The Case of the Easter Egg Escapades

Sisters of the Last Straw #6

by Karen Kelly Boyce

Who has Mr. Lemon’s priceless coin?
 
Why are there baby bunnies all over the backyard?
 
Will the Sisters be able to save their home in time?

Meet the Sisters of the Last Straw, a community of Sisters working hard to overcome their bad habits. Join these lovable misfit nuns as they learn to love God and forgive one another. Can a leaking roof be the end of the Sisters of the Last Straw? Who stole the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt? Will the Sisters solve the mystery of the missing coin in time for Easter?
 

104 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2020

About the author

Karen Kelly Boyce rediscovered her love of writing and reading when she retired from nursing. She has been published in Canticle and Soul magazines. Karen's written four novels and three children's books. She lives on a farm with her retired husband. Karen has two grown children and two grandchildren. She enjoys farming and raises Nigerian Dwarf goats, chickens, turkeys, and horses. Karen and her husband Mike love camping and road trips. She enjoys visiting her grandchildren and is the leader of the Jackson Writer's group, Co-chair of the CJCCWG, and a member of the Catholic Writer's Guild.

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun, light read!

I was surprised to read a reference in this book to the fact that the order is only one year old! The first book occurred around Halloween and this one is Easter. I guess I assumed more time had passed, but this is still a very new fictional order.

This book featured a moving coin that kids might have fun following but I found pedantic as an adult. I was confused about the coin's size. How could it be hidden inside a kitchen sponge (among other places)?

This book provides a wonderful example of how to deal lovingly with difficult people. Loving them anyway! We get a closer look at Mr. Lemon. Woah.

In one section, the nuns tell the schoolchildren living with them in the convent about the Resurrection. This is a good teaching chapter for the readers, but it strains believability that schoolchildren living in a convent had NEVER heard of the Resurrection before. That part could have been written better. The family living in the convent have been absent from recent books, with the exception of this passage.

The nuns talk about us having "supersonic" bodies in heaven. While technically correct, this passage is theologically misleading. It gave the impression that we will become superheros with different bodies in heaven. In fact, we will have our same bodies in heaven but they will be perfected. Our bodies are an integral part of us, but just a shell to be discarded.

I was also surprised to read that the nuns use their scapular (the bib in front of their habit) to carry baby bunnies. I had heard that this was the one part of their habit that is actually blessed and it is treated as a sacred object. Nuns will actually move the back part to the side when they sit down, so that they don't sit on it. With that amount of reverence, it seemed odd that they would use it collect and hold animals. Maybe the author didn't know this?

This book contained a glorious description of Easter and the vigil mass. :-)

There was an oddly injected passage about endangered sea turtles the didn't bring down the story or contradict catholic teaching (it essentially said: we are stewards of God's creation), but also wasn't related to anything else in the story. It felt very artificially injected.

[Mickardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good non-threatening reading. We've read all in the series up to this one and will continue with the series as they become available. We hope the author can keep the stories interesting. This particular installment seemed to struggle a little with character and dialogue. Still better than 95% of what is passed off as a "good read" of "first read" or "recommended read."

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are fun stories, giving a fictional peak into the community life of religious sisters. This one wasn't my favorite of the series, but it still was a good read with my early elementary aged kids.

[Sarah Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It’s a fun, silly read. A little too didactic at points. Overall, a good beginner chapter book. This was our first sisters book; we’ll try a few more in the series to get a better feel for them.

[GheenGirls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle: great!