Pam Davis

Our family has greatly enjoyed the Girl ‘n Grace series of short chapter books for young readers. My daughter loves the bright, colorful designs and the memorable characters and situations that they encounter.

Each of the titles can be read alone, and Sydney Clair: A Girl ‘n Grace in the 1960s is one of our favourite titles. It deals with Sydney Clair dealing with the typical concerns of a young girl growing up in the ‘60s, and is less politically driven than the first Sydney Clair release – Sydney Clair’s Season of Change.

Sydney Clair’s attempts to raise funds to purchase her own dog results in all sorts of misfires and humorous adventures that are appealing and demonstrate how to deal with disappointments and setbacks.

I actually recommend this title as the first Sydney Clair book a family reads, as it’s a bit more light-hearted and humorous. It also establishes the beginning of Sydney Clair’s walk in faith with Jesus, which serves well as a foundation for the rest of her books.

My seven-year-old daughter feels a great kinship with the Girl ‘n Grace series characters, and is looking forward to our reading this chapter book together again. She already plans on working through it independently once her reading skills develop a bit more, and has our collection grouped together in a special section of the bookcase. It’s great to have a wholesome, faith-focused series that deals with authentic issues and concerns for this age group, which so loves short, chapter-book series.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com… (mere)

In Mesi’s Season of Change: A Friendship Story, Pam Davis’ continues the story she began with Mesi: A Girl ‘n Grace in Africa. The latest title builds onto the timeline begun in the first installment, though enough background information is woven into the text to make the second a stand-alone title or a place where new readers can jump into the Girls ‘n Grace series.

After receiving the saving gift of God’s grace in the first book in Mesi’s story, Mesi finds herself longing for the things of the Lord. She dreams of a church established in her poor village, of a place where she can share God’s gift of grace with others – even those who mock her new faith.

When a man of Mesi’s tribe, the Ashanti, accuses the neighbouring Kienese of stealing his boat, tensions run high. When Mesi and her best friend Kwasi discover a badly injured Kinese boy named Numu, she must draw upon the lessons of kindness and mercy that are newly learned through her fledgling relationship with God in order to overcome generations of intertribal conflict and prejudice. When Kwasi urges Mesi to turn Numu over to the village leaders, Mesi fears for his life, resists, and dedicates herself to his recovery and survival.

Drawing upon the informal discipleship received from her spiritual mentor Miss Ama, Mesi secretly extends mercy to this ‘enemy’ of her tribe. As her love for others grows, she risks even her own personal safety in her efforts to see Numu reunited with his family. Through Mesi’s attempts to deal with mocking family members, unbelieving friends, and looming conflict wherever she turns, her spiritual growth is front and center.

Watching her work through her troubles from the perspective of her new faith, and seeing her Christian character blossom have marked this title as my favourite in the series to date. In addition to being the richest Girls ‘n Grace story in terms of clear-cut character development, Davis has also spun the most suspenseful tale yet in the series. My six-year-old was on tenterhooks waiting to discover Mesi and Numu’s fate.

Engagingly designed, the text is interposed with graphics, colourful design elements and full-page illustrations that appear at the beginning of each short chapter. Written for children ages six and older, it’s easy to see how the vibrant appearance and engaging text will encourage young girls to enter into Mesi’s world. In addition to the intrinsic, culture-sketching story that provides details of African tribal life, an “In Step With Africa” section at the back of the book adds demographic, geographic, and other information about Africa. A series of devotional questions is also included to help young readers reflect on the story.

The opportunity to walk along side Mesi as she grows in God’s grace, and develops a more Christ-like character through the challenging circumstances she’s faced with is a valuable one. Young girls being conformed into His likeness will benefit greatly from Mesi’s accessible, positive example while thoroughly enjoying themselves in the process.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com… (mere)

Perfect for : Personal reading, Bible Study Group

In a nutshell: This is a nicely thought-provoking book - at least it was for me. Pam has done a wonderful job within this book of explaining what God's grace is and why it is important, even going so far as to equate it to the importance of real gold in the marketplace, which ends up being a very good example, something that most people should be able to relate to in some way. She explains that it takes time and effort to pan for God's "gold" or grace. She has done a wonderful job of supporting her points with scripture from the Bible. She has also included some powerful stories to help illustrate the points she is trying to make. This book is a good tool for an individual as well as a bible study group or Christian studies class.

My Review:
This is a good, thought-provoking book designed to encourage readers to become more influenced by God's grace in their lives.

Content: There is a lot of information in this book. Pam has included plenty of real-life examples and backed up each point with scriptures from the bible.

Format: The chapters were nicely organized, and each had a "Nugget" of information, a prayer of grace and questions for reflection.

Readability: There is a lot of good information within the book. I found some of it easier to understand than others, and found that I sometimes needed to put the book down in order to think about what I had read.

Overall: This is a good book for people in all stages of their faith. I believe that different people will receive different benefits from reading this book, and that they can later re-read the book and glean additional information from it.… (mere)