Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters Updated at bottom

Seven the Series is a new book series created by Eric Walters. The premise is that a Grandfather has recently passed away and on the day of the reading of his will, his seven grandson's are each given a task to complete. Each of the seven books in the series feature a different grandson. Each book is also written by a different author. Since the stories are about seven grandchildren, the characters pop up in different books which is a neat concept. You don't need to read these books in order, although Between Heaven and Earth does a great job setting up the story in the first few chapters. Between Heaven and Earth tells the story of the oldest grandson- DJ. He is a popular, athletic accomplished young man. Things usually come easy to him and he expects his task will be no different. DJ's challenge is to travel to Tanzania and climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. DJ knows that climbing a mountain may prove to be challenging, but he has no idea of the obstacles that will be thrown in his path as he tries to fulfil his grandfathers last wish. As with all Eric Walters stories, the characters are believable and compelling. The relationship between DJ and his grandfather is obviously very deep. DJ strives to meet his grandfather's expectations in order to honour their bond. I really enjoyed many aspects of this story, but the relationship between DJ and his grandfather were my favourite parts. I am currently working my way through the rest of the books in this series. I think it is a brillant concept. You can find more information about it here

. I've decided to start off my read alouds this year with Between Heaven and Earth and so I reread this book today. I am so glad I did, I think I like it even more than I did the first time. I found myself very emotional when I read the parts about DJ and his grandfather. I was lucky to have a great relationship with my grandpa as well, and I could make many connections to how DJ was feeling. One of the tasks I'm going to ask my kids to do is to share a connection they have with someone. It will be a great way to get to know them and who is important to them. I can't wait to share this book with my class in September. Even better, it means that there are six other books my kids can pick up when we finish it- and- although I can't find much information about it- Seven the Series has sequels being published on October 1st- I cannot wait to read more about these characters.