Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea

There was one final blow, one final crashing of the pod and Lila lost all awareness, slipping into a dream.

Book: Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea (The Cooper Kids Adventure Series #4) by Frank Peretti, Crossway Books, 1988, republished in 2004

Genre: Suspense, Adventure

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 13-19

Subjects: Family Relationships, Loss, Guilt

Summary: When she angrily flung her words at her dad and hopped on board a plane for her aunt’s house, she never expected to learn how Jonah must have felt! Lila is a teenage girl desperately missing her mother right now and she’s convinced her dad doesn’t care. So she boards a plane to go back home, only to find this particular plane has been hijacked. One plane crash later, she finds herself trapped at the bottom of the sea, safely sealed in a weapon’s pod. It’s up to her dad and brother to find her before she runs out of air or the government gives it the command to self destruct, not knowing she is inside.

Notes: The fourth in a series for young teens by Frank Peretti, an author known for his books on spiritual warfare and suspense, the Cooper Kids Adventures series tells about a father and his two children going on various archeological adventures where they strengthen their trust in God and share His greatness with others. In this book, there is not nearly as much focus on spiritual warfare as there is on examining one’s own heart and letting the Lord work on you. Both Lila and her dad are fighting obedience to God and assuming the other one is to blame for the problems between them, but both are forced to open their hearts and let God have His way with them.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Jonah 2:10 – Salvation comes from the Lord.