An amusing girl, a bully, a terrible prank, and God.
Eight-year-old Maddie
May is afraid to speak to people she doesn't know well. She prefers to stay
quiet and avoid all unnecessary attention. She finds herself in an almost
impossible situation when she sees the class bully pull an awful prank on the
teacher and then blame someone else. Maddie May is the only witness, so she
must decide if she can speak up or if she is too afraid. If she stays quiet, an
innocent boy will be punished. If she tells what she knows, she may become the
bully's next target. She remembers from Sunday School that God promises to be
with us, but her fear is so big! Will God really help her do something so scary
and hard?
Meet Maddie May in this beginning chapter book, a moral
story with Christian family values and wholesome characters. Skilled readers
ages 6 to 9 can read about Maddie May’s dilemma alone, or you can enjoy with
your child by reading aloud and discussing ideas such as whether faith is
relevant to our daily lives and if God always keeps His promises. Other points
to consider are how fear, anxiety, or peer pressure can keep us from doing what
we should and how we all can make a difference.
*********
Maddie May and the Tea Trouble by Gina Hutcherson is a short but inspiring
children's story that touches on significant subject matters like bullying,
standing up for oneself, and doing the right thing.
Maddie May is shy
and reserved; she talks very little and is teased for it. On this particular day, Maddie May witnesses an unfair treatment and false
accusation of a quiet child like her, and she felt she couldn't keep
silent on this one - she knew she had to do something. With a little advice
from her friend Evie, who reminded her of the Bible verse they’d learned at Sunday
School, Maddie May finds the courage to speak up for the little boy.
Simplicity is what
jumps out of my mind with this book -- so simple yet so profound. Sometimes we look at Scripture and unknowingly assume the
words of wisdom and advice only apply to grown-ups caught up in grown-up situations,
so I thought it impressive how
the author incorporates Scripture in the book in the simplest way for any
child to understand.
Bullying is an
unfortunate occurrence that most children are bound to face at some point in
their childhood, and it’s important to show them -- the way this story does -- that they’re valuable and can
stand up for themselves and for others, even if they're shy and reserved like Maddie May is.
They may not feel like they can do it on their own, but they can count on
God's help, who clearly said in His Word to "be bold, be courageous […]
for I will be with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:9).
I would have loved if the story had been a bit longer. I wanted to read more of
Maddie May, so I’m hoping the author could perhaps put
together some sort of collection of stories about Maddie May and how she
navigates various challenges in her childhood with the help of Bible verses. I think that would be splendid.
All in all, I say
kudos to the author for an impactful book!
GENRE: Children/Christian fiction
COARSE LANGUAGE/GRAPHIC CONTENT: None
MATERIAL CONNECTION: Given to me by author in exchange for review
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Sounds interesting.
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