleep by the side of the road, where journalist Joe Bradley mistakes her for a drunk, completely unaware she is the princess. He almost passes by, but stops himself – he can't just leave a girl out there on the street. Too sleepy or too stubborn to tell him where she lives, Joe eventually has to take Ann to his apartment, offering up his couch. The next day, Joe reports in to his newspaper. The front page story? The embassy is reporting that the royal princess Ann has taken suddenly sick. Spotting Ann's picture on the front page, Joe realizes he has the story of year still sleeping right there in his apartment. So he heads back and pretends ignorance about who Ann is. And under these false pretenses Joe, and his photographer friend Irving, give Ann the footloose and fancy-free day she has been dreaming of. But is Joe really going to cash in on his royal exclusive, if it means embarrassing the young princess? Cautions Nothing untoward happens, but there are enough "misunderstandings" that this isn't one for the kiddos. Examples include a valium-ed up Ann acting as if Joe is one of her servants, and telling him he can help her undress for bed (he does not), and a cleaning lady finding Ann in a towel (covered up) and angrily chasing her around the apartment because she thinks Ann has slept with Joe (she has not). Conclusion I hadn't watched this in twenty years and what struck me upon my most recent viewing is that it might be the film that inspired a million Hallmarks. The two key ingredients are here: a royal, and a case of mistaken identity. But this is the original, and the best, starting with the Oscar-winning cast, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Hallmark films have been set in Rome (including the Roman Holiday-homage Rome in Love) but it's not the same as seeing the almost car-free, play-in-the-Trevi-Fountain, climb-on-the-Coliseum, 1950s Rome (as one critic noted, the city is the film's third star). And then there is the ending, which is completely un-Hallmark-like, and some won't like it for that reason. But this is a conclusion that will stick with you. Charm, Rome, and some laughs make this a great one for a mom-and-dad date night. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Graphic novels

Marley's Ghost

by Charles Dickens adapted by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O'Neill, and Shannon Wheeler illustrated by Gideon Kendall 2017 / 129 pages This is a fantastic and faithful graphic novel adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol using much of the story's original dialogue, with only the lightest (and very helpful) bit of modernization. The revisions are limited, with the biggest probably being a change of the Ghost of Christmas Past from an old, child-like, man, to now being a waif-like girl. Not sure why the change was made, but it doesn't impact the story. Then there is also the general abridgment, with the comic coming in at probably half the text of the original story. The original has some problematic spiritual content – ghosts of various sorts, including those of Christmas Past, Present, and Future – and this adaptation shares the same. So if you disliked the original for that reason, you won't like this one either. But I'd argue that is a mistake, as this story isn't meant to teach anything about ghosts or the afterlife. Dickens lesson is entirely about the here and now – he wants us to understand that money brings cold comfort – Scrooge treats gold as his god, and this deity only brings him misery. What's actually problematic is the alternative "god" Dickens proposes. While the God of the Bible is made mention of (less in the comic than in the original) He is not the source of happiness in this story. The god here – in both original and adaptation – is generosity. If you are generous, then you will be happy and your life will have meaning. Oh, Dickens, so near and yet so far! Still, with that shortcoming understood, this classic can be appreciated – Christmas is made much of, and if we remember what this day commemorates, then we can see Scrooge's transformation as a small reflection of the generosity and humility Christ showed in coming down to earth. Cautions This book has a loose connection to Harvey Kurtzman, a cartoonist most famous for his work with Playboy and Mad magazines. However, the comic is not written or drawn by him but is only based in part on a treatment he produced, so this connection is really rather irrelevant. I only mention it to note that as good as this book is, his other work isn't. Other cautions would be limited to the unnecessary additions of two words – "bugger" and "bloody" – to Dickens' original text. Would that this bit of "modernization" had been forgone! Conclusion This is a loyal and inventive rendition that will be more enjoyable to read than the original for most of today’s readership. And they may get more out of it than they would, struggling through the original....

