Beauty amid the broken

“Greater than the world’s chaos are its miracles.” So opines Mal, the main character in Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 368 pp.), after seeing all the joy and suffering the world has to offer. And thus Mal decides that this beautiful, albeit brutal, world is worth saving—even if it costs her everything.

But she didn’t always feel that way. When readers first meet Mal, a young teen who can fly with the help of a special jacket, she has a murderer hot on her coattails in a magical world where centaurs, griffins, nereids, sphinxes, and the like have thrived for thousands of years. Mal has no idea why she is being hunted, but with help from her new friend Christopher, she soon learns it has something to do with a deathly darkness sweeping the land. Together the pair set out on an action-packed Odyssean journey to find answers, soon discovering that the decay of their worlds is in large part due to one chosen individual’s decision to turn away from the unique calling placed upon his life.

Though Impossible Creatures does not offer a Christian worldview, readers may notice thematic connections between the story and the Biblical narrative—including a Christ-like sacrifice—that would offer families an interesting compare-and-contrast discussion. Parents should know, though, that the book has mentions of drunkenness, a fortuneteller, and some mild cursing. It also includes instances of characters taking a higher power’s name in vain—although not specifically referencing the God of the Bible, the modeled behavior could create a slippery slope.

A gospel-centered message of something broken made beautiful frames Between Flowers and Bones (WaterBrook, 288 pp.), the second book in Carolyn Leiloglou’s Restorationists series about a secret society of people who travel in and out of paintings to protect art from evil forces. In Book 1, Georgia showed her cousin Vincent the tools of the Restorationists’ trade. Now, though, Georgia is feeling inadequate compared with the newcomer, and she struggles with jealousy that hinders efforts to rescue her kidnapped parents from the dark-side Distortionists. Eventually Georgia overcomes her pride with help from her grandfather, who models unconditional love, humility, and unmerited forgiveness.

While the book stands on its own as an action-packed adventure, Leiloglou brings even more to the canvas by inviting readers into famous art galleries and paintings to consider how minor tweaks can completely change the tone of an art piece. For aspiring curators who want to take a deeper dive, Leiloglou provides an informational index for all of the art she mentions in the book—nearly 40 famous paintings—and includes the artists’ names and the current locations of the pieces. Leiloglou ends her author’s note with a beautiful prayer asking God to reveal to each of her readers how uniquely gifted they are for the life He has given them.