A Big Year for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher is the third book in the Adventures of Lily Lapp series. My friend Emily reviewed the first two, so this was the first time I’ve read one of the books in this series. 

I must say, it was delightful.

In book three, Lily experiences the joys of attending school with her cousins, the trauma of being falsely accused, the drama of the teacher getting married, the frustration of being picked on by a boy at school, and numerous other trials and delights that she sometimes handles well, and other times, finds herself learning some hard lessons. There are many insights into Amish culture that I think young girls (and their mothers!) would find fascinating!

I’m sure my perspective is different than that of an 8-10 year old girl, but I appreciated that Lily’s parents are a team, that they do not condone misbehavior, and that they accept their little girl for who she is. Their discipline is measured and appropriate, sprinkled with grace and mercy, and it is clear that they adore their children, are hard workers, and are still quite smitten with each other. In a world where so many children’s stories either act as if the parents are non-entities, or worse, act as if they are idiots, I found Lily’s parents to be a breath of fresh air.

These books are written for girls 8 and up, but I think they would make an excellent read-aloud for girls as young as 5 or 6. Some of the chapters are quite short (2-5 pages) and while the story does build and progress, each chapter is its own vignette and stands alone quite nicely. I could see this being a lovely choice for bedtime or afternoon story time reading. 

A Big Year for Lily is available in July 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The super fine print: I was provided a copy of this book by Revell in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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A few months ago, I introduced you to my friend Emily when she reviewed Life with Lily by Suzanne Woods Fisher and Mary Ann Kinsinger. Emily is a fantastic writer and a great lover of books and I was thrilled when she agreed to come back and review the second book in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series for us.

Here’s a little info about A New Home for Lily:

Lily Lapp is moving with her family to Pennsylvania to join
a new Amish community. In this small town where changes –
and newcomers – are greeted with suspicion, Lily must adjust
to a new school, new friends and Aaron Yoder, an annoying
boy who teases her relentlessly. Still, there are exciting new
developments, including an attic full of adventure and a new
baby brother. But why, Lily wonders, can’t God bring her just
one sister?

Now, once again, please welcome Emily.

A New Home for Lily was very fun to read. Lily is getting used to a new Amish community and new friends. The books starts where the last one ended (I really like when books do that). Lily has to wear new clothes in the new community and I like how she had to wait for them. 

The thing that I did not like in this book were the children Aaron and Effie. They were very mean to Lily and her family.

The great thing about The Adventures of Lily Lapp series is the chapters are not too long. I can always squeeze in a chapter before bed or after my work is complete at school. I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read number three.

I would recommend this book to any girl who wants to read something kind and good.

~~~~~~
Lynn here: Thanks, Emily! Great job!

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