Red heart icon with + sign.
Animated, Movie Reviews

Tangled

Animated / Family 2010 / 100 min RATING: 9/10 In the original Rapunzel tale, her hair is very long, but still just hair. In Tangled, these long tresses are used as a whip, swing, and even as rope to tie a bad guy up. But the biggest upgrade is that her hair now has the power to restore youth. It's this last addition that caught the attention of a very old witch. Our story starts with Witch Gothel whisking the baby Rapunzel away to a hidden tower deep in the woods. The magical restoration only works if it's adminstered regularly, so the witch wants to keep Rapunzel forever, so the witch can be young forever. Years later, a teenage Rapunzel is still in the tower, but not a captive exactly. As far as she knows Gothel is her mother, and if Mother says Rapunzel needs to stay in to stay safe, then that's what Rapunzel is going to do. Even if she doesn't like it. Then the roguish, handsome, thieving Flynn Ryder shows up, fleeing from this story's version of the police. He's the first man Rapunzel has ever seen, so, quite naturally, she hits him with a frying pan. Was it love at first "clunk"? Maybe not quite the first, but there were clunks to follow, so it might have been one of those. Rapunzel convinces Flynn to help her explore the outside world. Soon this becomes a chase film, with Mother Gothel, and all the King's men, trying to capture one or the other of the pair. As I reread the original Rapunzel fairytale I was struck by how it's more problematic than the Disneyfied retelling. The original has Rapunzel's mom and dad stealing a plant, rapunzel, from their neighbor. Their neighbor is a witch, but still, when did stealing become something the good guys did? In the fairytale, Rapunzel gets impregnated by the prince before they are married, though children might not even realize (parents will clue in when Rapunzel talks about how, for some reason, her clothes are getting tight). So, Disney improved on the original by cutting these elements. Cautions The weirdest parts of this movie are a couple of brief appearances of a small, old, bearded outlaw who wears nothing but a diaper and wings. He seems to be imitating a baby Cupid. Really, really odd but, thankfully, very brief. There's lots of comic violence, with people getting hit repeatedly in the head with a frying pan. No big thing, except if you have kids young enough to think this is something they can imitate. There is an element of magic, but played mostly in a negative light – the witch Mother Gothel is the villain of the piece. Conclusion A niece loves this film and introduced it to our daughters, and in the half-dozen times we've seen it since, we've all enjoyed it every time. It might be a bit too frantic and at times scary for the under-10 group, but for everyone else, this will be a very fun pick for family movie night. Check out the trailer below. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

Little Women (1994)

Drama 1994 / 118 min Rating: 9/10 Taking only minor liberties with Louisa May Alcott's book, Little Women tells the tale of Marmee March’s four daughters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they grow up in the shadow of the US Civil War. Each sister is quite the character, with Meg, the older sister, who dreams of marriage and starting her own family, Jo the tomboy who wants to write, the sickly but caring Beth who is always thinking of others, and the spoiled littlest sister Amy who does some growing up, becoming a lovely young lady. This is all about family, coming together in hardship when Beth gets sick, and coming together for family fun too, like when all the sisters take parts in a play written by Jo. Oh, and there's also falling in love too! Cautions Nowadays, if a film isn't made by Christians, it seems almost a given that it is going to have some sort of vulgarity, blood-splattering violence, or woke agenda. Little Women has none of it. Yay! The worst I can think of is a few strange references to Transcendentalism (an early New Age movement) but it is referred to only in passing. Conclusion This may be appreciated more by the ladies: a female friend has watched this 10 times while her husband thought once was more than enough. However, if you are a fan, you'll want to check out the 1949 version, which is both funnier and sadder, but also a bit harder to follow if you aren't already familiar with the book. A 1933 version is over the top, but the 1940 sequel of sorts, called Little Men, is another good one. Check out the trailer below. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

12 Angry Men

Drama 1957 / 96 min. Rating: 9/10 A movie that takes place in a single room? All dialogue, and no car chases or explosions? 12 Angry Men might not seem like it has the makings for an amazing film, but whoever I've watched it with over the years has always been impressed. This courtroom drama begins with eleven men eager to declare the defendant guilty – it's an open-and-shut case, so why waste time? But the twelfth (Henry Fonda) isn't so sure. And he isn't willing to convict a man without carefully working through the evidence... even if other jurors were looking forward to their weekend plans. So in the middle of a sweltering heat wave, stuck in close quarters with complete strangers, they start going through the evidence. 12 Angry Men is an absolutely fascinating look at how personal histories and prejudices can play a part in a jury decision. Cautions I can't think of any concerns for this one. There's some racism evident, but the worst language is a juror talking about "those kind of people." This is an adult film in the sense that your smalls aren't going to be interested. But it is a family-friendly film in the sense that kids of any age could be in the room with you and you wouldn't need to worry about what they might see or hear. The closest thing to a caution I can think of is that the 1997 remake has language problems (and isn't close to as good anyway). Conclusion I don't want to geek out on the film, but I will share one neat bit on its cinematography. If you're like me, you don't really note how a film is shot unless it's bad and gets in the way of the story. That said, there is one neat trick used here you might want to look for: watch for how the camera slowly descends as the tension rises. We start just above eye-level, and by the time the climax arrives, lots of shots are now coming from below, giving jurors an ominous shadowed look. It's cool what different camera angles can do. But the reason you should watch it is for what it wrestles with. This is looking at the whole idea of justice, and how apathy, prejudice, and even people's limited ability to logic things out, can shape the verdict. God has told us that it'd be better for a guilty person go free than an innocent man be punished (that, and innocent until proven guilty, are the implications of texts like Deut. 17:6 and Deut. 19:15), but is that how our justice system works? In 12 Angry Men we've got a behind-the-scenes look with a man willing to stand against the room to do what's right. Check out the trailer below. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

