One Miracle After Another is the engaging, heart-felt story of a charismatic and athletic, nine-year-old boy's fight with cancer. Ordinary life is suddenly changed for an Alaskan family in 1985 as a trip to the clinic reveals that Toby Wood doesn't have the flu but Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Toby's story, told through his mother's eyes, thoughts and fears, encompasses a wide range of feelings as the family -- and reader -- ride the emotional roller coaster of hope and despair through remission and relapse, each day bringing new challenges, triumphs, disappointments and joy. After 31 months of standard medical treatment, including chemotherapy, Toby and his family are introduced to the world of alternative healing. The race against time quickly becomes a high-powered, spiritual journey: finding a cure for Toby.

Author Jackie Kosednar (formerly Jackie Wood) is the publisher of Alaska Wellness magazine and, in many ways, her book reveals the underlying story of how Alaska Wellness came into being. Jackie's search for alternative methods to help heal Toby brought her into contact with many of the healers who now write for this magazine. Through Toby, Jackie was amazed to experience the vast possibilities of holistic healing at a time (15 years ago) when many alternative modalities were highly suspect. Through their journey, Jackie and Toby became pioneers in demonstrating the power of holistic healing, prayer and the inherent healing powers of mind and body.

As a new mother, I was touched by Jackie's unconditional commitment to her son's physical, mental and spiritual well-being when it was often adverse to the medically accepted paths of our culture and society. The true miracle is that this inspiring story can now be shared with all who are confronting a terminal illness, battling any physical condition, or seeking a cure beyond Western medicine's paradigm.

For more information on this book, see www.healingtoby.com

Review by Dawn Brunke

The Wings of Change
By Franklin Hill, Illustrations by Aries Cheung (Illumination Arts, 2001, $15.95) For children 3 years old and up.

As Faith the snail relates in this simple, pleasant tale of transformation, "As the world turns, so do you. When you change for the good, you change the world too."

Faith is the wise mentor of Anew, a young caterpillar who feels growing pangs of doubt and uncertainty. Though Anew dreams of standing atop rosebuds and viewing mountains from the sky, he is also afraid. Through further dreams and Faith's counsel, Anew learns that "thinking like a caterpillar does not work for butterflies." Following the flow of his own inner yearnings, Anew comes to embrace the mystery of change.

This charming story provides reassurance to young readers who are just learning to navigate their own changing world. Vibrant watercolor illustrations from award-winning artist Aries Cheung add humor and a lovely dash of zip to Anew's adventures.

Do you have a book to recommend? Would you like to write a guest book review? Please call or e-mail Dawn Brunke at (907) 373-4667 or brunke@matnet.com.