Sophie's Encore

“I don’t see why God didn’t stop that one evil chromosome from getting into my sister,” she blurted out. “Since he didn’t stop it, maybe it’s not involved at all. Not even in the what now?”

Fame was not the reason the good Christian doctor was so devoted to this work. If she could just see one Down Syndrome child’s eyes and ears and tongue become normal, if she could hear one say “heinous” and know that one was enjoying breakfast at Pop’s Drive-In on Saturday morning, it would all be worthwhile. Dr. Devon Downing picked up her notebook of findings.

Book: Sophie's Encore by Nancy Rue, Zondervan Publishers, 2006

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Target Audience: Girls 11-15
Subjects: Fear, Love for others, mental disorders – Downs Syndrome, bullying

Summary: Sophie and her friends are eagerly anticipating welcoming to the world, the newest Corn Flake. But when Sophie’s baby sister is born, she has Downs Syndrome. And Sophie is terrified. She knows what “not normal” looks like thanks to a new girl in her classes. As Sophie drifts into her dreamworld, her next character is going to discover the cure for ADHD – which is what she’s pretty sure this new girl has. After that, curing Down Syndrome is just an easy next step, right? The Corn Flakes go all out trying to help Brooke, the new girl, find ways to adjust to life in the regular classes and control her behavior a bit more. When the Corn Pops learn of the plan though, everything is at risk of getting ruined!

Notes: Sophie's Encore is the final book in the FaithGirlz series, a twelve book series about a young girl in late elementary/early middle school who uses her big imagination to make movies and figure out how Jesus wants her to love those around her. In book twelve, Sophie has to fight a fear greater than any she has had yet. She thought Kitty getting Luekiemia was the worst, but now it’s her own baby sister with the illness. And there’s no “remission” for this one! Sophie distances herself from her sister and pours all of her energies into the project of fixing Brooke at school. But the Corn Pops help Brooke see how Sophie and her friends view Brooke as just a project and get her to betray Sophie in a pretty extreme manner. At the end, Sophie has to figure out how to trust God’s love and care for her sister even though she’s not what Sophie expected. I highly recommend this story.
Also the Sophie books have been republished under new titles. #12 is titled Sophie Gets Real.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.