On Christmas Day, 1926, twelve-year-old Clotilde “Coco” Irvine received a blank diary as a present. Coco loved to write—and to get into scrapes—and her new diary gave her the opportunity to explain her side of the messes she created: “I’m in deep trouble through no fault of my own,” her entries frequently began. The daughter of a lumber baron, Coco grew up in a twenty-room mansion on fashionable Summit Avenue at the peak of the Jazz Age, a time when music, art, and women’s social status were all in a state of flux and the economy was still flying high. Coco’s diary carefully records her adventures, problems, and romances, written with a lively wit and a droll sense of humor. Whether sneaking out to a dance hall in her mother’s clothes or getting in trouble for telling an off-color joke, Coco and her escapades will captivate and delight preteen readers as well as their mothers and grandmothers. Peg Meier’s introduction describes St. Paul life in the 1920s and provides context for the privileged world that Coco inhabits, while an afterword tells what happens to Coco as an adult—and reveals surprises about some of the other characters in the diary.

What happens to those who have died without having heard the gospel? How could God condemn someone who has never had an opportunity to trust Christ as Savior? In this volume an impressive array of evangelical thinkers present a sturdy defense of the necessity of salvation through Christ. Theologians, biblical scholars, and missiologists bring their expertise to bear on key issues and biblical texts. Among the twenty-two contributors are Millard Erickson, Carl Henry, David Clark, Clark Pinnock, John Oswalt, Scot McKnight, Charles Van Engen, Harvie Conn, and Tite Tienou. Each author holds human standards of fairness up to God's revealed viewpoint and seeks to understand the biblical teaching about natural theology and soteriology. Most chapters discuss one question, stressing hermeneutic considerations, but bringing philosophy and other disciplines into play where appropriate. Each key biblical text is considered by one or more contributors. The full range of universalist options is clearly explained and evaluated with special attention given to those who have endeavored to expand the horizons of Christian thinking in pluralistic directions, among them Paul Knitter, John Hick, and Karl Rahner. They interact with the writings of evangelicals who reject universalism yet offer some hope for those who have never heard. - Back cover.

If I Were King explores the story of a real-life poet, Francois Villon, who shows impressive character development when given a chance to win his love and save France. The story starts when Villon gets himself in trouble by giving his negative opinions of the king too freely. Unfortunately, King Louis was present in the tavern in disguise, and Villon got arrested. He is made Grand Constable of France for a week as a challenge to do a better job running the kingdom. However, he would be executed after a week of service unless he succeeds in an impossible task. McCarthy maintains suspense till the end of the story keeping the readers curious about Villon and his ability to escape execution and win the woman he loves. As the main character of this historical romance is based on the real-life poet François Villon, it acts as a window to 15th century France under the rule of Louis XI during a time of tension and turmoil between King Louis and the Duke of Burgundy. The Shakespearean undertones used to present the love story of the vagabond poet makes this work a remarkable romance.

Reproduction of the original: The Thread of Flame by Basil King