Scriptures & More | Book Reviews

Best-selling Catholic author Patti Maguire Armstrong offers a great new fiction book to help kids (and parents) learn about prayer.

by Cheryl Dickow | Source: Bezalel Books

Along with the Sacraments, prayer is the mainstay of a Catholic life.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church there are many ways to engage in prayer. The Catechism identifies the basic forms of prayer as blessing, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise.

Prayer allows us to communicate with God and let our heart’s desires be known while also allowing us to know God’s desires for our lives.

While prayers are always answered, we certainly know they aren’t always answered as we hope or expect.

What we can count on is that God always take our prayers and answers them in ways that we grow in our faith and have the potential to become better for him. He refines us and it is always in our best interest to understand and embrace those opportunities in which he puts us through the fire because in the end it is his love that orchestrates all.

This is the dilemma faced by the siblings in Patti Maguire Armstrong’s wonderful fiction book for kids of all ages called Dear God, I don’t get it!

Father has lost his job and one sibling prays for father to get a new job that will allow the family to stay in the same house, city and state; meanwhile, another sibling is praying that God will use the job loss as a chance to move on to new and exciting things for the family—a new home, city and state.

All sorts of antics ensue as the family is uprooted and the oldest sibling finds the new surroundings to be less than ideal. What both kids and parents witness in this delightful book is how God’s answers—regardless of how different they are than what we may have had in mind—are always the best answers.

If, and only if, we see how they are meant for our good. In that way we are “in charge” of our own destiny—how we respond to things is totally and completely up to us.

Patti wrote Dear God, I don’t get it! with a few things in mind. Patti sees the great need for Catholic kids to enjoy fiction that teaches the faith in fun and engaging ways because it is a fun and engaging faith! Patti also has a keen sense of what works in regards to books for kids as Patti herself is the mother of ten.

For Catholic families or classrooms looking for an excellent book that explores prayer in a fun and enlightening way, Dear God, I don’t get it! is a real treasure sure to please all!