Sophie's World

Book: Sophie's World by Nancy Rue, Faithgirlz! (Zonderkidz publishing), 2004


Genre: Realistic Fiction
Target Audience: Girls 11+
Subject: Faith in God, difficult family relationships, counseling, friendships
Summary: Sophie is a young girl known for her daydreaming. Her teachers, her parents, her sister, everyone thinks she lives in a dream world. Her dad is trying hard to get her to be more like her sister, athletic and smart. Sophie gets sent to a counselor who encourages her to picture Jesus and then go to the Bible to see what His answers are. Then Sophie makes a friend who also lives in a dream world. Sophie's counselor encourages her dad to get her a video camera to act out the stories she and her friend dream. However, her grades must show continuous improvement to keep it. Then when Sophie feels Jesus wants her to show kindness to another girl at school, her friend gets jealous, putting a strain on their friendship. Sophie has to decide whether to follow Jesus or do what it takes to keep her friend.
Notes: Sophie feels so real. You can get into her "world" easily and imagine what she's feeling. And many of the things she faces are normal late elementary and Jr. High issues. As Sophie learns and grows, you can learn and grow right along with her. This book is so delightful it's a disappointment when it's finally over, not that the ending isn't great, you just don't want to leave Sophie's world!