About the Book
Book: Logan vs. the Hateful Strawberries : A Towers of Light Early Reader (Logan’s Search for the Fruits of the Spirit Book One)
Author: Allen Brokken
Genre: Christian Fantasy
Release Date: May 8, 2025
Logan was important…once! He helped slay a Dragon. Now all his days are chores, chores and more chores. Will nothing relieve the drudgery?
But when he happens upon a hidden grove of strawberries with mysterious powers, his whole perspective changes and he wonders if he’s found the mysterious fruit of self-control? Will Logan and his new pet raccoon Rascal solve the mystery before Logan’s Pa turns the rodent into a new hat?
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About the Author
Allen Brokken is a teacher at heart, a husband and father most of all. He’s a joyful writer by the abundant grace of God. He began writing the Towers of Light series for his own children to help him illustrate the deep truths of the Bible in an engaging and age appropriate way. He’s dedicated 15 years of his life to volunteer roles in children’s ministry and youth development. Now that his own children are off to college he’s telling stories and sharing clean humor on social media and through his blog.
More from Allen
As a writer, I tend to lean toward what I know for inspiration. Actual life events or people I know shape what I write about. As a ministry volunteer in church for over 15 years, I regularly saw the challenges children with ADHD or other spectrum disorders had with the church. Volunteers are ill-equipped to understand their unique needs, and many of the young boys I worked with ended up having terrible experiences at church because they just couldn’t fit in.
So when I set out to write an early chapter book for boys I wanted to find a way to shine the light of God’s truth right where they lived. Having been diagnosed with A.D.D., I understand these challenges and the general mentality. On the one hand, this can have detrimental effects when being forced to sit in a chair with nothing to do but listen; on the other hand, it can supercharge tasks that require intense focus.
I also had inspiration from the existing Towers of Light series I wrote for a middle grade audience and pre-existing characters that children love. So I worked with the real-life Logan to craft this story that exemplifies the spiritual gift of love as the antidote to the poison of the hateful strawberries. Plus, the antics of Rascal the Raccoon add just the right touch of comedy and action to keep young children turning the pages.
Review
This was a good little book! I thought it was full of wonderful lessons for young readers that were delivered through an interesting and relatable story. Logan is young and still has a lot to learn, but God grows him through his trials. This book’s target audience is young readers, and I thought the book would be great for beginners. The story is interesting without being hard to follow or over-laden with complicated words. I think kids would really enjoy this book, and it would be a wonderful one to get them started reading on their own.
The story is engaging and really relatable, even as adult. Logan’s attitude and actions show that he needed to mature. His parents do a wonderful job of correcting his behavior and heart-attitude in a Godly manner. I enjoyed reading how Logan realized how important the fruits of the spirit are in life. He also learned humility and the need to right wrongs we have done. This book gives all these lessons that kids need to learn in a way that is easy to understand, and, perhaps, in a character that they can see themselves in. I highly recommend this book to parents! It is an off-shoot of a series, but I was able to read it without having read the books connected to it. It truly was a great little book!
Just to note: Logan finds strawberries tainted by Darkness, which is the evil in the world of the book. When he consumes them, it causes him to experience what would likely be described as a high. They are also very addicting, which is akin to drugs. They are portrayed as being terrible and sinful, so this book could be a great way to open the door to speaking to your kids about the dangers of drugs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
Blog Stops
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 25
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 25
Texas Book-aholic, June 26
Simple Harvest Reads, June 27 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 28
Fiction Book Lover, June 29 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 30
For Him and My Family, July 1
Vicky Sluiter, July 2 (Author Interview)
Lots of Helpers, July 2
Blogging With Carol, July 3
Guild Master, July 4
For the Love of Literature, July 5 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, July 6
Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 7 (Author Interview)
Stories By Gina, July 8 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Allen is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
What age range is targeted for this book?
Sounds like a terrific children’s book
This should be a great novel. Thanks for sharing.