Everyone got a piece of the pie when Red Stevens died- a portion of his multibillion dollar estate- except for Jason, the 24 year old fictional character in Jim Stovall's "the Ultimate Gift". Born with a silver spoon and never having worked a day in his life, Jason was eager to find out what he would inherit from his late great uncle. You could imagine how disturbed he was when he learned he had to accomplish twelve tasks (in the name of "gifts") to win the ultimate prize; what he hoped would be a giant fortune! The story unfolded as I unwrapped these surprising "gifts" along with Jason, one by one. It was surely a fun ride!


Read this book if you are interested in discovering the real gifts in life! Jim Stovall is a great storyteller you don't want to miss. Also if you love exploring infinite possibilities and want to lead a happy and satisfying life, check out this amazing book by Ariel and Shya Kane, "Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment". The stories in this book are so sweet, profound and life-altering! The Kanes are masters in communicating their messages across in fun and inspiring ways. I read it repeatedly and am still pretty amazed each time I picked it up. Don't miss their other books as well: "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Can Instantaneously Transform Your Life" and "How to Create a Magical Relationship". I recommend all of them!

Easy to read, entertaining book. However, this time the movie was better, which is usually not the case. Wish the book had been a bit more detailed, but still enjoyed it.

I'm not a major fan of motivational books as many seem to be too preachy or give you the same message you could find in 50 other books. The Ultimate Gift is a touching story without the preaching. I read this book in the matter of 2 hours and was not disappointed.

As the story progressed, you know that in the end there is a life lesson and the main character goes through a profound change. But I found myself wanting to know the next gift and the next until the ultimate gift.

I didn't walk away feeling like my life completely changed by reading this book. But after reading the chapters on the Gift of Gratitude and the Gift of Giving, it did inspire me to make some changes in my daily life.

This book is one of the best books I have ever read. This book teaches others that life isnt all about what I can get from you. This book teaches Happiness comes from Helping others . That is pure satisfaction in life. I recommend this book to all genders and ages.
Wanda Jennings

The book, The Ultimate Gift, is a must read for all ages. This book inspires us to continue living our lives and discovering great things in store for us.

I, too, have watched the movie. Some settings have been changed to suffice with the almost 2-hour movie run. Nevertheless, the thought that was inside the book were just similar that you can easily associate some of the real things that are happening.

Either reading the book or watching the movie will provide the wisdom even the contented man on earth could ever have.

This is an uncompicated simply written book with an unbelievable depth. It is not very long but it is packaged very nice. Predominately for a younger person. It would make a fantastic graduation gift. Bernice Knouse

Things I learned from reading "The Ultimate Gift":

BE NICE TO PEOPLE. I didn't know that!
GIVING IS BETTER THAN RECEIVING. I didn't know that!
LOVE IS GOOD. I didn't know that!

But the most important thing I learned from reading TUG?

That you can become a self-made billionaire AND THEN raise a family of spoiled and lazy children who turned out that way because you, yourself, readily admit that you provided woeful and improper parenting AND THEN - to prove that very point - publicly berate and verbally abuse your offspring from beyond the grave AND THEN dedicate an enormous amount of time and money producing a videotape and coupling it with 12 months of "Survivor"-like challenges instead of - while you were alive! - actually spending quality time with and showering love onto your great-nephew AND THEN, after all this, you are considered a "great" and "wise" and "loving" man.

Goodness gracious, people, this isn't a book - it's a sermon! And not a very good (or well written) sermon at that.

Sheer hypocrisy.

This is an excellent book for all parents to read. It is very insightful and offers valuable life lessons for us all but especially for the upcoming generations.

I was given this book as a gift and I've given many to my friends and family. The lessons in it are wonderful. Our book discussion group will read and discuss it soon. If every person lived under these principals, there would be no more crime or war--only peace and love.

This is a wonderful little book. I highly recommend it. Not only is it a good story, it is a guide to living life at its best.

I bought the book and its sequel because I loved the movie. After seeing the movie, I bought copies of it for everyone in my extended family. I'm thankful I didn't buy them the book. The book left out the learning process. The best part of a trip is the journey, not the destination. In this book, all we got was the beginning and end of each lesson. How the lessons were learned was missing.

See the movie. It is amazing!!! The only thing better about the book was the end, but it isn't worth reading the whole thing to get there.

"The Ultimate Gift" is a literary gem! Author Jim Stovall packs 12 simple and profound life lessons (gifts) in this wonderful, "quick-read" novel. The fun story line feels interactive as I related to the main character, Jason, who goes on a year long quest, full of multiple tests that lead him to the Ultimate Gift...well-being.

