Lost no more

Derek Holser and Zach Fay blend fantasy with a touch of sci-fi in Bryce and the Lost Pearl (New Growth Press, 208 pp.), the first book in a new series about teens who time-travel to the mythical world of Glideon and work to restore the blighted kingdom. The story opens with 15-year-old Bryce Holland, who on the outside appears to be an expert at juggling his over-committed calendar that includes leading a Bible study, playing on the varsity basketball team, and working at his uncle’s horse stable. When an on-the-court injury sidelines him for the season, though, Bryce’s world begins to unravel amid a series of poor choices that ultimately leave him mired in another world with no apparent way home.

This other-world of Glideon is suffering from the devastating effects of the Shadows and the Machines, but the Gliddles believe Bryce and the other Lightgliders (as these time travelers are called) are part of a greater plan to restore Glideon. Bryce and his new friends Kwan and Tambika must work together to first find the lost Pearl, which will then lead them to the Armor of Light. Since Bryce and the Lost Pearl is the first of seven planned books in the series, not everything will be resolved by book’s end, but it offers tweens and young teens Biblical themes to ponder in the meantime. As an allegory for the Christian life, the story reminds readers of their roles as Lightgliders amid our own blighted world and how they, too, can work to “restore the world in which we dwell until we hear ‘all is well.’”

In The Long Road Home (Crossway, 56 pp.), Sarah Walton offers a creative retelling of the Prodigal Son parable by blending it with elements of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. The story opens with Wander wishing he was free to do whatever he wanted. He asks his father for his inheritance and then sets off to embrace his newfound freedom. Along the way he visits the cities of Perfection, Prosperity, and Popularity. At first he is enthralled by the people’s perfect ways, their posh lifestyles, and their seemingly unending popularity. He strives for perfection but finds it exhausting. He pursues a lavish lifestyle, but eventually realizes that his purchases don’t bring happiness, only emptiness. And at last he seeks to gain worldly approval but fears if he can’t maintain it, he will be forgotten and rejected.

Downtrodden and desperate, Wander remembers his father’s parting words: “Wherever you go, my son, I want you to remember that I love you with a never-ending love.” Thus, Wander returns home where he is met with rejoicing from his father but bitterness from his brother Goodness. The wise father reminds both sons that their value to him rests not in anything they have done, but simply because they are his sons. Christina Yang’s illustrations beautifully complement Walton’s message, making it a lovely selection for family read-aloud time.

In Fritz and the Midnight Meetup (B&H Kids, 32 pp.), Megan Hill retells the true story of events that took place at a German orphanage during the 1860s after a group of children began holding evening prayer meetings.

At first just a few children drag blankets and pillows down to the kitchen where they gather around the fireplace and lift their petitions to heaven. As word spreads about the midnight meetups, more children eagerly come to pray. One bully, however, vows he will never participate in the “silly” activity. The boy begins scheming of ways he can disrupt the prayer meetings. Before he can take action, though, he makes a startling discovery that prompts him to have a change of heart.

Hill’s afterword shares more details about the real-life events that inspired the book. She also reaffirms the importance of recounting forgotten stories such as this one because they serve as encouragement and inspiration for both children and adults. “It may seem fantastical to imagine young children who seek revival, organize prayer meetings, pray for their enemies, and witness the conversion of their peers, but these things really happened,” Hill writes. “And, by God’s grace, they could happen again.”