A Big Year for Lily

Lily Lapp is nine and for a young Amish girl there are as many challenges for her as any nine-year-old girl. Her first and foremost issue is dealing with Aaron Yoder, a boy that thrives on teasing Lily whenever the opportunity becomes available. When her pencil rolls off the desk and she bends over to retrieve it, he holds his hand over her head while the rest of her class laughs. Her only hope this year is that her Cousin Hannah is joining her. Perhaps dealing with Aaron with an ally by her side won't be so bad after all. But when Hannah soon finds that Aaron isn't as bad as Lily claims and even finds herself wondering if Aaron likes her, Lily is literally at wit's end. Could this year possibly get any worse?

In the latest novel, A Big Year for Lily, by authors Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher, The Adventures of Lily Lapp continues in book 3. Geared for children 8 and up, this makes a wonderful chapter book to get your child started in loving a different kind of life as an Amish child. Most of the time, there are very few differences between any nine-year-old. There are sibling rivalries as Lily is the only girl in a houseful of boys, there is the bossy classmate, Effie, who thinks all the things Lily is interested in are simply things a girl should never participate in, even calling a climb in the apple tree a sin, which Lily proudly proclaims is not. Only to her horror, she jumps from the tree and rips the backside of her dress causing her to be more than a little embarrassed.

There are so many wonderful adventures that Lily participates in, from having finally achieved her own bedroom in the attic only to discover at night that bats are getting in somehow, to baking her mother a wonderful birthday cake which turns out hilarious. There are also some wise bits of Amish wisdom tucked away in some of these charming stories one of my favorites being the time Lily and her father were painting a sign for their mom and a bumble bee lands in the wet paint on the sign. He begins to wander around the green sign with white little feet and Lily is upset over the how the insect has ruined the perfect sign. Her father reminds her that each time she sees the sign it will remind her to focus on the good in others instead of seeing all their faults.

I received A Big Year for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Revell Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. I am super excited to share this latest novel with my niece who inhales chapter books as fast as I do novels. I can't wait to hear what she thinks of Lily's life growing up Amish and how it compares to hers. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for A Surprise for Lily coming soon. There is a great discussion guide at the end that helps parents explain to their children just what some of the concepts are in the Amish way of life and even a recipe for Lily's favorite Sweetheart Pudding which is served at Amish weddings.

For more information about A Big Year for Lily, Mary Ann Kinsinger, Suzanne Woods Fisher or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

A Big Year for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsigner and Suzanne Woods Fisher

You can also find Mary Ann Kinsinger on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

You can also find Suzanne Woods Fisher on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Big Year for Lily from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is celebrating the release of A Big Year for Lily, book three in the beloved Adventures of Lily Lapp series, with a giveaway extravaganza!











 
One winner will receive:




• An iPad Adventure Pack (includes a fun stand and an art kit) 

Twelve winners will receive:

• Special prizes specially picked by Lily (something new each day)! Suzanne will announce the winners on July 29 on her blog!

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 27th. All winners will be announced July 29th at Suzanne's blog.






Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Suzanne's blog on the 29th to see if you won one of the fun prizes! (Or better yet, subscribe to her blog and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox!)

Life with Lily

I've been a huge fan of Christian Amish Fiction for many years now and sometimes it was hard to be able to relate to my youngest daughter how incredible the stories are and what life is like for the Amish people. It's a simple life, one free from complications that arise when you have too much going on in your life or with technology overload. So when the opportunity came along to review, Life with Lily, the first book in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher, I knew this was the answer I was searching for to get my daughter involved with the love of reading about the Amish through the eyes of a young Amish girl, Lily Lapp.

This is a beautifully illustrated chapter book designed for your child from 3rd grade reading and up to see what Lily Lapp's life is like as she goes through her day. The book is 270 pages designated into 39 easy to read chapters that would make for a perfect bed time story to read to your child. There are chapters that deal with Lily's birthday, how the Amish celebrate Halloween and Christmas, first day at school, what life on an Amish farm is like, the chores Lily has to do and how she deals with farm animals, new friends and interesting people she meets along the way.

For me one of my favorite chapters was "An Unwanted Schoolhouse Visitor" where the school's superintendent, Mr Wilt comes to visit to see what the children are doing. Since Lily's in first grade, she is working on her Learning Through Sounds book in which she is cutting out pictures and gluing them beside the letters that begin with the sound, something she really enjoyed while trying hard not to get distracted by Mr. Wilt as he walks around their one room school house. He had come to ensure that each of the children were learning what they should at their assigned grade levels which Lily passed with flying colors but not all the children did as well as she did. In fact, what Mr. Wilt wanted them to learn wasn't something that the Amish agreed with such as learning about evolution. You'll have to pick up this book to see what happens when the Amish learn about what has been going on at the school.

I received Life with Lily compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Revell Publishers for my honest review. I am absolutely thrilled that my daughter has enjoyed reading this with me and it gives us an opportunity to talk about the lifestyles that some families have that are different from ours. It allows us to interact more and show how truly educational reading can be and how it really brings us together as a family. After we finished, my youngest daughter realized that while something may be different, Lily is a lot more like her than she first thought. They like the same things and they both still have to deal with school! I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to continue the series with my daughter. It's almost like a Little House on the Prairie series but dealing with an Amish girl named Lily instead! It's a heartwarming and charming book to get your child interested in the love of reading.

For more information about Life with Lily, Mary Ann Kinsinger, Suzanne Woods Fisher, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Life with Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher

You can find Mary Ann Kinsinger on Facebook by clicking here. 

You can find Suzanne Woods Fisher on Facebook by clicking here. 

“Based upon Kinsinger’s own childhood, it’s reminiscent of the Little House on the Prairie books.” —Romantic Times


Celebrate with Suzanne and Mary Ann by entering their contest and RSVPing to the “Life with Lily” Facebook Author Chat Party on 10/16!

Two fortunate winners will receive:

• Either the new Kindle Fire or new Nook HD


• Signed copy of Life with Lily for you and a young reader in your life.  

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 15th. Winner will be announced at the Life with Lily Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/16. Connect with authors Suzanne Woods Fisher and Mary Ann Kinsinger for an evening of book chat, Q&A about Mary Ann’s Amish childhood, trivia, and fun! There will also be gift certificates, books, and other fun prizes!

So grab your copy of Life with Lily and join Suzanne and Mary Ann on the evening of the October 16th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the books – don’t let that stop you from coming!)




Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 16th!