The Shop Around the Corner

Drama/Romance 99 min / 1940 Rating: 9/10 While Jimmy Stewart is best known for his other Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life, this is the one that mom and dad should watch for an in-home date night. Stewart plays the young Alred Kralik, top salesman at the Matuschek and Company giftshop in Budapest. As top salesman, he serves as confidant and all-around-right-hand man to his boss, Hugo Mastuschek. When a young lady, Klara Novak, comes in looking for a job, it is Alfred's sad duty to inform her that there just aren't any positions available. But strangely Alfred's boss, in a fit of independence, decides to override Alfred and hires Klara. From the start, it's clear that Alfred and Klara have a little chemistry, but he decides she isn’t the girl for him. Maybe it was how they first met, but whatever the reason, the two of them just can’t get along. And besides, Alfred already has a girlfriend of sorts. He has a heart-to-heart, mind-to-mind connection with his long-time pen pal, and how can mere physical attraction compare to something like that? It just can’t! Before he rushes off to marry his pen pal, Alfred decides he should probably meet her once first. And it's at this first date that he finds out his pen pal looks a lot like the new store clerk…an awful lot like her! Turns out, Shop Around the Corner is a great counter to the Hollywood notion of love at first sight – this is love done write! Cautions The one caution here regards a backstory and the reason why Mr. Mastuschek decided to override his top salesman. He suspects Alfred of having an affair with his wife. It turns out that while Mr. Mastuschek is wrong about which salesman it is, he is right about the affair, and that drives him to attempt suicide. Thankfully he is saved by the store's delivery boy. This mature topic matter means this isn't one for the whole family, even though it is delicately handled. Conclusion Shop Around the Corner has been in Time magazine's Top 100 Films list, has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was popular enough to spawn two remakes. A musical adaptation, In the Good Old Summertime (1949), was done less than a decade later and stars Judy Garland and Van Johnson. This time the two letter-writers are working in a music store. Not as good as the original, but it is a solid 7. Van Johnson isn't as charming as Jimmy Stewart, and near the end even comes off as a bit creepy. That said, it is fun to see how this remake compares and contrasts with the film that inspired it. Another sequel is Tom Hank's You've Got Mail (1998), which was super popular, but which also takes God's name in vain. If you enjoy Shop Around the Corner, you may also like a couple more from the same director, Ernst Lubitsch. His To Be Or Not To Be (1942) is about a Shakespeare acting troop surviving World War II. And Ninotchka (1939) is a comedy about a loyal Russian communist who comes to Paris and falls in love with a man who represents everything about the West that she despises. There are some good and educational laughs in that one! Check out Shop Around the Corner's trailer below. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Family, Movie Reviews

Twelve

Family / Sports 2019 / 92 minutes RATING: 7/10 Kyle Cooke is an 11-year-old baseball prodigy who's always the best kid on the field. When he gets cut from an all-star team – the coach picks his own kids instead of the best kids – his already impressive work ethic goes into overdrive. Kyle is going to make his next season the best ever, so he can take whatever team he's on all the way to the 12-year-olds' World Series. That sums up both what's great about Twelve and what's wonky with it too. If you have kids who aren't overly obsessed with sports then showing them a film about a 12-year-old who lives, sleeps, and breathes his sport could be a good bit of inspiration. If they really want to make their high school basketball team, or get onto the junior high cross-country team, then they need to put in the work. They could do with being more like Kyle. But Kyle, and his dad too, are quite a bit too invested in baseball. The saving grace is that theirs is a love-of-the-game kind of obsession and not a win-at-any-costs kind of thing. The dad proves he's too into baseball when he lets his generally solid sportsmanship slip after his son gets cut unfairly from the all-star team. And Kyle shows he's too obsessed in that his life doesn't have anything else to it but baseball. That said, he is respectful to coaches and to his dad. And even though he is by far the best player on his new team, he doesn't have an inflated ego around his teammates. So, the pluses are some fun training montages, cute interactions between him and his big brother (and his big brother's girlfriend, who is rooting for him), lots of drive and determination, and a fairly low tension level, which might be nice for the 10-12 year-old target audience – there's never really any doubt that Kyle is going to go all the way. Cautions The most notable negative is, again, just how seriously this family takes baseball, getting pretty close to a substitute religion, moderated only by the fact that the two boys aren't obsessed with winning (Kyle is super confident he will win, but he doesn't get all stressed out about it). Language concerns are minor: Kyle's brother "X" almost says a bad word, starting off with "bullsh..." before ending on a better note with "....shoes." Dad does it once too. Oh, and if you try to stream this, beware of the 2010 film of the same name which is about drugs, not sports. Conclusion The consensus in our house rated Twelve a solid 7. The one holdout didn't like the abrupt ending and dropped her initial 10 all the way down to a 0 – she wanted a little bit longer with these characters, but the final credits start just a couple of minutes after the climax. So, take that for what you will. If you're looking for sports flick with some good camaraderie, and not too much of an edge, this will fit the bill... as long as your kids aren't as sports-obsessed as Kyle. Check out the trailer below for a good overview of the admirable and the obsessive. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

