Eleven-year-old Lena Daniels’ summer of Hollywood starlets and movie filming alongside her favorite singer, Mallory Winston, is over. School will be back in full swing, and it seems as though life might just pick up where it left off—with volleyball games, homework, and her best friends.
But just as she begins to wonder if her summer was all just a dream, her world is turned upside down . . . again! The movie [movie title to be added] premiers, the previews seem to be splattered on every television and radio channel, and everyone knows her name. Her classmates, strangers, and even her friends are starting to treat her differently, and everywhere she turns she’s being asked for an autograph, a picture, or a hug.
Lena is just figuring out how to manage her new fame at home when she finds out she's hitting the road on a two-week bus tour to further promote the film. Traveling across the country with the cast—with the surprise addition of her whole family joining them—Lena experiences adventures and challenges she never expected, while learning to step outside of her comfort zone and follow the path God has for her life. She learns that saying yes to God may not always be easy, but will take her further than she ever imagined!
This Faithgirlz series entitled Lena in the Spotlight, written by Alena Pitts, star of The War Room and tween blogger of For Girls Like You, and co-written with her mother, editor and author, Wynter Pitts, is a reflection of Alena’s own life experiences as she reaches for the stars and keeps her faith in balance.
Alena Pitts is a young actress and model from Dallas, Texas. As the oldest of four girls, Alena first cut her teeth in acting through making home videos and dramas with her sisters, using their entire home as their recording studio. She has a natural love for all things creative which falls right in line with her gifts and talents. The Kendrick Brothers’ War Room marks Alena’s professional acting debut. With only school theater on her young resume, Alena jumped at a chance to audition for the role of Danielle Jordan. In addition to school and acting, Alena models and is a frequent contributor for the magazine For Girls Like You.
“Join Lena in her next adventure. Lena Daniels is just figuring out how to manage her new fame as a movie star, and get her life back to “normal”, when she finds out she’s hitting the road on a bus tour to promote the film she was just in with her favorite music star, Mallory Winston. On a whirlwind tour, sharing her experiences and faith with others, Lena faces fun adventures and a few challenges she never expected, while learning to step outside of her comfort zone and follow the path God has for her life.”
Series: Book #2 in the “Lena in the Spotlight” series. Review of Book #1 Here!
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, talked about, & discussed; Bible reading & studying; Many Prayers & Letters to God; A bit of witnessing; Many talks about God, trusting Him, Bible reading, & praying; Most ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God, His plans, trusting Him, & God given gifts; Many mentions of prayers & praying; Many mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & devotions; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of thanking God; Mentions of churches & church going; Mentions of sharing a testimony; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed.
Negative Content- A mention of people partying “in a bad way”; *Note: A couple mentions of brand-name clothing.
Sexual Content- A couple mentions of a married couple embracing (a daughter says “ew” both times).
-Lena Daniels, 6th grade 1st person P.O.V. of Lena 146 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens- Four Stars (and a half) New Teens- Three Stars (and a half) Early High School Teens- Three Stars Older High School Teens- Three Stars My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half) I truly think I enjoyed this second book even a bit better than the first! Full of faith content and discussions easy enough for the target age of Pre-Teens to understand, it was all lovely. I honestly think it would be so much fun to babysit Lena and her siblings…just to get all their names down would be a fun trick! ;)
Day Dreams & Movie Screens may be the most anticipated book in our family this year. My oldest granddaughter devoured Hello Stars, which is the first book in the series, and couldn't wait to read more about the charming Lena Daniels.
If you've read Hello Stars you know that Lena was cast in a Hollywood movie alongside her favorite music star, Mallory Winston. Well the movie is finished and cast is going on a bus tour to promote the film. As the story unfolds Lena has to cope with this newfound stardom. For the most part she does it with grace but there are challenges as well. Especially dealing with friends that aren't quite sure how to treat you now that you're famous.
As an adult I really like this series for young girls. It's realistic but still has an element of entertainment. While your girl isn't likely to become a Hollywood movie star there are still important lessons that can be learned from this story. The most important one is that it is imperative to always trust God and allow Him to lead you down the path that He has chosen.
I would highly recommend this series for tween girls. It is written as a series so to get the most out of it I would suggest reading the books in order. The third book is scheduled to come out in April of 2018. Not sure how I'm going to break that news to my grand girl!
I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.
These adorable books are a good way to unwind. With strong Christian faith and relatable characters, this book is great for both kids and adults. I love how Lena is both really sweet and has relatable problems. I wish these books had been around when I was younger!
Eleven-year-old Lena Daniels’ summer of Hollywood starlets and movie filming alongside her favorite singer, Mallory Winston, is over. School will be back in full swing, and it seems as though life might just pick up where it left off—with volleyball games, homework, and her best friends.
But just as she begins to wonder if her summer was all just a dream, her world is turned upside down . . . again! The movie [movie title to be added] premiers, the previews seem to be splattered on every television and radio channel, and everyone knows her name. Her classmates, strangers, and even her friends are starting to treat her differently, and everywhere she turns she’s being asked for an autograph, a picture, or a hug.
Lena is just figuring out how to manage her new fame at home when she finds out she's hitting the road on a two-week bus tour to further promote the film. Traveling across the country with the cast—with the surprise addition of her whole family joining them—Lena experiences adventures and challenges she never expected, while learning to step outside of her comfort zone and follow the path God has for her life. She learns that saying yes to God may not always be easy, but will take her further than she ever imagined!
This Faithgirlz series entitled Lena in the Spotlight, written by Alena Pitts, star of The War Room and tween blogger of For Girls Like You, and co-written with her mother, editor and author, Wynter Pitts, is a reflection of Alena’s own life experiences as she reaches for the stars and keeps her faith in balance.
My Review:
God knows how to take care of us and he does it very well. Even when we think he may have made a terrible mistake, especially when things don't go as we had hoped or planned. Lena is learning this firsthand. She is exhausted and fearful but knows God doesn't make mistakes especially when things seem harder than they should be.
The Faithgirlz series is a great series for tweens and young teens. It helps girls see their worth in God's eyes. It keeps their focus where it needs to be with inspiring stories and encouraging and uplifting words.
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.
It just wasn't as interesting as the first book. 😔
Day Dreams and Movie Screens is the second book in the Lena in the Spotlight series. In this book, Lena and her crew from the film Above the Waters, which she starred in, are on the road to promote the movie. The movie follows Lena's trip and how it builds her confidence.
Lena gets her first devotional, a relatable experience for young girls. Lena's family was very supportive and always pointed her back to God-- all the time. The trip gives Lena a chance to witness and discover that God's plan is better than anything she could ever imagine. I hope by reading this book, young girls understand that concept for themselves.
Christian Middle Grade Fiction I love this book! I love the main character who is just the right combo of vulnerable and courageous, I love her loving parents, I love her wild sisters, pup, and side characters! A happy story about going on tour to promote her movie.
No racism, violence, bad, or traumatic stuff. Her grandmother does go to the hospital, but she gets better!
I LOVE that these books are there for our tween/teens! Genius way to spread a positive message while still appealing to the age/stage. Can't wait to enjoy the whole series, and thanks to Zondervan for sending a copy for review!