Waves of Light by Naomi Kinsman



Age Range: 9+ (middle-grade readers)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Release Date: 4.23.12
Pages: 224
Publisher: ZonderKidz (Zondervan)
Part of a Series: *book #3 in the From Sadie's Sketchbook series

Tag Line: Where is God when you need him?

Summary (snagged from Goodreads): After struggling to fit into a new town and school, Sadie faces questions about her faith, family, and friendships, questioning all she has come to believe. Sadie's life is spinning out of control. Her friend moved away, her mom remains ill, and her dad wants to leave town. At least the play Sadie is helping produce appears to be going well. After all, she gets to create the sets with her art teacher's help. But even that falls apart when a flash flood destroys her teacher's home and art. How can she trust or even believe in a God who would allow all this? God isn't fair. With everything crumbling and her faith on the edge, Sadie must find strength in the God she's questioning in order to hold on in the midst of her struggles.


What I Loved: I wasn't so sure I'd really like this coming-of-age story, but I was wrong, as I found myself really really in-like with Waves of Light! It was so full of wonder, questions, hope, faith, trials, love and friendship...all for this spunky 'n' artsy young girl named Sadie to sift her way through and draw closer to God and her loved ones all at the same time. 


The characters were so alive. The writing was beautifully vivid. And the story was super excellent.


You know, I really wish that there would have been more series for young ladies like the From Sadie's Sketchbook series when I was in Middle-School. I really do. 


 


What I Didn't Like So Much: I hadn’t read the first two books in the faithGirlz!/From Sadie’s Sketchbook Series ( {1} Shades of Truth and {2} Flickering Hope ) so I did end up feeling a little bit lost at times in the midst of the already well established story and characters. Other than that I have no more complaints whatsoever.

I’m recommending this book… If you are looking for a hard-hitting coming-of-age story for a middle-grade reader about faith, family and answers about where God actually is when you need him, then this will be a fun, quick read for you! Prepare to smile. Prepare to be charmed. Prepare to fall in love with little lady named Sadie! I give this good-read 4.5 stars!

About The Author: Naomi Kinsman is the author of Spilled Ink (winner of the 2009 Moonbeam Gold Medal for Educational/Activity book) as well as the From Sadie’s Sketchbook series (Zondervan). She has written and directed over 50 plays for young audiences, and has written for Highlights, Spider and Devozine magazines.

As founder of the Society of Young Inklings, Naomi shares her passion for writing and creativity with young people across the country. Society of Young Inklings offers game-based classes, unique resources, national club membership and publishing opportunities for young writers. Naomi has a BA in Theatre Arts from Seattle Pacific University, has studied theatre with the Piven Theatre Workshop and ACT, and has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University.
 
She is the Assistant Regional Advisor for the San Francisco South chapter of SCBWI. Naomi’s background in improvisational and story theatre as well as her arts education work in Chicago, Portland and the Bay Area has convinced her that creative play is a doorway through which learners can find inspiration and transformative learning experiences. Naomi lives in Northern California with her husband, and identically colored pets: a tuxedo cat and a Portuguese Water Dog.

*I received this book for free through Charleen Famiglietti of DJC Communications/Zondervan for the purpose of this review. 

Check out these other links... 


Author's Website
Sadie's Sketchbook Site 


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Purchase Waves of Light from Amazon


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Coming soon from Naomi Kinsman...
9 / 3 / 12
Book #4 in the From Sadie's Sketchbook series

my busy bird life


{ me + jay  // being super silly on clingman's dome }

yes, that "busy bird" has been me for the last couple of weeks now. between working 40 hours this week (it's inventory prep-week at the bookstore), having to say goodbye to my love for a whole entire week (he went to the beach with his family and i am so stinkin' jealous he got to go and i didn't), reading various books for upcoming reviews, spending time with my family that stopped in from new york/florida, and traveling back and forth between south carolina to look around the city (and all it has to offer "living-wise"), and then going on a day trip with my family (plus my boyfriend and my sister's boyfriend) to tennessee to visit ripley's aquarium and hike to the top of clingman's dome on the blue ridge parkway, i've been one very busy young lady and have forgotten and completely neglected my poor blog for far too long. 

oh, and don't forget the laundry! dear, lord, i have neglected my laundry for far too long too. sigh. anyhow...my laundry mountain is beside the point...forgiveness for my busy-bird absent-from-the-blogosphere-for-far-too-long-self, anyone?

if you are still reading this that must've meant that you've forgiven me and have welcomed me back to the nest with open arms. am i right? please, oh please, say i am right!

{ me + rachelle // at she speaks last summer }

hopefully (after july 15th) things will slow down and then this restless bird will finally be able to rest her wings for a bit and get back to writing on her blog and current wip novel. and i am also immensely looking forward to getting to spend time with my she speak's sister/blogger pal/writer friend when she comes to visit me the first week in august. sigh. i cannot wait to visit and chat it up with you, rachelle!

ahem. moving onward...

i'd really love a lull in this cycle of super busy-craziness, ya know! and while the last couple of weeks have been so intense for me time-wise, lack-of-writing-time-wise, family-wise, emotionally, physically and mentally i actually had a lot of fun living through it all. i think sometimes life just comes in these cycles of crazy-business and then it lets down for just a mere moment only to let us find ourselves, our sanity and our peace once again, but then it's just back to the crazy-busy-yet-also-exceedingly-wonderful-stretching-growing-learning life right after that. i praise the lord that i am finally starting to embrace this life i've been given to the fullest and have been able to accept the fact that i will always be the restless peace-seeker through it all. 

so, all that said, i'm back and i'll be sure to check in again in a week, or maybe two, again.

remembering to find my peace in him (and forgiveness in you ;),
sarah elizabeth