When Dr. Henry delivers his own twins, he discovers that his daughter has Down Syndrome. Trying to spare his wife’s feelings, he sends the baby to an institution, and tells his wife that the baby has died. But his daughter is not brought to the institution. Instead, she thrives in the loving home of Dr. Henry’s nurse. Meanwhile, the doctor’s decision causes more pain for his family than he could possibly have imagined.

This is an interesting, practical and common sense book about marriage. It’s full of specific things that husbands and wives can do to show their love to each other and strengthen their marriage. I know that many people don’t like to listen to Dr. Laura because of the harsh tone that she takes with some of her callers (Although, you have to admit that many of them deserve it!). Her writing style does not come across as opionated as she is in her radio show, but she does have strong beliefs about marriage which shine through loud and clear in her book.

This book, along with its six sequels, comprise one of my favorite young adult series. When I was in elementary school, I loved reading The Boxcar Children, because the kids were independent, creative, and able to survive on their own. For the same reasons, I also loved My Side of the Mountain. Marsden’s series creates that same combination of independence and survival skills in a group of modern day teenagers, struggling to survive and protect their homeland when it is invaded by enemy soldiers. Additionally, Marsden’s series also has a strong female lead character, which is unusual in an action series.

A disclaimer: You can’t think too hard about the plot. The specifics of the invasion and subsequent war are far from realistic. But nonetheless, the characters are fascinating, the action is exciting, and Marsden achieves a good balance between moving the story forward, and allowing his characters to grow and reflect on their actions and the consequences. I originally read this series in July of 2004. I am quickly devouring it again, and am enjoying it just as much the second time around.