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

Reading Level: Late Elementary School

The Gospel themes ring strong in Book 3 of this series. (No surprises there for a Dekker book!) The theme is: Love over fear. You definitely want to start with Book 1.

Possible Concerns:

  • Chemical Addiction. A bioproduct has an addictive effect.
  • Evil Spirit of Fear. Fear personified takes the form of a man, a beast and also at times a black cloud with tendrils that capture and destroy people and objects.
  • Bullying/Abuse. Millie must show love to school bullies and to her adopted mother, who has abused her in the past.
  • Kidnapping an adult. Millie and friends knock out her abusive mother and take them mom to her school.

Things I liked:

  • Battling Fear. Millie learns that fear has no power over love.
  • 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.