Katy's Debate: 2

Katy Lambright is back in Kim Vogel Sawyer's Katy's Debate! Katy enters the world of debating and using words to win and persuade. When Katy's dad starts courting Mrs. Graber, Katy feels like she has to fight for her dad. She begins using her debating skills to persuade her dad that they don't need Mrs. Graber. But is she making a big mistake? Meanwhile, Katy develops a crush for a member of the debate club. But he's "worldly", or non-Mennonite! What is a girl to do? This is an excellent sequel to the first book in the series. It definitely left me wanting to learn more about Katy's life and read future books. Katy's feelings are very real, though her life in the Mennonite community is different. As with the last book, there are lessons to be learned and good morals throughout this book, such as the importance of honoring parents and trusting God. I highly recommend it. Note: This book was provided freely to me by Zondervan publishers. I am not obligated to write a positive review- only an honest one.

I want to go to Katy's school - not only do they have a cool debate group that travels to compete, but the second half of the year she takes forensics (competitions in which competitors deliver an original speech on a subject of their choosing, though the speech must be factual.) It all sounds like such fun! This novel was a page turner. Katy and her friends are a year older than in the first novel. And their emotions and interests have changed. This is not a stagnant series. I read on Kim's Facebook account that Katy has boy trouble in Book Four of the series. As usual, the writing is solid. Kim creates pockets of visuals for the reader to have a glimpse into this mysterious Mennonite community. The ending of this novel was wonderful. All the plot points were tied up. But what I liked the most was that a character had made a couple of mistakes and that character made amends in the only biblical way : by confessing their sin to the other person and asking for forgiveness. I LOVE that because this novel is geared towards tweens and teens. A great example of Christlike behavior.

Katy's Debate is the second book in Kim's 'Katy Lambright' series, geared for young adults. You can see my review of book one, Katy's New World, on my blog: thecreativesideofsteph DOT blogspot DOT com. In book two, Katy has to deal with her widower dad's interest in kind widow Mrs. Graber. Katy is definitely not in favor of having another woman in the house. Having joined her high school's debate club, Katy feels she has all the right tools to convince her dad she is all he needs. When Katy scores the win she was looking for, is it really what she wants? As in book one, Katy struggles with choosing right or wrong - don't we all? But, again, I felt like Kim Vogel Sawyer has created a well-rounded, safe series for my daughter to someday read.

Review by Susan's teenaged daughter. Just as life settles down and Katy joins the debate team, her world gets turned upside down. Can Katy balance life, school, and family troubles? MORE ABOUT THE BOOK: Katy's life at school gets interesting as she joins the debate team. She believes that if only she would be given the chance to compete, she can be as good as anyone on the team. But when her big chance finally arrives, can she do as well as she has dreamed or will her nerves get in the way? At home, life becomes complicated when Katy's dad starts courting a woman. Katy feels she's old enough to handle her own household. More importantly, she doesn't need a new mother. She believes she and her dad are doing just fine on their own, and she schemes to send the woman packing. Despite the fact that everyone, including her best friend, believes that her dad's courtship is a good thing, Katy does her best to convince him he doesn't need a wife. Her worst nightmare comes true when the woman accepts her father's proposal. Is it too late to convince him to her way of thinking? Katy refuses to give up her efforts to curtail his future marriage. Meanwhile, Katy is dealing with her growing feelings for a boy at school that she knows her father will never accept. Can Katy balance school and the Mennonite life she has grown up in? Will she destroy the relationships of those she loves? This is the second book in the Katy Lambright Series. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to the next book in this series, Katy's Homecoming, releasing in February 2011!

At first I was hesitant about reading this because it is from about a girl who is a Mennonite (for which I know almost nothing about). I didn't think I would be able to identify with the main character. But the character of Katy is very well written and likable. I can see why there is a series of these books about Katy Lambright, she has real emotions and is put is situations that almost all Christians have to deal with at some point. The highlight of this book is the people in it. The characters are built up, not quickly raced through. Katy's innermost thoughts, sometimes right, and sometimes wrong, help reveal the relationships she has with secondary characters. These secondary characters help give Katy good direction on her behavior when she strays from the Lord. Katy never looks at these people as bad, even though they are opposing her when she's having her trouble in her walk. It honestly took me about 40 pages before I actually got into the story, but when I did I could not put the book down. I love character studies and sometimes they have a slow start. This development is worth the wait in this book. I was fascinated by Katy's world. I am by no means a Mennonite, but this has good Christian values that I can support. Review by Mick McArt Author: Tales of Wordishure [...] 6/28/2010