We've all felt - at one time or another - completely isolated or alone. We often find ourselves struggling in our faith, asking ourselves in a Margaretesque tone "Are you there God?" A lot of the times we cannot get out of the withdrawn state we're in without help.

This is where books like this one come in. To remind us that "Hey, God does listen, even when we feel we're in a hole too big to get out of.", as well as the power of prayer. The topics covered in this book include:

• The Miracle of Love
• Save a Place For Me...
• Miracle on Two Battlefields
• When Life Changed In an Instant
• A Time to Go Home
• On God's Strength Alone
• A Heavenly Reminder
• Angel in a Police Car
• A Voice in the Storm
• Missing Daddy
• A Face like Jesus
• A Warning from Heaven
• The Sweetest Friend
• Heaven's Perfect Timing
• A Charlie Brown Christmas Miracle
• Invisible Protection

In this, the latest in the A Treasury of Miracles series, author Karen Kingsbury has decided to reach out to teens. Although it is a valiant effort, as a teenager I must confess that the book simply didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy this type of book as much as the next person. Still, I found this one lacking for my own personal spiritual walk.

The book probably would have been more aptly titled "A Treasury of Miracles for Preteens," considering that the author's style of writing didn't reach out to me as a teenage male. The writing seemed to be more directed toward early-teenage girls or pre-teens. Notwithstanding, the miracles were astounding and, dare I say, although this sounds unimaginative on my part, WERE miraculous.

There are some errors in the book that should be addressed. For example, in the first story, a man's name changes from Peter Schilling (whose name also happens to be shared with a German artist who had the hit "Major Tom" in the 80's) to Phillip Schilling, and then back again. Also, some of the dialogue seems to be a bit contrived; I found myself wondering, "Did they really say that?"

The book's layout is a bit confusing as well. There isn't a table of contents to be found anywhere, which makes it just a tad more difficult for a reader who wants to thumb back and re-read a story they like.

Nevertheless, there are some aspects of the book that I did enjoy. A fifth-grader would have no trouble reading the book; it's easy reading. Also, many of the stories are short in length, which is always good for a quick read before going to bed.

Not without its faults, the book fell a little short of my expectations. On the other hand, it also served me well as an anti-depressant, having several positive stories that really demonstrate God's love for us.