Several months ago I was given the opportunity to review the second book in the Bible Belles series, titled Esther: The Belle of Patience. This was a book we really enjoyed as it is very important to me to be able to share the truths of the Bible with my children. Earlier this month, I was approached to review the newest release in the Bible Belles series, Abigail: The Belle of Bravery.
Synopsis:
"The adventure continues in Book Three of the Bible Belles series, as Rooney faces her biggest challenge yet.
With the help of her angel Mari, Rooney has learned that she has two real superpowers: prayer and patience. After a tough afternoon with her brother and some neighborhood kids, Rooney is faced with a difficult choice: can she be brave enough to do the right thing?
Through the story of Abigail, Rooney learns that she can call upon the courage of God to boldly face any problem with the confidence that He will see her through it.
Join Rooney and Mari on another exciting adventure to becoming the best kind of superhero - a Bible Belle!"
I love that the reason the Bible Belles series was created was to help girls "connect to the female heroes of the Bible, to celebrate women whose inner beauty God used for a mighty purpose." The stories of these Biblical women are not near as well-known as the stories of the men in the Bible. It think it is wonderful that girls learn that God also used important women throughout history. All in all, there will be five books in this series, and we will be able to explore the qualities of: prayer, patience, bravery, loyalty, and leadership.
In this series Rooney Cruz is learning more and more about God and his will for her life. Rooney is a modern girl with modern problems. With the help of her angel Mari, Rooney travels to Bible times to see first hand the stories of five superhero women of the Bible. These lives are specifically shown to her to help her through her current problem. In this newest story, Rooney needs to deal with the new next door neighbors after her brother was mean to the one boy, who used to be his friend.
In Abigail: The Belle of Bravery, Rooney learns to overcome her fears by remembering how strong and powerful God is. She uses the example of Abigail who took food to the angry David and his troops, even though her husband wasn't going to help them.
And yes, Rooney took the knowledge she gained, added it to her powers of prayer and patience, and earned another "bell" to her charm bracelet. She used what she learned to have the courage to approach the neighbor boys, and even brought them a treat, reminiscent of the food that Abigail sent to David and his men.
The story ends with this Bible verse: "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
What did we think of the book?
Tabitha says "I think it was really cool how Rooney could stand up to someone who was being mean."
Amelia says "I liked it because Abigail went to David, even though her husband wouldn't help him and was being mean"
Hannah says "I liked it because she like went back in time and stuff happened that we don't know a lot about"
I also enjoyed reading Abigail: The Belle of Bravery. My girls all seem to be at the right age to enjoy this story and learn from it. I read it to all the children while they gathered around the computer, as I was sent a digital PDF copy. Being only 50 pages long, with only partial text on most pages, and with some pages with only pictures, this story was easy to read in one sitting.
I did mention this in my last review, but I wanted to make sure to mention it here as not everyone reading this review has read the previous Bible Belles review. The one aspect about this series that concerned me, was the way they chose to portray the angel. Amelia didn't see a problem with her. However, when I asked Tabitha what the angel looked like if you were glancing through the book without knowing what she was or what the book was about, she said Mari reminded her of a fairy. Which was exactly what I was thinking. I would have preferred a human sized angel who was worthy of the name "angel" as opposed to a little magical creature. Obviously this isn't going to change, as Mari is a part of the series now, but I do like to make my readers aware of it.
All in all, I do recommend this book. It is a great way to instill Biblical values to young girls. Now, if there was just a similar series for boys.
In addition to the three books in the series, which can all be purchased for $14.99 each, you can purchase the set of three for a bit of a discount: only $39.95. They also have downloadable devotionals for each of the three books, only $4.99 each, $9.99 for the bundle of three.
You can find out more about Bible Belles on the website. While there, you may want to look into joining the Bible Belles Club. There are also some free resources available, coloring pages and activity cards. You just need to provide a name and email address for access.
Great news! I have been given the opportunity to offer a giveaway for one person to win their own copy of Bible Belle's Abigail: The Belle of Bravery
All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below.
There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional.
Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning.
This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over.
The giveaway runs November 30th through December 11th.
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!
By entering the giveaway, you understand and agree that your contact information will be shared with the sponsor.
Disclosure: I received a downloadable PDF copy of Bible Belle's Abigail: The Belle of Bravery in exchange for my honest review. I will also be receiving a hardcover copy. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.