Sugarwood's debute novel introduces kids to faith in God through telling a story with animal characters!  Come Children! Come Everybody! Ivan Sugarwood, the great storyteller, is here to share with us The Judges Chronicles: Rebirth of Shavron! Come and hear how three judges saved the little town of Shavron! Sugarwood begins with a brief reference to the creation, noting that God created the many animals: rabbits, wolves, foxes, lions, etc. In a little place, called Shavron, near the Cinnamount Mountains, many lived under the blessing of the Holy One. He had placed three judges to rule and provide guidance to the land: Many years had gone by until the time when three new judges were named. Gideon of Eldos, the judge of battle; Deborah of Moran, the judge of instruction; and Samson of Old Sim, the judge of commerce. This is their story. Gideon was a rabbit and though it seemed strange to have a rabbit as the judge of battle, he always won because he spent time in prayer and allowed the Holy One to win the battle for Shavron. It was good that Gideon was the judge of battle at this time, because there was much to threaten the lives of those who lived in Shavron. For a powerful nation, Chetz, whose citizens were leopards, was about to attack. Instead of depending upon God, the town’s council and citizens wanted to appoint a new Queen to save them! As soon as they had spoken of this desire, Gideon knew that he needed to talk with the other judges, so he set off to find Deborah. But when he found her, she admitted that she was practically a prisoner herself. What were they going to do? While Gideon was gone, the two appointed Jezerah as Queen! And she brought along an elder who was called Iya and proclaimed her to be her mother, which was not true. Actually, Iya was a witch with great powers. These two foxes, cunningly moved into Shavron, only to ultimately enslave everybody and demand tax payments to build a large palace and anything else Jezerah desired. Knowing that the three judges were a danger to their reign, they went out to capture them one by one until all of them were imprisoned in one place or another. Five long years went by until one day, Gideon spoke in prayer to the Holy One and found that it was now time! Time to reclaim Shavron and make it one of God’s blessed places once again! You’ll want to learn how this all occurs! Sugarwood has created an exciting tale, very loosely patterned around the ancient judges once placed over another holy land. Use of animal characters has allowed the author to emphasize the known animalistic characteristics and use them to advantage as each type of animal plays a role in the story. In one way, in my opinion, it served to lessen the impact of one country against another; one race against another, yet allows the envy, greed, and jealousy to occur. Using a rabbit, so timid and shy, to be the bravest of them all is important as well, as it also emphasized the power of God, the Holy One, in working through the timid creature. In addition to the thrilling story, the author has included many beautifully created sketches of his characters and is sure to delight and encourage children to become involved with the story. Remember this is a good-over-evil tale, so be sure your child is at the proper age... This book is a perfect storybook to have in spending quality reading time with your child(ren)!    Authorsden  review  by G.A. Bixler             Excerpt The lizard approached; Gideon raised his balde for a strike. The two opponents came to a stare-down. Gideon attacked first, aiming for the lizard's face; but Dolius was quick and came upoin Gideon in a fury of vicious attacks. Gideon was able to dodge the biting and clawing. He jumped back and took his fighting tance again. The iguana posed and the crowd applauded him.

Professional Reviews
Book review by Melissa Levine
In Ivan Sugarwood’s debut novel, The Judges Chronicles: Rebirth of Shavron, the world is populated by animals who struggle with familiar issues of faith and power. Three judges chosen by the Holy One to lead the nation of Shavron, find themselves facing: a warring nation, a greedy monarch, and their individual lapses of faith. Gideon, a rabbit who has been chosen by God to be the judge of battle, meets with the council of Shavron to discuss the citizens’ desire to have a king. Shavron is being threatened by the warring Chetzians, a nation of leopards who have threatened to conquer the Shavronites. The council believes a king will dissuade the Chetzians from attacking them. Gideon is against the idea as he believes that God will continue to protect Shavron. After a night of prayer, Gideon starts out on a mission to find the other two judges appointed by God (Deborah the cheetah who is the judge of instruction and the wolf, Samson, who is the judge of commerce), so that a plan to end the search for a king of Shavron can be supplanted. (Melissa Levine)



An Awesome and Captivating Tale
Wow! I just finished reading The Judges Chronicles: Rebirth of Shavron, what can I say other than "awesome!" This book is not only fun to read but it's so difficult to put down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next with the main characters and how they would prevail in their battles.

The story reminded me very much of the great tales of Narnia, which in my opinion, is perfect. Fantasy stories with talking creatures, physical, mental and emotional battles, and those on the battles between good and evil... I love this type of book. This is one that will not be put away, never to be read again. I will definately be reading this one again and will be passing it on to my fellow book readers.
(C.Eversole 5 out of 5 stars/ Amazon.com review)

For Young or Old
The Judges Chronicles: Rebirth of Shavron is for folks young and old. While the characters are animals, the story is one that could be enjoyed by any age.

This book has a great message to send about always believing in your faith. Following Gideon and his companions through their journeys and battles made you want to keep reading to find out what was in store for them next.I look forward to more from this author. I really enjoyed this book. (Heather Shockney) 4 out of 5 stars

Great Read for Young Readers
I had the chance to read Rebirth of Shavron with a young student that I tutor this week. Not only did he find the book interesting, which can sometimes be a challenge to a reader with a preferred genre in mind, but he was engaged through the entire book.

The storyline was easy to follow, but still leaves room for suprises that keep young readers eager to move onto the next part of the book. I was happy that my student was interested in talking about what he had just read as each chapter ended, and it was mainly because the Rebirth of Shavron is really well set up for discussion and dialogue.

I liked the use of animals for characters, I think it goes over well with younger children, but the older fring of young readers might find the use of animals a little childish. Maybe if different animals had been chosen instead of the ones that were used, it would come across differently, but my student seemed to accept the main characters in animal form and then forget about it.

Overall, I think the Rebirth of Shavron is a great read for young readers. I personally liked the emphasis on faith and good morals that was used without being too pushy. Very young readers can get through this novel in a few reads and older readers can easily read it from cover to cover in less time. (Sophie S.)

Reader Reviews for "The Judges Chronicles: Rebirth of Shavron (2nd edition)"

Reviewed by Susan Smith	12/17/2008
If it gets children (and adults, too) into the Word of God, I'm all for it. I would like to see a study guide with this that references the lessons from the Bible. The combination would be great. (Just my two cents.) Susan
Reviewed by John Domino	10/7/2008
Since this book has a great message to send about always believing in your faith in The Lord, I approve of it 1000 percent!!! You and this book are a blessing to others! John Michael

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