“The day I left
your aunt’s house I found a note from my old gang saying they had Nat, and if I
wanted to see him alive again, I’d better come back where I belonged.”
Genre: Historical Fiction
Target Audience: Boys 10-14
Subjects: Civil War, Friendship, Charity,
Salvation
Summary: The trip to New York seems
like a breath of fresh air to Ben who is tired of all the attacks by bullies
just because his father preaches love for enemies instead of hate. That’s not
exactly what the trip is for the boys though! Right away they’re assigned to
help Ben’s aunt as she visits the slums of the city reaching out to the poor
and hurting. Charity is all well and good but Ben and Zack didn’t have any
intentions of getting personally involved until the mystery came up. Lettie,
the young serving girl working for Ben’s Aunt and Uncle disappears without a
trace. Then the boys see her stealing – exactly the sort of thing she had
supposedly left behind when she became a Christian. Some opportunities to spy
around and find out what’s going on put Ben and Zack right in the middle of a
blizzard, rivaling gangs and secrets that could mean the difference between
life and death for the holders of the secrets.
Notes: Second in the Ben and Zack
series, this book focuses more on reaching the lost and hurting than the war.
The story gives at least a glimpse of five different kids trying to survive
alone on the streets and an overall picture of the poverty and hurting in the
slums. It also gives a picture of the power Christians have to make a
difference as they reach out and love the broken. The strongest spiritual
element in this story is the exchanges between Lettie and her brother as she
seeks to share the Gospel with him.
Spiritual Content
Recommendation Scale: 4/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi
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