I was touched by the "gift of friends" as Jason discovers that "when you just worry about yourself, you are always disappointed. But when you think about others & their well-being first, everything works out best for you and for them". I love this lesson! When I take my attention off myself, I'm available to take care of others around me. This action alone gets me out of my thoughts and brings me into the present moment.

Another entertaining and fun book that leads its' readers to the ultimate gift of well-being is Ariel & Shya Kane's Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. There are priceless gifts of wisdom in each story of this book where enlightenment is easy for all of us to access. Enlightenment is not only for the Gurus of today - it is for all of us to explore and experience. It's fun to find authors that entertain & share gems of wisdom at the same time. Hats off to Jim Stovall and Ariel & Shya Kane! Thanks for sharing the fun of magic!

I really enjoyed this book, and am going to give copies of it as birthday and Christmas gifts to special people in my life. It is an easy read but is thought-provoking at the same time. A great lesson for our materialistic society.

The Ultimate Gift ranks as one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. In a simple, but emotionally compelling story, Jim Stovall has captured a lifetime of wisdom and presented it in brief, easily absorbed chapters. There is no author of whom I know who has greater insight into what makes the heart open, the mind activate, and the spirit rise.

Jim Stovall is an author whose keen senses have been tuned to the music of the soul and he weaves his message and his characters like a symphony conductor. Throughout my first and second reading, tears flowed freely down my face from the simple spirit of goodness this book contains. Since then, I have purchased copies of this book for my children, my friends, and my employees, and expect to give away many more in the course of my lifetime.

If you're looking for an easy way to present principles for living a great life, this book can help you. The language is accessible and the plot will keep you turning the pages. While you are completely absorbed, you will also be assimilating some of the great truths taught by teachers throughout the history of mankind: hard work, generosity, purpose, integrity, authenticity, compassion, and love, all come beaming through Jim Stovall's masterful creation.

Buy this book, then buy the sequel, and read them. They will change your life. But be prepared - for as soon as you finish them, you'll be buying copies for the most important people in your life.

This book is truly a gift to the world from a passionate, insightful author.

Jim Huling author of
Choose Your Life!: A Powerful, Proven Method for Creating the Life You Want

This movie has become one of my favourites. It has a solid teaching basis for what is or should be the important matters in life. Recommend this movie highly. It is also an interesting story with drama and romance. A must see.

I read this book purely because I'd seen the movie, and it was so short.

Nothing in this book is realistic; it's so preachy I found myself skipping entire paragraphs and skimming. I was trying to see if it would ever get better. It didn't.

Luckily, I'd picked this up at the library, so I wasted no money on a purchase. However, it is about half an hour of my life I'll never get back.

See the movie. At least it has Drew Fuller as eye-candy.

How fitting it was to receive this gift on Christmas. I read the book from cover to cover in one sitting; I could NOT put it down. The story is warming to one's heart and captures the true meaning of love. I cried. I laughed aloud. My hear swooned. The story shows the power of hardwork, humility and humbleness as a means to building success in one's life. I will recommend this story to everyone I talk to, and I plan on picking up several copies and sharing them as my gift to friends, family and clients.

We love the book and have been very happy with the quick delivery and the quality of the products received.

When Red Stevens died, he left a vast fortune. His greedy relatives all gathered to see what they would gain from his death. The attorney handling the estate, Mr. Theodore Hamilton, acknowledges the beneficiaries one by one until only Red's nephew remains. Jason Stevens also wants a piece of the wealth but his great uncle Red has another plan in store for Jason. Jason sets off on a year long quest, supervised by Mr. Hamilton and his capable assistant Miss Hastings, that will change his life. Jason is about to learn the secret of THE ULTIMATE GIFT.

Perfectly packaged to be a gift book, THE ULTIMATE GIFT offers up a very succinct tale with a much deeper message. The overall story is simple, perhaps deceptively simple. Each month Jason learns the value of such things as work, friends, dreams, etc. The details behind his learning process are only briefly mentioned, leaving readers to fill in the details from their own life experiences. Readers looking for complex, deep relationships or life altering events to be fully fleshed out in this book will be disappointed as THE ULTIMATE GIFT is more an overview than an actual complete tale. The heart of THE ULTIMATE GIFT lies in what the reader sees within Jason's changes and how this applies to his or her own life.

THE ULTIMATE GIFT is an endearing and very motivational book. Most will not find anything new within the pages but merely obtain some very good reminders of what is important. I could actually visualize the motivational speech that would accompany this book as I was reading it. THE ULTIMATE GIFT is powerful in its simplicity.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES