I must admit I volunteered at the local school to read this to a group of children.

Let me put it this way.  It took me about 2 weeks – their story hour was really only 15 minutes long each time – but they really enjoyed this.  That makes it a winner in my book.  Kids are choosy.  Even more than I am (yes that’s possible).

In terms of an adult reading this book to children, it was enjoyable.  I looked forward to it as much as they were.  And after reading books to kids every night, us parents have to enjoy the books as well. The book was written for children, but it gave parents places they could stop to bring up certain topics with their children. (bullying, friendships ect.)  So this book isn’t just a “good book” that you read once, but a good book that can help open discussions with your children.

Well done again Melissa.

I started off really digging this book.  The fact that all the lights went out and all of a sudden there is no law and you don’t know who is good and who is evil, that piqued my interest.  However, it must be done with a new twist and this topic has been written about many times.

There was a promising light, but it didn’t quite get there.  I think my biggest complaint is that towards the middle of the book it just became the cliche horror book.  The gore was there and the foul language was ever-present.  I was able to finish the book and I did enjoy the beginning a lot.  It just disappointed me as it went along.

Besides the gore and language, the plot had some holes in it that would have been better off filled in.  I would have also liked to see more of the good and evil fight actually being fought.  It seems as it was only represented by the man in the trench and people ripping each other apart.  The opposite side of the coin wasn’t developed very well, if at all.

In terms of spelling errors, there were a bit much than I would be able to overlook.  It is a bit distracting at times.

However, if the author is able to show restraint in the language and overuse of gore, he has a promising career in front of him.

Product Description

No more room.

It began with a power outage. A power outage that went beyond lights and televisions. Clocks stopped telling time. Cell phones no longer received signals. Cars became dead relics that wouldn’t start. As the world around them becomes darker, so do the inhabitants of the small town of Westmont, Illinois. A mysterious and evil presence has taken a hold over the village, making the once peaceful town a place of violence and despair. A small group of individuals, untouched by this presence, must uncover the mystery of why they remain normal and discover what (or who) is taking control of their town, one soul at a time. Because the Man in the Dark Coat is out there. Hunting them. And not everyone can remain untouched forever.

This book is a great how-to for churches that would like to expand their congregations.  It shows examples of how other churches did it and how to avoid pitfalls.

While an interesting book, this book is targeting church leaders and those that help make decisions.  I must say that although church expansion has always happened, bringing it into the internet is a new venture.  While it has been successfully used by some churches (as you will read in the book), it is not something I would like to see happen with smaller churches.  Opening up a brick and mortar sister church is great, but bringing it into the internet seems a little odd to me.

Like the book said, not everyone can make it into a church, and putting the sermons online is a great way to make them accessible to all, but it seems like everything is about numbers.  The bigger and bigger churches get, the less personalization they are trying to achieve will get.  At some point it may get too big and the whole reason they expanded may backfire.

Hopefully church leaders reading this book will realize that although it has worked with some churches, it is not for everyone.  I wish the book focused a little more on the pitfalls on doing this and how to cut back if it backfires.

Watch the Video Here

Let me just start this by saying “HOW DID THIS BOOK GET LOST IN MY PILE!?!?!!?!?!?”

Loved it!  Loved the short stories, the poems made me smile (and at times cringe – “darkies”) and the sketches were awesome!  If you can get this book, run and get it.  There are limited copies and the price is just going to keep going up.

I must now go kick myself for not picking this up sooner.

Thank you Mr. Nolan.  I am a fan for life.

Let me start this review by telling you what my son said:

No no mommy.  This book stays here with me.  Leave it here because I like it.

For those of us with kids, you know how difficult it is to get them focused on one thing and having them like it enough to want to hold on to it.  Especially a book. So because of this I give the book high ratings.

As a parent, I liked this book because every child goes through the same things Iggy went through (being the new one in school and dealing with bullies and a crush.) If there is a way to make talking to your children about this fun, I am all for it.  No child likes to sit and listen to a parent tell them “Everything will be all right”.  An iguana saying it?  Oh yeah, they will listen.  I think Melissa Williams did a really nice job with this book.

Something else I liked about the book, which many people take for granted is the font.  It was big.  The perfect size for kids.  It seems like lately, unless it’s a baby book, the font has been getting smaller and smaller to fit more into the book.  Melissa decided to go the other route.  Instead of quantity she went for quality.  Very well done.

This book is getting added to my “kid party” gift bag list.

Product Description

Iggy the Iguana, inspired by the author’s love of a childhood pet, will touch the hearts of all readers. Kids relate well to the animal characters in this book, as Iggy and his new friends go through their school year together and experience many of the same things kids experience in fourth grade, today. Iggy learns how to adapt to the changes in his life and opens his eyes to realize that change can be pretty good. Each character in this story has a unique and even humorous personality of their own, making, Melissa M. Williams’, Iggy the Iguana, a fun book for all types of kids to read.