The Vanishing Footprints

“Who is this person? He knows we’re watching him. He knows we’ll try to follow.” Tracking the man no longer seemed a game. Step by step they followed the prints to the water tank, then back to the trail. Near the tracks made by the runners of a sleigh, the boot prints vanished. “Well, he’s gone anyway.” Kate felt relieved. But Anders groaned. “We’ve lost him again! We’re no better off than before. Worse, come to think of it.” “Worse?” “We know how bold he is, coming into our yard again. We know how he plans, even bringing along an extra pair of boots. And he’s doing everything he can to scare us off.” Kate shivered. “He’s a dangerous man!”

Book: The Vanishing Footprints (Adventures of the Northwoods, Book 4) by Lois Walfrid Johnson, Bethany House Publishers, 1991

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 11-15

Subjects: Family Relationships, Fear, Trust in God

Summary: In the Northwoods, boys sometimes become men very early. With the fathers still working at the Logging Camp, Anders and Eric go working for the creamery, harvesting ice. That leads them Kate to her latest mystery. It starts with stolen checks, making it so none of the workers will get that much needed paycheck. Then it continues with a discovery of a bucket buried under the ice. But soon they find themselves in danger as the criminal seems to be pursuing them and flaunting his power. And on top of that, there are problems at home as nine year old Lance develops a cough that just keeps getting worse and worse, leaving Kate and Anders to fear for his life.

Notes: The Vanishing Footprints is the fourth in the Adventures In The Northwoods series. The series focuses on a young girl right at the beginning of her teen years as she adjusts to life in a very different kind of home and to a new family. The story covers about a year and a half of her life. The main character, Kate has a strong sense of curiosity and stubbornness so whenever she finds something odd she determines to find out what is going on. Sometimes the mysteries find her, sometimes she seeks them out. Through the series she transitions from someone who has only heard but not accepted a relationship with God to a girl learning to put her trust in God and look to Him for wisdom and direction.

In this fourth book, the mystery comes from a simple act of jealousy. The bad guy didn’t get what he wanted, what he thought he deserved and decided to make life miserable for the person who did. Kate continues to wrestle a lot with fear but finally overcomes it yet again with help from a letter from Papa. He recognizes that his being away makes Kate more fearful and reminds her of his love for her even though he’s not her first father. Then he uses that fatherly love example to help her see that her Heavenly Father is there always, even when he can’t be and that Kate can trust in that.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.