Bertha Schwartz

3.5 Stars - This story takes place after The Civil War, on a small island where Kelly and her papa a responsible for the lighthouse. It is Kelly's birthday and her papa has decided to tell her the truth about her mother. What Kelly hears is not what she or this reader expected. While she is trying to acclimate to the information about her mother, some men show up on the island and her papa agrees to go with them. He tells her they are dangerous and to hide. What happens after that is scary, yet with her faith, her friends and even her animals, she is able to survive and persevere.

This is the second book in The Searcher's series, and although I enjoyed it, I liked the first book more. The characters in this book were more over the top, with this young girl and her adopted granny being able to summon up the strength to move heavy crates, spend scary nights alone in a lighthouse on an island, and to some degree, fight off some evil men. There was adventure, family love, danger and all that was held together by faith, prayer and the words from scripture. I was glad to see her papa survives and comes home to her, but the rest of the ending was a bit to much for me. Overall, I enjoy this middle grade series. The power of prayer and faith are strong in this story as well as the theme of redemption and forgiveness. A good story for a Christian School or classroom or for a family that values Christian themes and literature. I received a copy of this book from Just Reads Publicity in exchange for an honest review. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.… (more)