Unleashing Mr. Darcy

Drama / Romance 2016 / 84 minutes Rating: 7/10 My favorite movie of all time is a modern-day Mormon-produced Pride and Prejudice update. So, I am up for retellings. Whether you like or loath the Hallmark-produced Unleashing Mr. Darcy will largely depend on if you are too. This twist in the tale this time is that it takes place in the New England dog show circuit. Mr. Darcy is rich, of course, but he's also a dog show judge. And Elizabeth is a school teacher and a dog handler. The Bennet family has largely been excised, though her goofy mom remains. And Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the original, shows up here as his Aunt Violet, every bit as snooty. What I liked about it, was all the thought put into translating the gist of Jane Austen's original into such a foreign setting. I thought it quite clever. What I didn't like about it was some of the acting. The male lead, in particular, is stiff – he got this on his looks, rather than his acting chops, I suspect. Cautions The only caution I can think of would be a brief glimpse of Mr. Darcy as he gets out of a swimming pool. He is shirtless for about a minute and, of course, has a six-pack. That relates to one other caution that would apply to most other Hallmark films: candy, in moderation, is a wonderful thing, but not as something to binge on. We all know that there aren't enough billionaires or royal suitors to go around, and since you are what you eat, too many Hallmark films might have a young teen thinking she's going to have to settle for someone ordinary. But choosing reality over fantasy isn't settling! Conclusion To sum up, this is a clever script, with okay performances, safe for the whole family. There is a sequel, Marrying Mr. Darcy, that might interest some. But because it takes things past the conclusion of Austen's book, there isn't the same clever reworking of her classic. This sequel is a wholly original story, but too much like every other Hallmark story to be at all original. If you liked the actors, then you may like the sequel too – it is another dose of safe viewing. But if, like me, you appreciated the first movie for how it put a new spin on Pride and Prejudice (this time with dogs!), then the sequel won't satisfy. I almost didn't include Unleashing Mr. Darcy's trailer, because it's terrible. The film isn't going to win an Oscar, but it is way better than this makes it look. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Children’s fiction

The Great Brain

by John D. Fitzgerald 1972 / 175 pages The Great Brain is the story of Tom Fitzgerald, a ten-year-old boy living in frontier Utah in a time so long ago that indoor toilets were considered a novelty. His hometown of Adenville is, like most Utah towns, populated mainly by Mormons who live beside a handful of Catholics and Protestants. For Tom that doesn’t matter since he can out think them all. The all consuming love of Tom’s life is money. If there’s a way to get it, Tom puts his great brain to work so that the money can be his. Not surprisingly, Tom’s great brain finds other things to work on, including finding kids lost in a cave, and getting even with his teacher. This book is fun to read as the schemes dreamed up by the “Great Brain” are often hilarious and crazy and almost always successful. Yet, though Tom’s fascinating schemes are not always something to admire, there’s a wonderful sense of morality that runs through the book. The whole tale is told by Tom’s younger brother, John. He is often taken in by Tom’s smooth justifications of his actions, but John always lets you know that he’s still left with nagging doubts. Part of John knows, however silky the Great Brain’s explanations might be, that his schemes still aren’t quite right. Tom also has great parents who are almost always on the ball. They catch onto his antics, punish him, and force him to make restitution to those he’s swindled. In the end, though, the Great Brain sees that there’s more than money. While there isn’t an overt religious message in the book, Tom actually saves a friend’s life and passes up a great money making opportunity that went with it. It makes him feel “extra good inside. Sort of clean and warm and Christmasy.” This is a fun book, good for anyone 9 and over. I absolutely loved it when I first read it as a kid. While it tells the story of an entertaining and sometimes shady child, it doesn’t glorify his antics. Ultimately Tom’s activities are clever, entertaining, confounding and successful, but you still are left with a clear sense that they’re wrong. It’s a fascinating tale with an “old fashioned” sense of morality; good must ultimately win out. The best part is that not only is this a great book, but if you love it as much as I did, there’s are sequels!...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

