The Stunt

“But that’s not what I meant!” Rudy said. “Why doesn’t anybody believe me anymore? I pray, I try to help, I try to do what’s right – and everybody still acts like I’m just… rotten! I’m sick of it! I’m really sick of it!”

Book: The Stunt (Christian Heritage Series: The Chicago Years #3) by Nancy Rue, Focus On The Family/Bethany House Publishers, 1999

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 10-14

Subjects: Friendship, Identity, Crime, Relationship with parents and siblings

Summary: This family reunion sounds quite boring – a bunch of people sitting around talking about the past. But the trip there should be incredible! They’re riding in a Junker G24 with a 310 horsepower engine that travels 113 miles an hour! Rudy is ecstatic about the chance to ride in this. But when they arrive at the airport, the pilot refuses to fly a “colored” person, which makes Aunt Gussie, of course, refuse his business. Rudy is embarrassed and wishes she wouldn’t make a scene about this, but Aunt Gussie will stand for what’s right – no matter what.  When an opportunity to ride in a crop duster comes up, Rudy takes it – even against his dad’s wishes. Pretty soon no one is his family will trust him and his sister and brother won’t even talk to him anymore! Yet, he is the one who has the opportunity to make a difference when trouble with the mob strikes again and illness hits a family member. Can the answers he seeks possibly be found in the past?

Notes: This is the fourth set of books in the Christian Heritage Series. Each set focuses on a particular time period and tells the story of a young boy growing up in that time. This set is about a young boy and his twin sister who have been raised by their busy father since the death of their mother when they were babies. They and their father move in with their aunt in Chicago where they become personally acquainted with members of the mob, become more cultured, grow spiritually and learn about passions and the outpouring of them. In this book, Rudy fights learning about the past, but eventually recognizes what his aunt means when she says “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it”. Rudy learns to follow the examples of his ancestors and be a person of prayer who stands up for what is right.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 15:4 – For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.