Ben Bernards grew up in a big Mormon family in a small farming town in the heart of Utah County where he and his eight brothers and sisters were raised on a steady diet of Nintendo, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons, and Star Wars. He geeks out on all that plus everything marching band, Marvel, and Tolkien (his autographed edition of Lord of the Rings is pretty much the coolest.)
He loves teaching youth the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whether it be in Seminary, Sunday School, at youth conferences or EFY. He served a mission on the Fiji Islands where he survived cyclones, rampaging natives, and swarms of giant bats while living in a hut in the jungle. (He still hasn’t convinced his wife to go back and visit.)

What a well-written and inspirational book for missionaries.  This book is fantastic for missionaries preparing to serve the Lord for eighteen months to two years, but it is also a good missionary tool for all of us striving to fulfill our “eternal mission.”  Wilcox pulls readers in from page one by sharing personal experiences, as well as scriptural experiences.  This is a book that will teach about hardships and how to keep going and be strong.  I would recommend this book to teens preparing to go on a mission and to those who are struggling and want to gain inspiration to do and be better.
 
Genre: non-fiction, inspirational, LDS
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: September 1, 2016
Number of pages: 128
Category: High School +
Content Rating: G
Book Rating: 5 stars

After serving as a missionary to the Brazil Manaus mission, Elise Babbel Hahl completed her studies in English at Stanford University, married her mission pen pal, and went on to earn a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. Her work has been published in Choosing Motherhood, Whereabouts: Stepping Out of Place, Education Next magazine, Do NOT Attempt in Heels, and recorded on “The World in Words” podcast. She lives with her husband and four children in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.
Hank Smith has been a full-time religious educator for the Church for 12 years, teaching seminary and in the Religion Department at BYU. Hank is a favorite speaker with Especially for Youth, BYU Education Week, and Time Out for Women. With his trademark sense of humor and his captivating stories and examples, Hank makes it fun to learn gospel principles and strengthen personal testimonies.
Al Fox Carraway has been a popular blogger, YouTuber, and public speaker for the past several years and is most well known for the blog post, “The Tattooed Mormon.” She has been on the cover of LDS Living Magazine and has done countless radio interviews, TV interviews, and everything in between. Al won the Community Speaker award in 2014, presented by the Dean of BYU. She has traveled countryside for years speaking with well-known speakers like John Bytheway, Brad Wilcox, and General Young Women’s President, Bonnie Oscarson. Just recently she spoke to over 24,000 people with Elder Neil L. Anderson at RootsTech.

 Elise Hahl is a freelance editor and writer, born to parents who taught her to love classy Jane Austen novels and the even-classier Philadelphia Phillies.  She sherved a mission in Brazil, studied English at Stanford, and went on to earn an MA in nonfiction writing at John Hopkins.  Most recently, she was a compiler and coeditor for Do Not Attempt in Heels: Mission Stories and Advice from Sisters Who’ve Been There.
 
Elise lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Oliver, and their five children, who root for the Pirates and don’t really get the whole Phillies thing.  She loves them anyway.

Life is not always easy.  It can be rough and tough and get you down.  But these experiences make us better people and bring us closer to God.  Compiler Elise Hahl has brought together authors Al Carraway, Chad Hymas, Whitney Wilcox Laycock, Dallas Lloyd, Hank Smith, Tamu Smith, and Zandra Vranes to share stories of some of their personal struggles in life.  These stories will not only touch the heart of teen readers, but inspire them to work hard and be tough, even when life seems hard and is getting them down.  I would recommend this enjoyable collection of stories to teen readers that need a boost and a bit of inspiration.
 
Genre: non-fiction, inspirational, LDS
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: October 11, 2016
Number of pages: 128
Category: 7th grade +
Content Rating: G
Book Rating: 5 stars