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Circle of Friends #1 N. J. Lindquist
Christian
Library Journal Phil, Glen's friend since kindergarten, has no time for him anymore because of his new girl, Lisa. Glen feels deserted and lonely. Then Charlie Thornton moves in across the street. A star football player, tall, blonde and good-looking, Charlie teaches Glen about drinking and breaking the rules. Drawn to Nicole, the pastor's daughter, Glen believes she only has eyes for someone else. Life seems easy for newcomer Charlie, until he tries to date Nicole and she turns him down. He believes she's playing hard to get, while Glen draws mistaken conclusions, which set the stage for misunderstanding and confusion. Readers are drawn into the story, Best Of Friends, through the many teen-age problems and fears, which lead to gripping questions about real issues. As Glen experiences a life-threatening mine cave in, he questions whether there really is a God, and learns that growing up has a price. Debbie
Doane, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine ChristianWeek,
reviewed by author Fay S. Latka Christian
News Ottawa, reviewed by Reena Kasam, 18 This is where N. J. Lindquist fits into the picture. Her book, Circle of Friends #1: Best of Friends, is targeted toward a teenage audience, and to my surprise actually relates to real life teenagers. The main characters in the book are not fake, the events mock real life situations, and the plot keeps you turning the page. I guess in short, the book doesn’t insult teens, like some young adult literature but entertains while at the same time educates them. However, I must be honest. The introduction rather insulted me because I felt that I couldn’t relate. I didn’t understand where this Glen Sauten was coming from and why this book had even been written in the first place. Only as pages turned into chapters and chapters into sections, I came to realize the time-old saying, which is to “never judge a book by its cover,” because as the book progressed, I began to enjoy it. I realized that I knew people who resembled the character of Charlie Thorton, star quarterback/womanizer/most popular guy in town. Glen Sauten, the protagonist of the book, reminded me of those people who follow others around, cause they have no courage to be independent, or just like to follow the crowd. Characters such as Marta Billings and her friends resemble the snobby chick clique that I see wandering around the halls of my own high school. The author did a good job in adequately portraying the youth of today. Lindquist’s adequate portrayal comes from her knowledge in the education field. She is a high school teacher as well as a youth worker. Her faith is sensed strongly throughout the novel, since the protagonist, Glen Sauten struggles with his beliefs. Glen wonders all about the religious world, something that he does not belong to in the beginning. Charlie as well, looks into his faith to impress a girl, who mysteriously rejects him every time. There a lot of sudden twists to the plot, which basically follows Glen down his path to finding his true self. These twists include fistfights, school dances, football games, and even a life-altering event that takes place on a camping trip. These situations all mock real life, and tell the reader that the author has done their homework... To sum up: the book is a pleasure to read. If only teenagers had more time to spend on leisurely activities, then good books like these would be appreciated. Not only is this book entertaining but it also teaches young adults a lesson in life. To cliche, the moral of the story is that you don’t have to be a follower for the rest of your life, unless you’re following God." Resource,
editor Rick Hiebert (in an article “Whatever Happened to Danny
Orlis?”) N. J. explains what prompted her to write Friends: "What do you do when your sons keep asking for books to read? There just aren’t that many really good Christian books with teenage boys as the central characters." So Nancy decided to write her own...Get several copies of this book for the library. It’s a winner! Catholic
Insight Crystal
E. Miller Endorsements “Circle of Friends is a fantastic series! I meet with a lot of teens and speak to a lot of youth groups. I see the things they go through in N.J.’s novels. The authenticity of Glen’s (main character) journey is impressive. I kept thinking how is she going to be able to top this book, but she did, each book got better and better.” Herbie Kuhn, In-house Voice of the Toronto Raptors “These teen novels don’t sound like an adult writing about being a teenager; they sound like teens writing and living through the challenges of being teens today. N. J. Lindquist has an authentic voice, credible story lines and a gentle, non-preachy way of getting her point across. I recommend the Circle of Friends novels to every teen I meet.” Linda Hall, award-winning author and Christy nominee “Capture the nature of friendship and what that means in this world of trials and temptations.” Neil Anderson, author of The Bondage Breaker, Stomping Out the Darkness, Discipleship Counseling “N. J. Lindquist’s entertaining stories deal with a complex mix of teen relationships, moods, and motivations. Glen Sauten captured our sympathies as we rooted for him to stand up and discover himself. His problems challenge and develop his character, move the action along, and provide exciting moments. Lindquist has found the teen voice, but writes to the emotional needs of all ages.” Stephen and Janet Bly, authors of 100+ books “Our Reading Review Member who read your book was absolutely thrilled! She commented, “This book has the clearest presentation of the salvation message I’ve ever read in a fiction book. (The story is good too!) We realize there are many good books available that do not appeal to young men, For this reason, we really appreciate this one because it appeals to teenage boys as well as girls. Stone Croft Book Center "I have a 14-year-old son who never reads. I gave your book, Best of Friends, to my son and he absolutely loved it. I read the first couple of chapters to him to get him interested. He finished within a