Cottonwood Whispers

Cottonwood Whispers

by Jennifer Erin Valent

• Fiction
• Paperback
• September 2009
• Tyndale
• 340 Pages
• Price:  $12.99
• ISBN:  978-1-4143-3326-7
• Purchase a Copy!

Summary:
‘I’ve heard the dead whisper.’  So begins the sequel to Jennifer Erin Valent’s awar-winning debut novel, Fireflies in December.  It’s 1936, and though Jessilyn Lassiter and her best friend Gemma Teague have survived prejudice and heartache in their life-long friendship, this summer threatens to tear them apart yet again.  Gemma’s job with the wealthy Hadley family leads to a crush on their youngest son.  But Jessilyn’s insistence that he’s no good and that no rich white man would ever truly fall for a poor black girl like Gemma puts them at odds.
Tragedy strikes when Jessilyn’s cherished neighbor girl is hit by a car and killed.  Things get worse when an elderly friend is falsely accused of the crime, and the only way to clear his name is to put her family’s livelihood in jeopardy.  For Jessilyn, this is a choice too hard to bear and she wonders where to turn for answers, especially when an angry mob threatens vigilante justice.

Jennifer Erin Valent is the winner of the Christian Writers Guild’s 2007 Operation First Novel contest for Fireflies in December, her first published novel.  She lives in Central Virginia, where she has worked as a nanny for over fifteen years.  A lifelong resident of the south, her surroundings help color the scenes and characters she writes.  Visit her website at http://www.jennifervalent.com/

My Opinion:
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.  Jessilyn is a teenager who has fallen for her neighbor.  They are friends, but she is hoping for more during summer vacation.  When her other friend, Gemma, starts a job, she feels left out and a little put off.  Then Gemma starts acting really strange and avoiding everyone.  Jessilyn then tries to find out what is going on.

Meanwhile, another of her friends is put in jail for a hit and run of a three year old girl Jessilyn babysits.  They know he is innocent but his car is identified as the vehicle that had hit the girl.  The little girls father and a group of men go to the jail and want to hang him for what he has been accused of, but the sheriff holds them off.  All of the characters have an interesting part in the book, even though it mainly focuses on Jessilyn.

I Rated This Book:
3.5 Stars

‘I received a copy from Tyndale to facilitate my review and I was not compensated in any other way.  This is my honest opinion only.’

My Fuzzy Valentine

Word World:  My Fuzzy Valentine was released on DVD on December 29, 2009.  It is 60 minutes long, with two episodes and sells for $6.99 at Toys R Us, Amazon or NCircle Entertainment.  Word World can be seen daily on PBS Kids. The DVD also includes a Bonus ‘It’s Time to Rhyme’ Music Video.

Summary:
In ‘My Fuzzy Valentine’, when Sheep decides she wants to make a special Valentine song for her pal, Bear, she runs into trouble finding just the right rhyme to finish her song.  With the help of Fly, she discovers the perfect rhyme and makes Bear a Valentine song with real heart.  In ‘The Love Bug’, Bug wants to sign a Valentine for his favorite Word Friend, but he doesn’t know how to write his name.  With lots of encouragement from Frog he learns that with a little practice he can write his name.

This is another fun Word World video that I’m sure you will watch over and over again.  Not only is it entertaining but it helps improve children’s literacy skills too.  It’s also a perfect Valentine’s Day treat that isn’t bad for the teeth!

‘I received a sample from NCircle Entertainment to facilitate my review and I was not compensated in any other way.  This is my honest opinion only.’