Brilliant Hues

From Sadie's Sketchbook #4

by Naomi Kinsman

Sketching A Whole New Life Won't Be Easy Life comes full circle for Sadie as she heads back to Menlo Park, California. But Sadie finds she no longer fits in, especially when one of her dad's cases thrusts her into the spotlight and puts her in danger. She turns to her faith, but the youth group just isn't the same, and Sadie has a lot to think about when she hears what some kids believe. She returns to Owl Creek for a reprieve, but everything feels different. She just wants things to go back the way they used to be. Will her faith be strong enough to get her through?

Genres: Juvenile, Middle Grade, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Naomi Kinsman is the author of Spilled Ink (winner of the 2009 Moonbeam Gold Medal for Educational/Activity book) as well as the From Sadie’s Sketchbook series (Zondervan). She has written and directed over 50 plays for young audiences, and has written for Highlights, Spider and Devozine magazines.

As founder of the Society of Young Inklings, Naomi shares her passion for writing and creativity with young people across the country. Society of Young Inklings offers game-based classes, unique resources, national club membership and publishing opportunities for young writers. Naomi has a BA in Theatre Arts from Seattle Pacific University, has studied theatre with the Piven Theatre Workshop and ACT, and has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University.

She is the Regional Advisor for the San Francisco South chapter of SCBWI. Naomi lives in Northern California with her husband, and identically colored pets: a tuxedo cat and a Portuguese Water Dog.

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published by Zonderkidz, a division of Zondervan Publishing, a Christian publishing company. It has strong Christian religious themes throughout; it's not pushy or sanctimonious, but the book is clearly written with the assumption that the reader will know, understand, and agree with (or at least have an interest in) Christian views on God, the afterlife, sharing your faith, etc.
Religious themes aside, this book really tugs at the ol' heartstrings. There are a few pat answers/solutions to problems, but for a young reader, there are also good lessons about standing up to your enemies (and to your friends), listening to your conscience, and helping others.
The reader should be aware that this is the fourth book in a series; while it can be read on its own, it does make reference to people and events from the previous three books in the series. (Full disclosure: I did not read the other three books before reading this one.)

[AurorainBookland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is amazing. I love the art stuff and would love to have an art teacher like Vivian the closet I have so far is art ala carte on youtube. I only gave the last book in the series Brilliant Hues 4 stars because it wasn't as satisfying as the last 3 books. Seriously I wanted to cry during parts of it spoiler warning, it discusses childhood cancer a little bit and does mention the possibly of going to heaven (dying because of cancer) It's a very hard topic and was done with grace and didn't fill too much of the book but still you're kids might want to talk about this with you and if you're not comfortable talking about cancer with your kids maybe wait till they are teenagers to read this series.
Other than the cancer stuff it's pretty good it talks about standing up to bullying without being a bully yourself it doesn't tell you exactly how to do this since Sadie and her friends from California haven't figured out how to do this though.
And the ending was a bit disappointing to me I don't know why I just think their could have been a better ending.

[Ricki Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where will Sadie find the courage to stand up to her bullying friends? Where will she find the strength to confront her dad's bullying adversary? Will it prove impossible - to be be accepted AND do the right thing? I like how this story struggles with moral and spiritual dilemmas in an honest, straightforward way. I appreciated being reminded that, no matter our struggles, we are not alone.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I enjoyed the mystery and how overall the book was written, and all the adventures she has.

[Lori Twichell · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the most recent installment in this Sadie’s Sketchbook series, this story felt a little more heavy handed than previous books. This time, the drama surrounding Sadie was high level angst. Life threatening situations, death all around her, and big changes amongst her friends made it feel like there was less for Sadie to count on and far more for her to juggle.

Still, I love the characters and the story. I love seeing how Sadie has grown and changed over these four books. Her character has matured and learned how to deal with stressful situations. She’s also learned a great deal about how to talk to people and take other people’s views into account. It’s a fabulous lesson for a teen of this age. She’s also learned how to juggle far more than many adults I know.

Sadie is a great example of a young woman for teens and tweens. Two thumbs up on this series.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Thank you!

[Emmalee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads. I did enjoy this book, I would have liked it a bit more without the religious aspect, but that's just me. It is well written, has a good plot line, and has a really good message. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to buy a book for a young Christian friend and/or relative. This is the 4th book in the series that follows Sadie who has moved back to her hometown after a year away. She feels left out by her friends who have changed since she left. Her father is also mediating a case and Karl (one of the mediated) approaches Sadie and comes to their house to try and make her dad choose his side. This along with what her friends secret club are doing causes stress and confusion in her life. She handles both situations well.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free as part of Goodreads' First Reads. This was a very cute tween girl's book. I loved the fact that this book answered some big questions which every person faces. This is great since at this age, girls are already going through a lot. I really like the main character, Sadie. She seems so down to earth and confident. She also will admit when she doesn't know something, which is something that everyone needs to admit every now and then. I am going to pass this book on to my niece, who I believe will also like it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it is good to read a book for the sake of nostalgia. This happens to fall into that category. It brought back memories of receiving "Sweet Valley Twins" books from the scholastic reader when I was a preteen girl.

This was a good positive story. I think girls need role models who are strong but can admit they need help when it really counts and it is OK to ask for it. I even read a few chapters out loud to my six year old who loves books and is getting into the girly stuff.

*This book was acquired through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway*

[Cathy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. It was a very well written story, and continuation of the journey of Sadie. The situations were very real and any young person would have such doubts. But her faith pulls her through with the help of good friends. I really liked her confronting her problems head on in the end. She is very mature for her age. The series must be a good one, because I enjoyed this book greatly, and would recommend it to any and all who wants to read this.

[Tashia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very delightful read. This is a story that can be inspiring to many of today's teens. The only negative is that the ending was a bit vague, otherwise the overall story and concept was very good.

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie Douglas is dealing with a lot of events, most of them beyond her control. How she reacts to those events are important factors in her growth and development.

[Laney Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie is dealing without alot things but with faith and God she will make it and get thru it. That's all it takes.