My Thoughts on the Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

As the CSFF Blog Tour wraps up, I wanted to leave you my final thoughts on The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers.

This book was getting four stars from me until the last chapter. Once reading this book, I gave it 5 stars and a standing ovation (really, I did!) I don't think I've ever given a book a standing ovation before!! 

Grady only knows himself as a feechie (for more information on this, please refer to YouTube video posted on Monday of Jonathan telling us about feechies or check out his website for more info!). He's a good feechie too! He can scare the best of them! Floyd is a not-so-great charlatan (is there such thing as a good one?!?) who is using little Grady to make a few bucks here and there. Grady loves his life as a feechie...until the day Floyd tells him that he's not really feechie. Floyd also drops another bombshell...he's not Grady's dad. 

Throughout the remainder of the book, Floyd and Grady go on some pretty amazing journeys as they travel around trying to make some coppers. Grady goes from "feechie" to "mind measuring assistant" and back to feechie while he tries to figure out who he *really* is. Would he ever find someone to love him for him and not for a money making venture?

My favorite feature of this book was the beginning of each chapter. I just love how Grady introduced each new chapter! You see a crystal ball (much like on the cover) with somewhat of a sarcastic or funny remark about a new adventure. I found myself chuckling at Grady's humor and wanting to box Floyd in the ears!! 

I highly recommend this book for youngsters on up. There are so many beautiful and valuable lessons to be learned in this book that  represents how life was back in the "Old West". I found myself thinking back to my childhood when I was involved in a musical (Going West) where I was a part of the traveling salesman group peddling some sort of healing elixir. 

I am very excited to see what is in store for Grady in his next adventure, which will start in 2011!

Many thanks to Jonathan Rogers for the time invested in making this tour possible (writing the book, visiting our blogs, answering interview questions, etc) as well as Waterbrook Publishers who provided the copy of the book for review. 

Finally, please be sure to visit with others on the tour! I'm sure they will all some entertaining info on this great book! 
 
http://www.sally-apokedak.com/whispers_of_dawn/"> Sally Apokedak
http://the1amster1.wordpress.com/"> Amy Bissell
http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell
http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart
http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham
http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman
http://www.christianfictionbookreviews.com/"> Christian Fiction Book Reviews
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham
http://going-greene.blogspot.com/"> Tori Greene
http://cloakanddaggerfiction.blogspot.com"> Katie Hart
http://www.613media.com/"> Bruce Hennigan
http://www.christopherhopper.com"> Christopher Hopper
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/"> Shannon McDermott
http://methodistcorner.net/"> Allen McGraw
http://mikalatos.blogspot.com"> Matt Mikalatos
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul
http://thestuffyouneedtoknow.blogspot.com/"> SarahFlan
http://www.sarahsawyer.com/blog"> Sarah Sawyer
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/"> Tammy Shelnut
http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/"> Kathleen Smith
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://www.mindsinger.com/"> Donna Swanson
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.theravenquill.blogspot.com/">  Nicole White
http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams
http://facesoflions.wordpress.com/"> Dave Wilson

 

The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers: Hearing from the Man himself!

As the CSFF blog tour continues, I would like to introduce you to the mastermind behind The Charlatan's Boy...Mr. Jonathan Rogers!

Jonathan took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for us! Here's his responses:

1. Who is your favorite literary character (not including one you have written about)? Why?

I don't suppose I would ever answer this question the same way twice. So I'm just going to tell you who my favorite character is today. Today, I'm going to say Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow. Or Wendell Berry's Burley Coulter. Wendell Berry is a national treasure; his characters are so beautifully drawn, so complex. They are so earthy, in every sense of the word. And yet it is through their earthiness that they speak to real transcendence. Wendell Berry has had a huge impact on me as a writer. 

If you had asked me another day I might have told you my favorite character was John Ames of Marilynne Robinson's Gilead. Or Don Quixote.

I've never read/heard of Jayber so I guess I need to check these characters out! I have also never read Gilead or Don Quixote! *gasp*

2. Who would you most want to have dinner with (living or dead) and why?

Well, Jesus is the obvious answer here. Having said that, I should also acknowledge that there are plenty of people who say they'd like to sit down to a meal with Jesus who wouldn't enjoy it as much as they think they would. Jesus could be pretty hard on the self-satisfied and the self-righteous. So I hope I would enjoy sitting down to dinner with Jesus; it would do me good either way. 

If we disallow Jesus as an answer (and maybe we should) I'm going to say my wife. That's why I married her; because I wanted to have dinner with her as often as possible. I'm only half joking. It's actually a pretty important part of my worldview. In the world's economy, it's the rare and the hard-to-come-by that has the most value.In God's economy, the things that are the most valuable also happen to be the most readily available. Love, friendship, grace, forgiveness--these things are there to be scooped up by the fistful. That's the astonishing thing about marriage: the dearest things in the world become the fabric of our daily lives. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out that the woman I wanted more than anyone in the world wanted me too.

