Roundup of the Street Rovers

“You… there you are, you little thief! Police! Police! Catch that boy.” Pogo flapped his wings and darted into the air as Kip dropped his bag of papers at the feet of the two girls and ran.

Book:Roundup of the Street Rovers: Charles Loring Brace (Trailblazer Books #36) by Dave and Neta Jackson, Bethany House Publishers, 2001

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Family Relationships, Missions

Summary: Kip O’Reilly was sold by his father to a shoe tanner when he was eight. He ran away and, now thirteen, is a street rover, managing for his younger buddies and himself. When the boy is caught stealing, Rev. Brace is the only one who can help him out. The two only conditions – staying at the Aid Society and not stealing. This kind of life is so different from the one Kip has led. Can he manage?

Notes: This book tells the story of Charles Loring Brace. It is #27 in the Trailblazers series, a series designed to introduce readers to famous missionaries throughout history. The authors always have young characters who interact with the missionaries and who the story is centered around. These characters often are helped by the missionary, then learn to understand the heart for the lost themselves. This one doesn’t really have God at the center of everything, but it does show how a life can change through contact with Christians. It introduces the historical figure Reverend Brace, making the history into something interesting.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4.5/5

Reviewer: Sofia Marie

Mathew 25:40b – ‘Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’