A book your daughters will devour AND be inspired by! My review of "Here's Lily" by Nancy Rue

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Lily Robbins is just an ordinary girl, trying to figure out who she is in a confusing world where she's teased and bullied and, as a result, doesn't have much confidence in herself. However, all that changes when a modelling agency visits her school, and to Lily's utter shock, she is chosen to participate in modelling lessons with a possibility for future modelling jobs. Lilly soon becomes tasked with finding God in a business where the focus seems to be on her outward beauty. However, a tragic accident finds Lily questioning everything she believed about herself - and who God has made her to be.

Something I love about children's fiction is the way it deals with serious issues in a raw and honest way, free of pretense. Here's Lily takes a close look at the impact of bullying, teasing, and name-calling on children's self-esteem - yet the young readers may not even realize the valuable lessons they are learning as the book is so entertaining! I loved how a firm stance is taken against teasing, which can seem to be harmless, and yet can do such damage. Lily's own moment of triumph against the class bully is awesome and readers will find themselves cheering her on! Lily's struggle with her appearance and her development of "God-confidence" is an extremely valuable nugget of truth that I hope my own daughters will take away from this book. 

Nancy Rue has brought her trade-mark humour and light-hearted moments to this read, and the book flows smoothly from chapter to chapter, keeping me engaged from beginning to end - despite the fact that I am a father in his 30's reading a children's book! I highly recommend this book and look forward to revisiting Lily in future books. 5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher and the Booksneeze program, in exchange for this unbiased review.

About the author...

Nancy Rue is the author of 110 books, including 9 novels for adults, 17 for teens, and 60 for tween readers, as well as 2 parenting books, 32 non-fiction books for tweens and teens, and the features for the FaithGirlz Bible. Her Lily Series, published by Zondervan, has sold well over one million copies. Her ability to relate to a wide audience has made her a popular radio and television guest and an in-demand speaker and teacher for writer's conferences across the country. She has been a regular keynoter for The Young Writer's Institute and Virtuous Reality Ministries, and now anchors Zondervan's Beauty of Believing Tour for FaithGirlz, which draws thousands of tween girls and their moms. Nancy is also the founder of the "Writing for Children and Youth Conference" in Glen Eyrie, Colorado. Her latest titles include The Reluctant Prophet for adult readers (David C. Cook) Limos, Lattes, and My Life On the Fringe (Zondervan) for teens, and That Is SO Me (Zondervan), a year-long devotional for tweens. A student of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, sponsored by the Upper Room, Nancy continues her own spiritual journey even as she writes and speaks for mothers, daughters, and would-be writers about theirs. For more information, visit her website at www.nancyrue.com.

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