Laurel Hill

New Beginnings, Book 1

By: Erin Mackey

Narrated by: Jae Huff

Length: 1 hr and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

When sixth-grader Maggie and her mom leave their lifelong home to move to the small town of Laurel Hill, Maggie is a little nervous about how it will turn out. She isn't exactly shy, but making new friends is not the easiest thing to do-especially near the end of the school year. Nikki, Jennifer, Amy, Morgan, and Katie have been friends for years. They do everything together! But when Maggie is introduced to their class as a new student, they realize she would be a great addition to their group. Laurel Hill: New Beginnings tells an exciting story about finding new friends, solving mysteries, learning to deal with bullies, and making memories that will last a lifetime. Maggie and her new friends discover that new beginnings show how God renews his promises to us day by day.

©2013 Erin Mackey (P)2018 I'm Hearing Stories

Great book about childhood

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a book that is definitely geared towards children, girls especially, but that doesn't mean it is not enjoyable by all audiances. I thought Jae Hill's narration was perfect for the story. As for the story, it is a great story of childhood and dealing with real life as a school aged kid. I thought the author does a wonderful job of illustrating how to deal with things like bullies, making new friends and what not.

Not my cup of tea.

This story wasn't really made for me but that doesn't mean i won't judge it on it's objective merits. That being said i think the story is very simplistic and overall not very interesting.

Very Good story and narration!

Very good story! Great Narration!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good story, Religious themes not really my thing.

Pretty good story by Erin Mackey and great narration by Jae Huff. The Christian theme was a little over the top though for my taste. That being said, it was still a good story, and great narration.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Laurel Hill

A sweet story dealing with the trials and tribulations of childhood.

Following the divorce of her parents, Maggie and her mom move to a new town. Now she’s faced with fitting in at a new school, trying to make new friends, handling bullies... Eric Mackey has put together a great storyline to handle each of these situations in a positive way.

The narration was well done too!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Christian Fiction for Kids

Maggie and her mother move to the small town of Laurel Hill for a change in their life after her parents divorce. Maggie meets girls in 6th grade who she immediately bonds with. These friends help her with her adjustment and she believes that the move was for the good of the family. I enjoyed the story. I liked how the group of girls were supportive of each other.
The Christian theme was a little over the top but the story was still enjoyable nevertheless. I was gifted a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I HAD to share this with my 6th grader

Laurel Hill New Beginnings, Book 1
By: Erin Mackey Narrated by: Jae Huff

When Maggie’s parents split up it’s tough but add being the new girl in a new town and at a new school and it’s even tougher, but with the help of new friends, things quickly get easier for this 6th grader. Then come the mean girls and bullies. Will Maggie overcome the trouble that comes her way?

This is a wonderful book! I love that it combines a young girls struggles with the Christian views. The girls learn to face their troubles together with their openness about their faith. They even prayed together and for one another.

I started listening to this and immediately turned it off. I HAD to share this with my 6th grader and we listened together. She loved it too.

We rate it with 4 ½ stars. The narrator did a great job too!

Sweet story, great for kids

I received a free copy of this audiobook for review. This was a great story about moving and fitting in. This would be a valuable listen for anyone with kids in a similar situation. Would gladly listen to more adventures from Laurel Hill.

Delightful story for young listeners

A heart-forward story for young readers. Very sweet and positive with a lovely message. Definitely set up for the next in a series, but the story wraps up well and doesn't leave you feeling like you are hanging.

Great narration to capture a child's attention.

Great narration to capture a child's attention but the story fell flat for me. The indoctrination of Christianity throughout the story felt awkward, a bit forced, and caused flow issues. Overall I found this to be a shame given the important life lessons the author was going for (adjusting to change, difficult social dynamics faced by school age children, etc.).

Aside from the aforementioned it was a nice story with characters that many children could potentially relate to. The frequent praying just came across as odd and inorganic. Additionally, it is very important to remember that children must not be allowed to feel that if something goes wrong (perhaps not being able to make friends quite as easily as this character, or something even worse, such as the death of a loved one) they could have somehow prevented it by praying more or in a different manner. I think the way this story approaches religion teeters upon that very hazardous precipice.

It would have been enough for the story to have simply had wholesome characters who behaved in an ethical manner showing kindness towards each other and acceptance of their differences. That is WJWD, after all.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.