When Patsy sent me her review of A Whisper and a Wish, it jogged my memory that Kristina had reviewed the same book sometime back. I was going to call Patsy and say sorry, but then I began thinking maybe one of our readers has been looking for just such a book. (God moves in our lives in mysterious ways and He doesn’t clue me in on most of His plans.) So . . . I posted both Patsy’s review and Kristina’s. As you will see, while Patsy and Kristina each love the book, they each come at it a little differently. — Nancy

A Whisper and a Wish, written by Robin Jones Gunn and published by Focus on the Family Publishing, will delight and entertain girls, ages 12-16, while teaching them valuable lessons about living for the Lord.

Fifteen-year-old Christy Miller is thrilled when her family decides to move from Wisconsin to California. She has already spent the summer with Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob, who live in Newport Beach. She has made friends and even met someone special, Todd.

Unfortunately, even though Todd’s dad is in Newport Beach, Todd is going to Florida for the year to stay with his mom. That is one of Christy’s first disappointments. Another is  learning that her family will not be living in Newport Beach, but in Escondido which is more inland and farther away.

She makes a few friends, Brittany and Janelle. They introduce her to a young man, Rick, that they admire. Christy keeps running into Rick, but always in embarrassing situations. She still likes Todd, but he has not written to her once.

Christy is a Christian and wants to follow the Lord, but she is finding that as things come up,  she isn’t always sure how the Lord would want her to respond. She keeps praying, asking the Lord for help, yet one of her new friends brings her some trouble that leads to a run in with the police. More challenges come her way. This story is full of subjects young women can relate too, including peer pressure and wisdom in dating relationships. (Christy’s parents won’t let her date until she is sixteen.)

Christy is learning that God wants her to whisper an important word to Him. She needs to stop worrying so much about what she should say no to, and think more about saying yes to the Lord and all the things He has in store for her. She learns that spending time with other Christians is important as well as reading God’s word and attending church. In the end, she learns that God has a very special plan for her life and brings her a friend who wants to encourage her in her faith and follow Him as well.

Patsy Ledbetter says she has many titles, but her favorite is being mom to her five children. Her two daughters, two sons and one son-in-law are her joy. A teacher with forty years experience Patsy has taught children of all ages and also special needs children and adults. She writes occasionally for a local newspaper and performs in church theater productions on a regular basis. Her husband is the church choir and orchestra director. They have been married for 32 years. She says, “It is my desire to bring honor and glory to my Lord Jesus in every area where He has allowed me to minister.”

 

A Whisper and a Wish by Robin Jones Gunn is volume 2 in The Christy Miller Series. It introduces Rick and Katie as friends of Christy. Both will help shape Christy’s life in her high school years. At the end of the first book Christy thinks about her experience in California and knows she wants to come back for college or a visit one day. Christy discovers that she will be moving to California sooner then she expects. She thinks she will be back with her beach friends in Newport. She is a little disappointed to learn she will be two hours away in a small town not near the ocean.

As school starts Christy is excited to be seen with the popular crowd. Everything seems to be going well for her and her friends. Brittany is a popular girl who seems nice. However, she has some secrets that will cause trouble for Christy. At a sleepover party with her friends Janelle, Katie and Brittany, Christy finds out that Brittany is making herself sick whenever she eats. She later finds out Brittany is taking prescription diet pills prescribed for Brittany’s mother. Christy also discovers that Janelle and Katie are new Christians and attend a local church. The girls quickly invite Christy to attend the youth group on Sunday morning. At the youth group Christy meets Rick.

Christy is invited by her aunt and uncle to visit Palm Springs with them for an extended weekend, and they allow her to bring two friends. Brittany and Janelle are delighted to go and everything seems perfect until Brittany drags both Christy and Janelle into her problem. Christy learns quickly that she must rely on God for wisdom.

A Whisper and a Wish is a great help to parents. The story reminds teenagers to choose their friends wisely. Christy learns about the serious issues of appearance and what some girls will do for attention. In recent weeks there have been reports on the news about prescription drug abuse. Many teens say it is easy to get drugs from the medicine cabinet. Also parents need to know the warning signs of eating disorders which could lead to serious health problems or death.

This book is for teenage girls 13 -17. Christy is 14 in Book 1 and is 17 at the end of the series.

Kristina O’Brien is a mother of three, an avid reader, and credentialed teacher. She has taught both middle school and high school history.