We are a family of readers. We love reading together as a family and as our own personal escape. I especially like finding books to share with my children that show good character. My children like finding new friends and new adventures within the pages. With the series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp from Baker Publishing Group, we have all found something we enjoy. We have been blessed with the first two books in the series – Life with Lily and A New Home for Lily.
Co-authors Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher have brought the delightful world of growing up Amish to children. Mary Ann, raised Old Order Amish, blogs at A Joyful Chaos. Suzanne is the author of many Amish fiction and non-fiction books. You can read more about Suzanne at her website. I have enjoyed her books and am very pleased to be able to share her writing with my girls. Many of the adventures of Lily are straight from Mary Ann’s memories of her childhood.
In the first book of the series, Life with Lily, we meet Lily (age 5) and her growing family. We follow along as Lily experiences many of the same things my children have experienced. Getting a new sibling, caring for a baby bird, beginning school, and other fun things encountered while living on a farm. Along with the happy and funny moments were some sad or difficult ones — just like life. These gave us the opportunity to discuss some of the more difficult ones.
A New Home for Lily is Book Two. Just as the title suggests, the second book in the series finds Lily and her family settling into a new home. Just as in the first book, there is someone difficult to like that Lily has encounters with. She makes friends, makes Jell-O (a lot of Jell-O) and eventually gets her own room. We haven’t finished this yet as a family, but I’ve read ahead. I’m looking forward to sharing with my children about Lily’s time with her favorite cousin Hannah and the goats added to their farm.
The chapters stand alone as short little stories. This was perfect as a read aloud to keep with us and pick up whenever we had a few moments — waiting at a doctor’s appointment — or more time to read several chapters. Written for 8-12 year olds, it is longer than most books my children have read at these ages, but not difficult. My youngest daughter is five, so we often picture her when we first started reading. Now, Lily is 7 which is the age of our oldest son. Even though it’s a “girl story” (his words — there is nothing particularly girly about it) he has quite enjoyed it as well. He is often the loudest protestor when I set the book aside. We are all enjoy these adventures with Lily – from the 5 year old to the mama, both boys and girls.
We are really enjoying our time reading together about Lily. There will be more books in the series (book 3 coming soon!) and we cannot wait to read them. Of course, reading aloud is often more slow than reading something on your own. I’ve caught my 10 year old daughter sneaking ahead. We recently learned about the website which features games and other information about the books and authors.
If you would like to add these delightful books to your own library, they are available in paperback for $12.99. E-book versions are also available. To read other Crew reviews, be sure to follow the link below.
