Wondering if your young teen would enjoy Lisa M. Clark's Lutheran Middle Grade novel, The Messengers: Discovered? We gave copies to several Lutheran kids. Here are the responses.
Madelyne Scheer, age 12
I can not wait for the next book! The first is very good and leaves the reader hungry for more. This is the best dystopian book I’ve ever read. This is a wonderful way to help families grow in faith toward God our Father. My favorite part was when Simon painted the message on the walls with the help of Charity. Thank you for letting me read the book!
Sheralynn Weider, age 11
What are you willing to give up to read the Bible? The Messengers: Discovered is the first book in a futuristic trilogy for young adults about Simon and his dad who are residents in New Morgan, which is a country where Bibles are illegal and the Word of God is believed to be a fairy tale. In response to the government’s policies which forbid and remove Bibles, a group of underground Christians was formed to trace and retrieve the Scriptures. Simon’s dad, Jonathan, is a postmaster for the group, while Simon learns about Jesus, and works towards becoming a messenger for the group.
Though this book is fiction, I believe it is a realistic story because it resembles countries where Christians are persecuted today. Young adult Christians would relate well to Simon’s personal challenges including friendship issues, questions about the government, and growth in faith. I could see similarities between Simon’s church and my own in that Simon’s church proclaims the Word of God, the Christians believe in Jesus, and even the hymns are similar.
This novel took a while to unfold, so it took me some time to look forward to reading it. There were a few sections of the book that were confusing and unclear for much of the story. In general, however, I enjoy dystopian fiction and this book was a great example of that genre. New Morgan, which reminded me strongly of both Nazi Germany and Ancient Rome, was a tightly controlled society with strict curfews, regulated dress, and coordinated activities, which included violent arena games between robots. This was an intriguing read and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the trilogy.
Nicole Eden, age 13
Simon Clay reflects characteristics in all of us. Bravery, courage, curiosity, hopefulness, doubt, and most of all faith. It was through Simon's curiosity and courage that he found answers to many personal questions. Such as: Why is Simon's mother dead? Why does his father avoid talking about his mother and his past? Why does his father always seem unhappy? But most of all, who are the mysterious people coming to Simon's home in the dead of night?
These questions are unanswered due to the fact that Simon lives in a dystopia world. The government of this future world holds many secrets and scarcely tells Simon anything he wishes to know. The government only tells Simon the things he ought to learn about in school. However, all this is about to change.
This fiction novel could very well become reality. Many people and governments are attempting to destroy the Christian faith. With enough effort and perseverance, any government could nearly eliminate our faith in God. Whether they use a scaring tactics, persecution, or even brainwashing, the governments could find a way to almost destroy us.
Madelyne Scheer, age 12
I can not wait for the next book! The first is very good and leaves the reader hungry for more. This is the best dystopian book I’ve ever read. This is a wonderful way to help families grow in faith toward God our Father. My favorite part was when Simon painted the message on the walls with the help of Charity. Thank you for letting me read the book!
Sheralynn Weider, age 11
What are you willing to give up to read the Bible? The Messengers: Discovered is the first book in a futuristic trilogy for young adults about Simon and his dad who are residents in New Morgan, which is a country where Bibles are illegal and the Word of God is believed to be a fairy tale. In response to the government’s policies which forbid and remove Bibles, a group of underground Christians was formed to trace and retrieve the Scriptures. Simon’s dad, Jonathan, is a postmaster for the group, while Simon learns about Jesus, and works towards becoming a messenger for the group.
Though this book is fiction, I believe it is a realistic story because it resembles countries where Christians are persecuted today. Young adult Christians would relate well to Simon’s personal challenges including friendship issues, questions about the government, and growth in faith. I could see similarities between Simon’s church and my own in that Simon’s church proclaims the Word of God, the Christians believe in Jesus, and even the hymns are similar.
This novel took a while to unfold, so it took me some time to look forward to reading it. There were a few sections of the book that were confusing and unclear for much of the story. In general, however, I enjoy dystopian fiction and this book was a great example of that genre. New Morgan, which reminded me strongly of both Nazi Germany and Ancient Rome, was a tightly controlled society with strict curfews, regulated dress, and coordinated activities, which included violent arena games between robots. This was an intriguing read and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the trilogy.
Nicole Eden, age 13
Simon Clay reflects characteristics in all of us. Bravery, courage, curiosity, hopefulness, doubt, and most of all faith. It was through Simon's curiosity and courage that he found answers to many personal questions. Such as: Why is Simon's mother dead? Why does his father avoid talking about his mother and his past? Why does his father always seem unhappy? But most of all, who are the mysterious people coming to Simon's home in the dead of night?
These questions are unanswered due to the fact that Simon lives in a dystopia world. The government of this future world holds many secrets and scarcely tells Simon anything he wishes to know. The government only tells Simon the things he ought to learn about in school. However, all this is about to change.
This fiction novel could very well become reality. Many people and governments are attempting to destroy the Christian faith. With enough effort and perseverance, any government could nearly eliminate our faith in God. Whether they use a scaring tactics, persecution, or even brainwashing, the governments could find a way to almost destroy us.
 |
| Want your own copy? Head HERE. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please note: Comments are moderated and will appear on the blog once we've had a chance to approve them.
Thanks for joining the conversation!