week. He thinks he is a lot like the main character. He can't wait for me to get the other books. This is music to my ears. Thank you for writing for boys of this age group." Alison Piercey, United Church Book Store, Newfoundland and Labrador Conference “I bought this for my 15-year-old and ended up reading it myself. Loved it! A breath of fresh air in the young adult category!” Marilyn Yocum, author and speaker “5 Stars is not enough for this Circle of Friends series! I bought the first book in this series for my 14 year old daughter. She read it and loved it so much she (politely) demanded that I get the other three books in the series. I did, and she loved them all. My daughter could not put them down. She was always at the good part, and whenever she was not reading the books she was talking about them! The books handle real-life teen issues in an insightful way - a way that offers hope to real-life teens. I only wish NJ Lindquist would write more of them!” Darilyn A. Sephton, writer and teacher "It's a good series and speaks to kids where they are at." Susan Brandt, managing editor, Mennonite Brethren Herald "N. J. Lindquist captures the voice of teenaged boys and offers a realistic look at the inner turmoil they face as they find their identity and make moral choices in the light of peer pressure. A master story-teller, Lindquist will hook you with the first couple of paragraphs and keep you reading." Deb Gyapong, author of The Defilers and former senior producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation “The students *really* enjoyed these books! They were 'fighting' with each other over who got the next one in the series which we have in the school! I have been recommending them to many parents with young people (especially boys)! N. J. is an astute and extremely engaging writer, first class…my opinion, for what it's worth. My son (age 13) read the whole series straight through…he could not put them down!...and he felt these were real people that he could relate to.” Zsiporah Moon, director of the KingsBridge School, Canada’s first Christian Arts School with a Classical Education focus “N. J. Lindquist has a unique gift of using the written word to reach teens for Jesus. Readers quickly learn to care about the realistic characters. The emphasis on discipleship and cell groups shows how teens can be equipped to be leaders in the church. N. J. makes Christianity and Christ come alive.” Joel Comiskey, Joel Comiskey Group “Teenagers lives revolve around their relationships and N. J. Lindquist knows it. In More Than Friends, readers live through the confusion, the fun, the betrayal, and the affirmation with Glen Sauten as he learns what it means to be a friend, a son, a boyfriend and a follower of Christ. The situations he finds himself in are not always pretty, but they are real, and teenagers will relate to his struggles as he transitions to adulthood. The importance of a small, genuine fellowship group in Glen’s life is a reminder to all of us of the importance of community.” Marg Buchanan, author of Famous Jerks of the Bible and Parenting With Purpose "I teach a class of English 13 students. I call them my rug rats. They are 12 delightful grade 10 students ranging in age from 15 to 18. Two are from China (can barely speak English), four are from Korea (been in the country from between 2 months and 2 years and can barely speak English), six are Canadians (one boy tried to commit suicide last year and is currently suspended for drug use; one has just moved to live with his father here in Canada, from Florida, where he was living with his mother and siblings; one is ADHD and can barely read or spell but has great insights; one girl is very simple-minded and reminds me more of a grade 3 or 4 student by the comments she makes in class; another girl is ADD with overweight problems and low self-esteem). "Why am I telling you all this? I don't know, but I want you to know that I am reading them two things every day: a short passage of Mark from The Message, and Best of Friends. They listen to The Message, and they love your book. I wanted to thank you for writing your book. It catches kids who might not otherwise want to read or hear anything from a book." A high school teacher in western Canada "Today I finished reading your book Best of Friends to my class of Hutterite students. No one was sick of it though. They laughed aloud, in delight, and were on the verge of cheers when Glen and Nicole finally figured out and declared their feelings for one another. In a unanimous vote, the students declared that the school needs to get the next book. So I guess I'll have to go to your web site and order it. I'd call my students' response a pretty high approval rating!" A teacher in a grade 4-6 setting “Mrs. Lindquist is my favorite author because she wrote a book about me!” A 16-year-old boy who was not a reader
Glen
Sauten Charlie
Thornton Nicole
Grant Phil
Trent Marta
Billings Being Charlie's
friend is not always easy for Glen. And keeping harmony between Charlie
and Glen's other best friend, Phil Trent, is next to impossible. But
it does lead to adventures. Countless adventures. In fact, Glen's whole
life seems rocked by new experiences. Some of them life-threatening.
And some life-changing! There's a new guy in town... He wanted to know about girls--were there any that he hadn't met yet? I really couldn't think of any. Well, just a couple who I didn't think he'd be interested in--one dumpy girl who never takes part in anything and Joyce Burgess, who wears glasses and is kind of chubby and sort of plain. Girls seem to like her, but I've never noticed any guys that were at all interested. And then I remembered her. Why I hadn't before, I don't know. She's everything Charlie could want, and no doubt she'll like him, too. At least, she might. With her, you never can tell. Charlie
noticed that I'd stopped talking. "What are you thinking about? Remember
somebody?" I didn't know whether to tell him or wait until
he spotted her for himself. I decided to wait. "Nothing special. If
I've missed anyone, you'll soon find out."
Circle of Friends #2 - Friends Like These
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