Rating: Needs Parent Supervision (My bookshelf for High School above).

Reading Level: Middle School

Perhaps not surprising from a Dekker creation, but the Gospel themes continue to be strong in Book 2 of this series. You definitely want to start with Book 1.

Possible Concerns:

  • Violence. Children brawl, punch, sit on each other, scratch, etc.
  • Chemical Addiction. A bioproduct has an addictive effect.
  • Abuse. Millie’s adopted mother is described as punishing Millie in ways that are extreme. In this book we see Millie being slapped and kept locked in a basement for several days without food and barely any water.
  • Bullying. Millie is bullied by a set of twins who point out her shortcomings. Later she learns their identity is threatened, and in particular the girl’s backstory involves an unhealthy relationship with her mother.

Things I liked:

  • Identity in Christ. A clear theme is God speaks a new identity over Millie.
  • Love. The love of “The Great Teacher” helps the children overcome the addictive substance.
  • Loving Enemies. A theme is that Millie learns to love her adversaries.
  • Seeing people with God’s eyes in their brokenness.

See also my reviews of book 1 and book 3 in the series.