Katrina never expected Mamm to
be pleased about this. And she never dreamed both her parents would agree to
such madness. Now that neither of them appeared determined to stop her, she
felt slightly let down. It seemed their consent came with a high price. Still,
she remembered Daed’s ashen face earlier and her concerns for his health, and
she thought perhaps the price was not too high after all.
Genre: Amish Fiction
Target Audience: Girls 13-19
Subjects: Family relationships, Secrets,
Sacrifice, Life Direction
Summary: A good Amish girl, Katrina has
never considered joining the outside world. Then, after the death of her
grandmother, secrets come to light that change her views on music and expose
her to the music of the outside world. Meanwhile, a good friend has been
dabbling heavily into the media of the outside world for three years through
the aid of a computer for the family business. She claims Katrina can sing just
as good, if not better than those on American Star, a reality tv show for
teenage singers. Katrina has no desire to pursue it, but then she learns that
the surgery her Daed requires costs more money than she has a hope of making.
So she enters the contest just to make enough money to help him. But can a
young Amish girl who knows nothing of the outside world survive in such an
environment?
Notes: A typical Amish story, it
begins with the discovery that someone had a secret that meant they had
experimented with the outside world. From there the story delves into whether
it is right or wrong for Katrina to use her singing for anything besides simple
worship of God. This question is never really resolved. She just does it
because she feels she has to, she doesn’t determine if it is truly right or
wrong in the eyes of God. But Scripture is never brought up, just the rules of
the particular Amish group she belongs to or another Amish group. Then as she
enters the competition the question of her clothing comes up – is it right or
wrong for her to try to fit in with the outside world while she is
participating in it. Her aunt seems to think it’s ok, she concludes it is just
not comfortable for her to dress as anyone different than who she is. Then the
story ends with a concern of whether or not her family will accept her back
after what she’s done and this too is left unanswered. It switches to romance
at the end and ends with that scene, before she even makes it back home to see
what her family’s reaction will be. Overall, I would say this is not a
Christian book, just Amish. Yes, they have similarities, but rather than the
Bible being the ultimate source of authority, the Amish man-made rules are and
even these aren’t ultimate since they vary from one group to the next in this
story. It certainly isn’t a bad book and
the character does pray a few times, it’s just not a focus on Christianity.
Spiritual Content
Recommendation Scale: 2/5
Entertainment/Quality
Recommendation Scale: 4/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi
1 Peter 2:12 -
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from
sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among
the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good
deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
“Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
“Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
Thank you to Revell for giving me a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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