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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Take the chronicles of narnia off the list and this is the best book on the CC Challenge A reading list. I really enjoyed this book!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall I liked it, but I felt like the ending was a little abrupt. I thought the characterization of Jesus was well done, though.
3.5 stars. As an adult, I rather enjoyed this book for the most part, and I think it offers a different angle on the early days of Jesus Christ's ministry from the perspective of a Jew. I have found that fictional accounts of the beginning of the Judeo-Christian faith tend to focus a lot on the Christian side of that equation, ignoring the fact that Judaism existed for thousands of years before Christianity and greatly influenced the development of the more recent religion. However, this book isn't intended for adults, it's intended for early teen readers with short(er) attention spans. I feel like that age bracket would find the plot a little slow-moving and repetitive, especially compared to more contemporary books, which is why I gave this 3.5 stars instead of 4 stars. I also found the presentation of the sole black character Samson a bit troublesome, as he was presented as mute (quite literally) and unable to speak for himself. In turn, this led to his character to become a one-dimensional plot device of sorts, which bothered me. I did enjoy the language of the book (there are some nice turns of phrase), and Daniel's character arc is very moving and poignant. There were also some interesting socio-economic class tensions happening between certain characters that could be used as discussion fodder. But if I were to recommend this book to someone, especially a reader in the intended age bracket, I'd have to do it with some caveats.
Took my daughter (13 years old) and I a while to get into this one but eventually we were very invested.
Note: this book does contain a fictional portrayal of Jesus. I'm usually wary of using Jesus as a character in a fictional story and think authors need to be careful about giving him extra-biblical dialogue but I think the author handled it fairly well in this instance. (YMMV)
There were a few things about this story that felt under-researched (the reasoning for why Leah had blond hair & blue eyes...nope! Or naming a Jewish character Amalek: for real?) but overall it gave a good effort to immerse the reader in 1st century Roman occupied Palestine.
Note: this book does contain a fictional portrayal of Jesus. I'm usually wary of using Jesus as a character in a fictional story and think authors need to be careful about giving him extra-biblical dialogue but I think the author handled it fairly well in this instance. (YMMV)
There were a few things about this story that felt under-researched (the reasoning for why Leah had blond hair & blue eyes...nope! Or naming a Jewish character Amalek: for real?) but overall it gave a good effort to immerse the reader in 1st century Roman occupied Palestine.
This book was amazing! I loved the plot, and the characters. I liked Daniels transition from being a mountain man to being a civilian in a Jerusalem. My favorite character was probably Thace. She was so nice, but very responsible and sassy at the same time. Like I said, the book was amazing and deserves 5 stars.
I read the Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare at the urging of my daughter. She said it was one of her favorite historical fiction books. I enjoyed this book. It was a good read for historical fiction set in the time of Jesus. I think this book would be most enjoyed by 8-12 year olds or anyone who has some background with biblical literature or the bible itself. The story has a young man, Daniel bar Jamin, who experience heart break in many ways. He is angry and full of spirit. Through the story we grow to understand Daniel and feel for his loss. He learns through his old and new found friends and a teacher (Jesus) to find the real love in life and to let go of his anger. I think this speaks to many kids today as well as it did in 1961 when it was first written.
I read this one with my 7th graders as part of our Roman/Christian History studies. I recommend it for that age to read along with those blocks, my students liked it and were reflective afterward.
Absolutely inspiring! This is the perfect book to get prepped for the Christmas season. Not only did I love the uplifting story about a young Jewish rebel during the time of Jesus...but I also was really delighted in all the historically accurate details that the author included. Totally delightful book.