Roberta

Musical 1935 / 106 minutes RATING: 8/10 It's 1935, and Huck Haines (Fred Astaire) and his band, the Indianians of Wabash, Indiana have just gotten off the boat, landing in Paris after a long trip over from America. There's just one problem: the Russian restauranteur who hired them to play at his place thought he was hiring Indians, the Native American sort, and not Indianians, the pale-faced sort. So Alexander Petrovich Moskowitz Voyda is not pleased, and he fires Haines. Or at least he tries to. Haines' best and much larger buddy John Kent decides that Mr. Voyda just has to stay long enough for a listen. So the former football star holds Mr. Voyda steady as Haines and the rest of the boys – a dozen of them – do a comic musical act. Everything in this film is really just an excuse for another song or dance routine, and this time Haines has his fellows transform into a human organ – when he hits their hands, they hum a note. It's weird and wacky and wonderful, but it still doesn't win Mr. Voyda over. So it's on to Plan B. They'll look up any friends they can think of that live in Paris. The pickings are slim – Kent has an aunt. But it turns out she is the world famous fashion designer Roberta. When they all show up on her salon's front step, it's time for some more music, with dancing quick to follow. I could tell you more of the plot, but while it's sweet – two romances for the price of one – the plot really isn't the point: this is about finding opportunities for Fred Astaire to dance with Ginger Rogers, and do they have some great numbers. I put this on when my kids were wandering around, not knowing whether it would grab them. It did. The tap dancing routines will get your own toes tapping – you won't be able to help it. There's also an interesting historical background that explains the large Russian presence in the French capital. This is the Paris of the 1930s, which is where many of the exiled Russian aristocracy, academics, and politicians fled after the Russian Revolution of 1917. They were among the elite in their homeland, but here, as refugees, they've had to settle on mostly minor positions. So the doorman at Aunt Roberta's salon is a Russian prince, and her righthand woman, Stephanie, is a Russian princess. Cautions There's lots to love here, but some silliness too, with the song "I'll be hard to handle" possibly being the silliest. However, it is so obviously dumb that it isn't at all dangerous. The singer promises any potential suitor that she'll be a handful, and urges him to just go away. Which is what any sensible fellow would do with an invitation like that. This takes place in a fashion house, and at one point, one of the models comes out in a tight black dress that's low cut in front and back. It isn't all that immodest by today's standards, but that said, Huck Haines's description nails it: "like a peeled eel." Kent is even more pointed: "It's the worst-looking thing i ever saw." So, minor immodesty, but to make a point in modesty's favor (later on Huck tells a reporter that Roberta's design house believes that "if clothes are to clothe, then they should  clothe." Or, as Kent says it more pointedly again, they should be, "not so naked." Language concerns would be limited to a bunch of "Gee, that would be swell"s. Kent does also get drunk in one scene, though his foolishness is made plain for all to see. Conclusion Watching Roberta is a delightful history lesson on France, Russia, the 1930s, black and white musicals, and more. I'll share that during a couple of lullaby numbers, where the lead sang in an old-fashioned warbling voice, I did use the fast-forward button to cut both 3-minute songs in half. I don't empty the fast-forward button much (and nowhere else in this film) but that style of singing was so foreign it came off as off-putting, and I didn't want to make it hard for my kids to enjoy. Turning a 106 minute film into a 103 minute film did the trick. So two thumbs up – this is a great one for parents and older kids, so long as they have appreciated black and white films in the past. And if you love Roberta, there are other Fred Astaire movies to enjoy, but a few that really let a messed-up plot get in the way of the dance numbers. Give a miss to The Gay Divorcee, and You'll Never Get Rich, both of which which make light of affairs. Shall We Dance? runs too long to quite measure up to Roberta, but it does have Astaire and Rogers flying around the room once again. Easter Parade has Astaire paired with Judy Garland (of The Wizard of Oz fame), and the problematic part here is simply that they talk quite a bit about the Easter Parade and nothing at all about what Easter is about. The opening 8 minutes, with Astaire doing a solo dance routine in a children's toy shop is astonishing! ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Teen fiction

Team Burger Shed

by Tavin Dillard 2024 / 188 pages Tavin Dillard is of an indeterminate age (he looks mid-30s, but gets around on a bike, which he also uses to pull the mower for his landscaping business so is he in his teens?), and lives in a small, indeterminate town, probably in Arkansas. What we do know for sure is that he likes softball. So when his buddy Myron Curtis invites him onto a team, Tavin is quick to say yup and hand over his twenty bucks for a team shirt. But then Myron got hisself all distracted after asking out Mary Beth, and never got around to ordering the uniforms. That means that for their first two games, everyone has to play "skins' versus their fully-decked out opponents who get to play "shirts." And that also means that when Tavin tries to steal a base, he slides in "chest naked." While I don't have a problem with it myself, that's a bit of descriptive folksy terminology that I could imagine some parents not liking, particularly with younger boys who you might not want going around describing themselves, every time their shirt is off, as "chest naked." I read it to my girls, so that is not a situation that will happen here. From then on, each chapter centers around a game and other softball-related developments, including how they got a sponsor (the Burger Shed), and how the softball field concession stand got burned down when Mary Beth got the idea to try selling s'mores. One whole chapter is about Tavin eating a "black nanner" (a blacker than black banana) because it would have been rude to decline. This is folksy, ridiculous, and charming – it's what'd you'd expect if you turned the Duck Dynasty TV show into a book about a rec league softball team. Cautions In addition to a few "chest naked" references, there's some mild pottyish humor, one instance related to a player who ate jalapeño nachos mid-game. And, with his "tender guts," this meal had the already slow Myron Curtis now moving at quarter speed. When its his turn at bat, his team is rooting for him to make it to first... "without ruining his breeches." Conclusion It's a season that starts slow, but has Team Burger Shed coming from way back to make it into the playoffs. Do they win it all? You'll have to read it to find out, but I think you and your teens will want to. This is not some great literary work, but it is a fun read aloud, written such that I was drawling with a southern accent the whole way through....

