Alec London is beginning his 5th grade year and as if that isn’t hard enough, his dad is the new principal of his school! He finds himself in a very tough situation with not only his peers, but also his teachers and his Dad. To add to his difficulties, he is being bullied by 2 boys in his class, his mom is out of town on an extended business trip and his grandmother is sick. He is overwhelmed had doesn’t know how to handle any of it! His frustrations grow and so do his problems as he tries to solve them by himself. At one point he decides that Karate lessons would help him take care of the bullies, but even after talking his dad into it, the instructor refuses to teach him! After exhausting all his options, he learns that only God has the answers he needs!
This is the first book I have read but the 4th in a series. I was looking for good Christian books for my 9 and 12 year old grandsons. I have definitely found some in these books! I was very impressed with Ms. Moore’s writing in several ways.
First of all is the wholesomeness of the book. Too many books for this age group allow a character’s bad attitude or rebellion to be portrayed as alright or cool. Alec’s misbehavior is dealt with in the light of scripture and the correct behavior presented. I liked how his father was firm but loving. Throughout the book children are shown how to apply God’s Word to their lives.
The book was well written and interesting. The story flowed. I loved the way Ms. Moore captured the feelings, thoughts and situations a child that age would be facing. I believe 8 to 12 year olds will not only be able to relate to Alec and his predicaments but also see answers to their own situations using Bible knowledge.
Another surprising of the book is the fun educational activities. At the end of every chapter is a simple word search. Each one has words pertaining to different things about Karate. At the end of the book is a page of discussion questions, a vocabulary worksheet about the story, a math worksheet and a full list of Karate terms! This is a wonderful book! I highly recommend it! Thank you Ms. Moore for high quality Christian writing!
I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers for the purpose of this review.