Kathleen's Shaken Dreams

Kathleen McKenzie #1

by Tracy Leininger Craven

In Kathleen's Shaken Dreams you will meet a spunky, gifted eleven-year-old Christian girl who enjoys competition and strives for excellence. Set in tumultuous 1929, Kathleen's opportunities for achievement are many until 'Black Tuesday' and the stock market crash shake her dreams for high achievement to the very core.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens

159 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Tracy Leininger Craven loves history and the stories of those who have left an indelible impression on our country's heritage. She is also inspired by the testimony of God's faithfulness through seemingly impossible circumstances. Her stories of real people come alive and serve to inspire a new generation of readers.
In her free time, Tracy loves to be outside enjoying God’s creation with her husband David and their three children.

Also published under the name Tracy Michele Leininger, Tracy M. Leininger & Tracy Leininger Craven

Reviews

[ByLanternsLight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books such as this will always get higher stars from me, they have so many good lessons and really consider the heart rather than shallow things. The faith is the strongest reason this deserves 4 stars, it is so encouraging and helpful to be reminded of God’s love and His tenderness, always bringing us through difficult situations. This takes place just before and just after the stock market crash in 1929, it’s not a time period I read about very often but I’m excited to see where the next book will take Kathleen!

[Tarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen McKenzie is a bright girl, and is driven by a competitive personality. While she may be prone to rash decisions, she has a good-natured heart and wishes to shine for her Savior.

Christian truths are woven into the plot expertly well. The main moral of the story is about trusting in God. Kathleen strengthens her faith and her relationship with God. I also think it is beautiful how each chapter begins with an applicable scripture from the Bible.

Some elements of the story are not on the same level as the Elsie Dinsmore novels that Kathleen's character is pulled from. One book is not better than the other, per se, just different. The writing style is modernized, but I'm sure that kids find it more fun to read this than its "stuffy", vintage counterpart (as much as I love the dear originals).

There is some excellent historical content to be found in Kathleen's story. It's 1929, and Black Tuesday is just around the corner... Reading this book is a great way to introduce such events (and the aftermath) to young readers, as well as cultural topics. The McKenzie family is Scottish, but lives in America. There is another family who is German, so there are all kinds of traditions and foods to learn about.

Overall, I am very happy with the book, and look forward to the sequels.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my daughters ages 7 and 5. They both enjoyed the story. The story begins a few months before the crash of 1929. Kathleen the main character has issues with obeying just like most children although she really tries. She has faith in God and this is her source of strength through the book. When she gets in trouble she is sorry and admits her wrongs. When she is scared she prays. When she is overwhelmed she quotes verses. I liked the family dynamic. Her parents love each other and are raising their children to love God and trust in Him. The brother sister relationship is sweet as well. Although Kathleen is all girl she is in no way a wimp. There is even a scene where she is confronted with a bully. She handles herself very well. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series to my girls.

[Alyssa Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little bit better than the Martha Finley books that I read right before this one, and I liked that it teaches kids about the Great Depression. But the little girl in it is an overachiever, and almost never loses anything because she works hard and never lets anything stop her from charging ahead. This is kind of annoying, and also, dangerous. At one point, another girl steps out in front of her during a footrace (there was no explanation as to why; the other girl wasn't even part of the race, and only appears for this scene), resulting in Kathleen and another girl getting badly hurt. Kathleen gets up and finishes the race, with a concussion, and is angry because she lost the lead. In the meantime, the other girl who was hurt was ignored, because everyone was distracted with Kathleen, and basically forgot that she existed, until they found out later that she'd been laying in the middle of the racetrack with a broken ankle. Instead of feeling guilty for not helping her, or being chastised for running with a concussion instead of just getting herself out of the way of the runners and calling for help, she is praised for not letting herself be stopped from finishing the race, and goes on to become friends with the girl she abandoned. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but I don't think kids should be praised for harming themselves further in the name of sports.

[Madisyn Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm looking through some old childhood books and rediscovered this series. I remember loving this book and rereading it constantly. Actual review to come if I have the time to read it again.