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Graphic novels

Let's Make Bread!

by Ken Forkish and Sarah Becan 2024 / 158 pages This is the comic I never knew I wanted: a how-to for baking all sorts of delicious breads. And while I'll admit to not trying out any of the recipes myself, this did get my oldest daughter experimenting. I liked the results of her labors, so this might have to move from just being a library lend to being something we really need to buy. The format is a friendly one: we get introduced to the two authors, and because this is a comic, there they are, speaking right to us with their word bubbles. The first thirty pages also introduces us to the basic tools and ingredients we'll need to get baking. Then we learn about everything from the first rise, to how best to spread our salt onto the dough. The pictures allow this how-to manual to show tips that would be really hard to just describe, like how the dough, at one stage, should have a gentle "webbing." What is bread webbing? I wouldn't have a clue if the picture hadn't shown me! Among the bread recipes, there is even a detailed procedure outlined for how you can get your own sourdough starter going. The various uses you can put it to include a really great pizza dough! There are no cautions to offer, other than that if you buy this for one of your children, you might have to also spring for some baking tools, if you don't already have them. This is a book that will inspire, so you best be ready for some flour on your counters then! Cookbooks aren't really supposed to be fun, but this one kind of pulls it off, so two thumbs up. Not a book for everyone, but certainly a great one for any young bakers in the house. The illustrator Sarah Becan teamed up with Hugh Amano for two prequels: Let's Make Ramen! (2019) and Let's Make Dumplings! (2021).  I could imagine making the dumplings, as long as I had a little help from someone more culinarily-inclined, but the ramen recipes weren't just beyond me, but astronomically so. That's why, while I'd recommend both Bread! and Dumplings for any kids who likes to bake or cook, I'd only suggest Ramen! to the expert cooks among us....

Red heart icon with + sign.
Drama, Movie Reviews

Run Silent, Run Deep

Drama 1958 / 93 minutes RATING: 8/10 After a Japanese destroyer, the Akrikaze, sinks his submarine, Commander P.J. Richardson is assigned desk duty, giving him plenty of time to think over how he could turn the tables, if ever given the chance. When the Akrikaze sinks three more US subs, Richardson gets his wish – he's given another submarine command, and told to patrol the same section the Akrikaze was last seen. But to get command again, Richardson had to step on the toes of the sub's executive officer, Jim Bledsoe, who was expecting to become captain himself. The crew isn't happy, particularly when Richardson starts drilling them hard. When he ignores Japanese transports sailing past the crew starts wondering, is their new captain a coward? Sometimes when my girls are playing with the neighbors I'll watch a movie I know they won't be interested in because I don't want to tempt them to join me and interrupt their fun. That was my intent this time around –  what kid wants to watch a black and white film about submarine warfare? Well, as it turns out, all of them. The attraction? This wasn't like anything they'd seen before, with about 90 percent taking place in the close quarters of the USS Nerka. It also helped that both stars – Burt Lancaster as second-in command Bledsoe, and Clark Gable as Captain Richardson – have quite the onscreen presence. And it helped that they had their dad along to explain some of the basics of World War II submarine warfare. Like how a submarine's best defense was to hide underwater, but to go on offense it had to surface to be able to see the ships it was shooting at. I had to explain what depth charges were and how, when a submarine dived, the enemy's destroyers would drop depth charges all around its last location, just hoping one would explode near enough to cause some damage. I had to explain who Tokyo Rose was – when the crew listens to the radio, every now and again the music is interrupted by a pleasant sounding woman who provides updates on the war, but with a very anti-American slant. The broadcast was coming from Japan, the music an enticement to stay around for the propaganda. And apparently US commanders didn't care if their troops tuned in, because everyone knew better than to believe anything Tokyo Rose said. Cautions While there's no warnings needed for adult viewing, if your kids are watching too then there are a couple of concerns. First, we see a young sailor whom we've gotten to know dies when a loose torpedo drops from its rack and lands on him. We see the torpedo dropping through his eyes, coming towards the camera and then everything cuts to black, so it isn't graphic. The other caution concerns a pin-up picture – the typical World War II sort, the woman clothed but wearing short shorts – hanging in the mess hall/ The crew gives her a pat on her butt as they run to their battle stations. The weirdness of this practice really comes out when you try explaining it to your kids. Conclusion I've rated this an 8, in large part because that was what my girls gave it. I'd give it an 8 myself, but often tone down my ratings, knowing that most folks don't appreciate a black and white film quite as much as I do. But if these three – aged 10 through 14 – think it's an 8 too, then I'm going to run with that. It is a classic for a reason, with a great running conflict between the captain and his passed-over second-in-command, but both of whom are eager to take down the Akrikaze. The crew has their own divided loyalties, even as they stay dedicated to their mission. And the biggest selling feature: loads of action! SPOILER ALERT: While I've included the trailer below, this is one of those old -fashioned trailers that sum up the whole movie and doesn't worry about giving things away. There's a whole whack of spoilers here, so I'm quite glad I didn't watch the trailer before I saw the movie. I'll also add, the film is quite a bit better than this makes it look, which is one more reason you might want to give the trailer a miss. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Graphic novels