If you're looking for a celebrity answer, I guess I'd have to say Mark Twain, who told great stories. Or Saint Patrick, who had an incredibly winsome faith (although he didn't speak English, so that would be a problem).

I love these answers! Well said! 

3. What book are you currently reading?

I just finished Russell Banks' Cloudsplitter, which tells the story of John Brown, who led the raid on Harper's Ferry before the American Civil War. I'm in the middle of A.S. Peterson's two book series, The Fiddler's Gun and The Fiddler's Green.  Really great books.

Cloudsplitter sounds really good! I've only read one of A.S. Peterson's books but I really enjoyed it!  

4. Name one book (other than one you've written) that you would recommend to a young adult reader (I have a lot of high school students who read my blog). Tell us why it should be read.

Andrew Peterson's books are great--On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten. They're really funny and have a whole lot of heart. Andrew is actually the brother of A.S. Peterson, whose books I mentioned in the previous question.

Oops! Guess I haven't read anything by A.S. Peterson. I was thinking that was Andrew! I have read North! Or Be Eaten. Loved it! :) 

5. Any parting words of wisdom to readers?

Cultivate the habit of repentance. Being good at repenting is more important than being right all the time.

Very well said! Thank you for your time Jonathan! I sincerely appreciate it! :)


Finally, please be sure to visit with others on the tour! I'm sure they will all some entertaining info on this great book! 
 
http://www.sally-apokedak.com/whispers_of_dawn/"> Sally Apokedak
http://the1amster1.wordpress.com/"> Amy Bissell
http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell
http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart
http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham
http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman
http://www.christianfictionbookreviews.com/"> Christian Fiction Book Reviews
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham
http://going-greene.blogspot.com/"> Tori Greene
http://cloakanddaggerfiction.blogspot.com"> Katie Hart
http://www.613media.com/"> Bruce Hennigan
http://www.christopherhopper.com"> Christopher Hopper
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/"> Shannon McDermott
http://methodistcorner.net/"> Allen McGraw
http://mikalatos.blogspot.com"> Matt Mikalatos
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul
http://thestuffyouneedtoknow.blogspot.com/"> SarahFlan
http://www.sarahsawyer.com/blog"> Sarah Sawyer
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/"> Tammy Shelnut
http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/"> Kathleen Smith
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://www.mindsinger.com/"> Donna Swanson
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.theravenquill.blogspot.com/">  Nicole White
http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams
http://facesoflions.wordpress.com/"> Dave Wilson

The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

Today through Wednesday, the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy tour will be featuring The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers. This is a super fun book that I will tell you more about in the coming days. I so have a small confession to make though and I hope you won't think this educator as someone who is uneducated. When I first started reading this book, I had no earthly idea what a "charlatan" was!! I feel so crazy now and I did figure it out from the context, however I also took the time to look up the meaning of the word. According to the Oxford American Dictionary, a charlatan is "a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud". 





Along the way, I also researched YouTube for more information on Charlatan's and Feechies. Enjoy the following clips!! Come back tomorrow to learn about our featured author, Jonathan Rogers.
  

This one was created by Sally Apokedak! Be sure to visit her during this tour!!

This video is our featured author, Jonathan Rogers, telling us everything there is to know about feechies!!



Finally, please be sure to visit with others on the tour! I'm sure they will all some entertaining info on this great book! 
 
http://www.sally-apokedak.com/whispers_of_dawn/"> Sally Apokedak
http://the1amster1.wordpress.com/"> Amy Bissell
http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell
http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart
http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham
http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman
http://www.christianfictionbookreviews.com/"> Christian Fiction Book Reviews
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham
http://going-greene.blogspot.com/"> Tori Greene
http://cloakanddaggerfiction.blogspot.com"> Katie Hart
http://www.613media.com/"> Bruce Hennigan
http://www.christopherhopper.com"> Christopher Hopper
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/"> Shannon McDermott
http://methodistcorner.net/"> Allen McGraw
http://mikalatos.blogspot.com"> Matt Mikalatos
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul
http://thestuffyouneedtoknow.blogspot.com/"> SarahFlan
http://www.sarahsawyer.com/blog"> Sarah Sawyer
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/"> Tammy Shelnut
http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/"> Kathleen Smith
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://www.mindsinger.com/"> Donna Swanson
http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.theravenquill.blogspot.com/">  Nicole White
http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams
http://facesoflions.wordpress.com/"> Dave Wilson