I just completed another novel!!
This one falls under the genre of Christian fiction and it was very good!
A blogging buddy, Susanne, recommended this book and 2 of my church friends recommended it as they know I teach 3 1st and 2nd graders who are on the autism spectrum.
This book is fiction but the author says she modeled Holden (the autistic boy in the story) after a real-life boy she met a few years ago. The real life boy had a miracle happen in his life. This is MOST unusual in autism and if this is indeed true, it is a miracle from God!
The setting is Atlanta, Georgia.
The story centers around a few main characters/families.
Holden and Ella are high school seniors.
Holden is a special needs child on the autism spectrum. He is "locked"....verbal communication has not been evident since he was 3 years old.
Ella is one of the "popular" girls. She dates a football jock, has the lead in the upcoming musical and is well-liked by everyone.
One day she sees Holden watching the rehearsal and she is as drawn to him as he is to the music.
Ella makes a dramatic discovery: Holden is the boy who was her best friend in their early childhood days...and their moms used to be best friends!
Ella becomes upset with the way most of her friends bully others in the school so she breaks up with her football boyfriend and takes a stand against the other privileged and popular kids at the school.
She believes miracles can happen.....Holden's family is Christian and has been praying for a miracle for Holden for many years.
Time, friendship, faith and the power of music just might be strong enough to unlock Holden's mind.......will he get the miracle everyone around him is praying for??
This book also touches on teenage suicide and the power of a broken friendship and what it does to people. It also teaches about the stronger power of forgiveness regarding broken friendships......
something we all need to embrace.....
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, I rate this book an 8.
This book is a very quick read, not super challenging in the literary sense, and is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
3 comments:
Oh I read this book!! I love Karen Kingsbury's writing...I have read EVERY one of her books.
Love the new blog background BTW
Thanks, Mel! Yes, for Christian fiction she is good...i don't usually like Christian fiction..it's just so sappy (some of it!) i LOVE the mitford series by Jan Karon...love the characters!! thank God Hope let me borrow them...our library has em too but there's always a waiting list for them!
I really enjoyed this book. I found it really an interesting concept. And I really like the different aspects of high school the author explored such as friendship, bullying, and teen suicide.
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