Mandie And The Secret Tunnel

“Don’t get so close, Amanda. You might fall in.” Her mother grasped the back of her long, dark skirt. Mandie tried to pull free. Her tear-filled blue eyes sought a glimpse of her father through the homemade coffin resting by the open grave. “I want to go with you, Daddy!” she was mumbling to herself. “Take me with you, Daddy!” she tugged at her long, blonde braid in her grief.

Book: Mandie And The Secret Tunnel (A Mandie Book #1) by Lois Gladys Leppard, Bethany House Publishers, 1983

Genre: Historical, Adventure, Mystery.

Target Audience: Girls 10-13

Subjects:  friendships, loss, trust in God.

Summary: When her father dies Mandie is left with her unfeeling mother and cruel sister. Things don’t get better when she is sent to a neighbor’s farm two miles away to live. Mandie’s two friends are Joe, an old schoolmate and a great comfort, and Uncle Ned – her father’s faithful Cherokee friend. Will she be able to run to safety with Uncle Ned? Will she finally get to know the truth about her family? Where does the secret tunnel lead to?  Does God still love her?

Notes: This book discusses important life lessons. Why does God take our loved ones? Is it because we did something wrong? Will God love us after this? Can we trust God fully? The whole focus isn’t so much on God, but He is certainly very important. Mandie and the Secret Tunnel will entertain you as well as give show that God really cares. This is the first book of the series Mandie books.

Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: Sofia Marie

Psalm 23:1 – “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”