Secret Coders

by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes 2015-2018 / 92-110 pages each x 6 volumes Hopper is at a new school and gets off to a rocky start: her classes are boring, the other students are ignoring her, and when she does get their attention, it almost results in a fight. During lunch period she ends up sitting alone... until a bird comes flutter down to sit in front of her. A feathered friend is better than no friend at all, right? That's what Hopper figures, at least until it blinks one of its four eyes! Turns out the bird is robot, and it's blinking in binary. Another student, Eni, spots the odd bird and gives Hopper, and us, a lesson in how binary works. Then the two of them discover a turtle robot designed to aid the janitor, that seems programmable, if only you know how. The janitor turns out to be a super genius, and there is a whole secret subterranean system underneath the school, but accessible only to those who know how to program the turtle. That gets us to the goal of this book. This is a series that my kids read, just for fun, but it's actually educational fiction – the authors' goal is to teach kids some of the basic logic that's involved in computer programming. And as Hopper and Eni  get better at coding simple computer programs to make the turtle robot move and work, readers are learning too. Cautions In the first book we learn that the teacher that Hopper has the biggest difficulty with – and speaks disrespectfully to – is actually her mom. We also find out that Hopper's mom and dad had a big fight six months ago, her dad left, and they haven't seen him since. It seems like he walked out on his family, though we later learn that he was kidnapped and has been stuck in a two-dimensional system since then. Thankfully Hopper does realize she needs to apologize to her mom. But her initial rudeness, and a few conversations between Hopper and her mom about whose fault it is that dad is gone, mean this isn't one for under 12s. Language concerns would be limited to a few jerk-faces, a gosh and a geez. Conclusion There are points at which the story is sacrificed for the sake of the education – each time Eni and Hopper program a turtle we all have to think through it slowly and carefully. But a nefarious principal, his rugby team henchmen, a green-skinned villain and his army of toothy robot ducks, and a budding romance between Hopper and Eni, keep things interesting. The math and logic involved in programming mean this will be a bit much for kids under 12. They might still read it just for the story, but to read these for the fun and skip over the education is to miss the point of the series. Any teen with a bent towards math and logic will find these an entertaining introduction to some basic computer code thinking. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Children’s picture books

What really happened to the dinosaurs?

by John Morris and Ken Ham 1990 / 32 pages Some children, it seems, are born with a love for all things dinosaurs while others might need their curiosity stirred. In parental hands, What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs? could do some real stirring. Colorful watercolor graphics accompany a narrative journey about the dinosaurs – Tracker John and his dinosaur friend DJ take us to the beginning of history, when God made dinosaurs on the sixth day. They discover clues which teach them why dinosaurs are different than other land animals. As we travel along with Tracker John, we see how sin changed God’s good creation, and how the Flood may have life for the dinosaurs. One neat aspect of this large hardcover picture book is the many illustrations of dinosaurs and humans living side by side. This is a fact of history that is denied by secular scientists, but has such power to capture a child’s imagination. Children in the second grade and younger will enjoy having this book read out loud to them, and the rainbow of colors used in the artwork will draw in young eyes. However, some more technical paragraphs will need to be summarized or skipped to make this a more attainable read-aloud for preschool kids aged 3 to 5. Older elementary kids in turn might find some of the watercolor graphics to be childish. This book is therefore a great selection for the parent who wants to encourage their young children to study God’s big world, even when the topics can be confusing. But it does require some effort on the adult reader’s part to make the words interesting and understandable to their young listeners. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Children’s non-fiction

