Magna

You wanted to make your boss happy, so you worked really hard and won her favor and even a promotion. And you wanted to make your friends happy. But where in all of that do we see that you want to make Jesus happy?

Book: Magna by Nicole O'Dell, Barbour Books, 2010

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Choose Your Own Adventure

Target Audience: Girls 12-18

Subjects: Stealing, friendship, living for Christ

Summary: Molly will do what it takes to make people happy, whether that be her boss, friends, parents or school bully. The problem is it all sort of jumbles together. When her friends ask her to do what her boss would not approve of, she has to decide whose approval she wants more: her friends or her boss. The question is, are either of those the ones she should be striving to please the most?

Notes: Most of the book is a standard realistic fiction book with girls in their mid-teens pursuing fashion, the money it takes to have it, and friendships. Then at the climax of the book it becomes a choose your own adventure style with two endings the reader can pick from. All through the book the character is a Christian, but not until the end does she finally realize that something even weightier than her friendships or job was at stake - her walk with Christ. This one was pretty well done. Both endings were fairly realistic, not a happily-ever-after fairy tale with one choice and misery with the other, but rather both open and real about possible consequences of choices.

Recommendation Scale: 5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Ephesians 5:1 - Be imitators of Christ therefore as dearly loved children.