Lassie: Danger At Echo Cliffs

“Why did Lassie fall?” asked Sarah. Jimmy gently stroked his dog’s head. “I’m not sure,” he said, not wanting to believe what flickered in his brain.

Book: Danger at Echo Cliffs (Lassie Danger at Echo Cliffs) by Marian Bray, Chariot Books, 1996

Genre: Adventure, Animal Stories

Target Audience: Boys 10-14

Subjects: Worldview, Trust in God

Summary: Jimmy isn’t convinced that he and Sarah are going to have that exciting of a spring break. They’re spending it with their uncle on an archeological exploration of ruins in New Mexico. Some of their uncle’s college students are on this trip as well. When Jimmy, Sarah and Karina, one of the students, get separated from the rest of the group during a hail storm, they stumble into danger. When the river bed floods they become trapped on the wrong side of the river. Lassie is with them and instinctively saves them from a cave-in but becomes blind in the process! Now they’re trapped with an injured dog and no way to get back home.
Notes: This is one of the books in the Lassie series, based off of the TV shows. In this book Jimmy receives an opportunity to witness to someone with a different worldview. At one point in the book he recognizes that Karina would have to give up the worldview of her people if she wanted to become a Christian but that it’s been easy for him, having been raised in a Bible believing home. He is portrayed as mature enough to recognize that he needs to know more about her beliefs, not in order to condemn her for being wrong, but to understand and get to know her better so he can share God’s love and power with her. It’s done simply so that 10 year olds could understand it, but done well.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 1:20 – For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.