Guide to Dinosaurs

by the Institute of Creation Research 2014 / 120 pages Hardly any other field of science has been so distorted by secular, unbiblical theories as that of the dinosaurs. The Institute of Creation Research (or ICR), has done significant work in righting that wrong, and this encyclopedic book is born out of their labors. Information is neatly organized and covers Biblical history, fossils, and types of dinosaurs. Concise two-page spreads on topics such as What is a Dinosaur?, Dinosaur Extinction, and Did Dinosaurs Evolve into Birds? answer all your dino-related questions. This is an ideal book for school libraries to offer, as students will find this book invaluable in their research papers. Teachers and parents will find great illustrations to help children understand the history of dinosaurs from a reliably Christian perspective. For the dino-maniacs, at least a third of this book delves into dinosaur types and sub-types, including notes on the structure, distinctions, likely diet and current locations of fossils found for each type. Kids will enjoy the beautiful visual aids that show what each dinosaur would have looked like, and how big they were compared to humans. Finally, this book ends with a short but invaluable section on “dinosaurs in the big picture” which summarizes sections and includes a brief paragraph pointing us to the most important conclusion: fossils are the result of death, the wages of sin. ...

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Graphic novels

Bluffton

My summer with Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan 2013 / 240 pages Before there were silent films, there was vaudeville. Pay your nickel and you could sit in on a dozen acts: jugglers, comedians, contortionists, animal trainers, tightrope actors, and more. In 1908, vaudeville came to Bluffton, Michigan, a troop of actors looking to take their summer break by the lake. And Henry can't get enough of hanging out with the whole lot of them, especially a boy his own age, Buster Keaton. Henry wants to learn how Buster can take a licking in his on-stage slapstick act and bounce right up again, but all Buster wants to do is play baseball. While Henry is fictional, Buster Keaton is not. He was one of the silent film era's biggest comedic stars, maybe not quite as well known as Charlie Chaplin, but twice as funny. This account of his early years is maybe as much supposition as fact, accurate in the broad overview if not in any of the details. Bluffton is an intriguing read for the slice of life it presents from more than 100 years past. Back then entertainment wasn't available at the ready in a person's back pocket, so when it came to your town, that was an event. The Keaton family act was physical, like the films Buster made later. He always knew how to pratfall with the best of them, and without getting hurt. And that the ol' "Stone Face Keaton" never cracks a smile makes it all the funnier. The story is told over the course of three summers – Henry and Buster become the best of friends, a girl comes between them, at least for a bit, and then, finally, life takes them in very different directions. Cautions The language concerns are limited to "Jumping Jehoshaphat," "Holy smokes," and "Holy cow." Also worth a note is that the physical nature of the Keaton family act had an early version of Child Protective Services investigating the family for child abuse. While no charges were laid, it is a sober subject – child abuse – even if it is only touched on in passing. That's why this isn't for young readers, though the size, and quiet pacing, means they aren't likely to pick it up anyways. Conclusion For the right person this will be a quick read. It's 240 pages but not too many words on each, and so much is shown rather than told. It is for the history buff, especially if anyone who likes older films. Keaton was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1920s and 30s,  and we get to see what shaped him early on. While Bluffton is a beautifully done book, it is not one with universal appeal – I think it fascinating, but I know what only a select few will agree....

Red heart icon with + sign.
Book Reviews, Graphic novels

Lost & Found

Based on a True Story by Mei Yu 2024 / 124 pages Cartoonist and Chinese-Canadian Mei Yu shares the mostly true story of her own immigration experience as a young girl. On arriving in Canada, she is sent to school to sink or swim and there is a lot of floundering early on. Her classmates' dialogue, spoken in English which she doesn't yet understand, is shown in a green font, while her Chinese conversations, with her parents and with her stuffed animal, Kitty Paws, are shown in the typical black font. The large amounts of green in the first half of the book gives readers a good idea as to just how confusing it all is for Mei Yu. This could actually have been a pretty brutal book, what with how scary it is for Mei Yu to be in a country where she doesn't understand anything. But for comic relief we have her stuffie, Kitty Paws, coming to life to provide her companionship, and to narrate parts of the story. The brightly colored artwork, in its vaguely Manga, far-from-realistic-style, also helps ease the tension. There's also some comic confusion that lightens things, such as when Mei Yu eats her very first sandwich with chopsticks, instead of holding it with her hands! We do have to wait quite a while for our hero to finally start feeling comfortable – it takes all the way to page 100 before she begins to be able to communicate with her classmates. But there is a very happy ending, with Mei Yu's artistic skills helping to bridge the gap between the two languages. Cautions There is a very little bit of potty humor, but not done simply to be naughty. In one early miscue, Mei Yu's "pee levels" as her stuffie Kitty Paws puts it, are nearing the emergency mark, so she's desperate to go to the washroom. But in her hurry she ends up in the boy's bathroom, and then, when a boy comes in, she thinks he's made the mistake, so she can't figure out why her classmates are laughing at her. Conclusion This is a book every school library should get for how effectively it shows what it is like to be an outsider – this is a book that can help build some empathy. The target audience is elementary, but this would be an interesting read for anyone Grade 2 on into high school. For older kids, Shaun Tan's The Arrival offers a very different comic book immigration account....

1 2 3 4 5 6