Rebekah In Danger

But it was hard to be brave when so many in their company were falling sick…and many were dying. Sometimes, Rebekah wondered if this new world was trying to punish them for invading its shores. When she looked at the cold, rocky ground, she felt as though it were an enemy. Thoughts like that made her shiver.

Book: Rebekah in Danger: Peril at Plymouth Colony (Sisters in Time Book 2) by Colleen L. Reece, Barbour Publishers, 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 9-15

Subjects: Family Relationships, Fear, Obedience, The Pilgrims, Salvation, Prayer, God’s Will, Loss

Summary: If sickness doesn’t kill them all off, the cold will. If that doesn’t do it, the lack of food will do it. It’s just too hard to survive in this new world! Everything is against them! And when it seems like things can’t get any worse, there’s a fire, and then Rebekah’s brother goes missing and her mom collapses! Rebekah is afraid that her father or mother or brother will die just like so many have before them.

Notes: Rebekah In Danger is the second in the Sisters-In-Time series. This series features young girls living at various key points in American history, particularly around the wars. It always places the girls right at the edge of the teen years, coming of age.  The concept of the series it to not only show a glimpse of history, but to help young girls feel that the people back then weren’t that different than the people today.

Rebekah In Danger takes place in 1621 focusing on first year of the pilgrims trying to survive in the new world. It shows a lot of the hardships that the pilgrims faced during that winter. It shows their battles against sickness, starvation and the cold itself. The spiritual issue dealt with the most is fear vs. trust in God’s provision and care. The main character even ends the quote at the top of the page with “Her only comfort was to whisper a prayer, knowing that God understood her fears.” So their faith is strongly portrayed throughout the story. There is also a salvation element when Rebekah and Will determine to share the Gospel with a friend and become frantic with worry when he appears to be dying without having put his trust in Christ for his salvation.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 8:35-27 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.