Intro to Book
Hello Readers,
I don’t know about you, but my kids, even from the young ages of 8 and 10, have had to face death quite a bit already. It’s confusing, it hurts, and it is difficult to help them get through it. They often spend time wishing lost loved ones will return. It is the wish and fascination of many people, Christians and non-Christians alike. We have a morbid interest in death because it feels so unnatural to us. Which, if you have read and believe the Bible, then you know death is unnatural. It is the consequence of sin in our world, of which we are all guilty. Why do I bring this up on a channel for book reviews?
Because the fascination of death and returned loved ones is what this next book is all about.
Today we will be looking at The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr. Another Debut book from an up-and-coming author. Written in 2021 and is now a part of a series. Mr. Farr has written many books, plays, and movies, but it is a debut book because he is breaking out into the middle-grade and young-adult literary world. It’s part mystery, part thriller, part fantasy, and those parts are well combined to make an interesting story for readers of any age. Well, any age that I would say is 10 and up. It is clean, and safe, but does deal with heavy topics like death, tyranny, and assassination plots.
Summary
The story is about Rachel and Robert Klein. Children who live in a country ruled by an oppressive dictator Charles Malstain. It so happens that this dictator hates children and has made life miserable for the Klein children. Pretty quickly they are brought into a plot of stealing a book from a library where their father works. A forbidden book locked away from the world. Well, their father gets arrested and the children are soon left on their own with the stolen book. Malstain is also after the book, but he can’t get his hands on it because it is a magic book that would make him worse than he already is. Rachel and Robert race to find out what secrets the book holds, and how to deliver it safely into the hands of those who can keep the book from Malstain.
Embroiled in thievery, magic, and assassination plots, the children’s lives are thrown into chaos. Changing the world as they know it rests on their shoulders as they deal with the loss of their mother and the imprisonment of their father whom they have no contact with. It is a daring adventure in a world a lot like ours with one magical book and a whole lot of darkness. Friends, enemies, it is hard to tell the difference. And a dictator who hates them because of the book, and simply because they are children.
The major characters are the siblings, Rachel and Robert. However, I think it focuses more on Rachel personally. There are many other supporting characters, of course, but this is mainly from the children’s perspective.
Rachel is a timid girl at first but grows into a strong female character. She is loyal and trusting but trusts her gut too. She instinctively knows when things are amiss and yearns to find people she can pour her heart into. Her character growth astounds even her brother in the book, which I find mildly amusing.
Robert is the older brother of Rachel and at the beginning was the one to make all the decisions. Like Rachel’s ability to see when things are amiss, Robert always knows exactly where he is. Almost as if he has a compass in his head. This allows him to find his way in key moments in the book.
It is a dark and dreary world that the Kleins live in, yet this book is filled with hope in every page, character, and plot. It is a thrilling fantasy adventure and pulls you into their world. Mr. Farr has done a great job of building a believable world and letting the surrounding world seem more and more hopeless while maintaining that small window that the reader can look through and see a happy outcome, even to the last page. If you or your child decides to read this book, I am sure it will captivate. As always with a good book, I want to read the sequel and see what happens next.
Analysis
This is the part in which I do my best to tell a little about the book without giving too much away. No spoilers. At least, I hope not. But I do feel it is best to explain some of the things I discussed. I mean, I mentioned an assassination plot several times. That’s pretty intense and why I put this book at 10 years old and not 8 years old like middle-grade books often are. This book is also fairly long, which may make your 8-year-old less inclined to read the book because of its daunting size. I don’t like not finishing a book, so I don’t typically recommend giving my kids something so daunting unless I’m sure they will finish it. My 8-year-old son is watching trailers for PG-13 movies and asking to watch them these days, which I usually say no to, but he is looking for more intense things. If your child is like mine, this may be appropriate but let me tell you a little more about it so you can discuss it with them.
Major Themes:
This is a middle-grade thriller. Note, not a horror, it is a thriller. It is an epic fantasy thriller which suits me just fine. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. It deals with magic, death, as previously mentioned, assassinations, thievery, and somewhat of spy missions. If you have a high-octane, adrenaline-induced preteen, they will likely enjoy this story. The most astounding theme in this book deals with death and grief. While there are many ways of coping with grief, a grandiose adventure to stop a dictator is an unusual route, to say the least. But there are many characters in this book who are dealing with different types of grief, pain, and heartache, and I believe Mr. Farr traverses them well.
Writing Style:
I would put the language and writing of this book to be at least 10 years of age and would maybe go to 15. There was a word that Mr. Farr used that I had to look up because I had never heard of it. Overall, it wasn’t difficult, but it wasn’t a typical couple-hour read that I am used to for middle-grade books. This took me at least a week to read, for a couple of hours each night after my children went to bed. At 383 pages it wasn’t a quick read. Though, my ten-year-old who devours books like they are candy (though, without the stomachache afterward) would probably be able to read this within a week. But she has a copious amount of time on her hands.
Plot:
The plot as discussed, goes through the lives of the Klein children after they’ve helped steal a book, the loss of both of their parents, and trying to stop a dictator. This fits for ages 10 and up in my opinion, but the action could keep the interest of an even younger audience. The one thing I would say is that it follows both siblings, then switches to one sibling, then the other, and back to both. It could be difficult to follow but I found it flowed well for the story. I could also see a kid wanting to follow the story of their favorite character so when it switches perspectives they may lose interest.
Gospel Connections:
Now to the meat of the podcast, how does this book look through the Biblical lens and Christian worldview? Well, let’s examine one major plot point. Death and resurrection. Yes, resurrection from the dead is a subject in this book. Again, the fascination of death comes up in this book, and with it comes resurrection. The Bible mentions resurrection from the dead. Of course, the most famous is Jesus rising from the grave on the third day. But Lazarus was also raised from the dead, and Samuel the prophet was raised from the dead by King Saul when God would not respond to him. In the New Testament, Paul mentions resurrection from the dead often. So this is a biblical concept. However, Farr’s interpretation is quite different from the Bible. It is not in the hope of Jesus, nor in spending eternity with God, but with loved ones. Remind your kids that the Bible, and the gospel, hope for resurrection, and we have seen it in the example of Christ. But our hope is in the Lord, not in loved ones.
This also deals with magic and an assassination which is murder. The Bible calls both of these things sins. Magic because we are seeking power for ourselves. Like Satan tempted us in the garden when he said “You will be like God.” The power to bring back the dead belongs to God alone. And then there is murder. While the assassination attempt is on an evil character in the book, it is not our place to decide such things. In the book of Judges, Ehud assassinates the King of Moab who is another evil character. While this looks heroic, and liberates Israel from the grip of Moab, the reason they are in that place is because they disobeyed God’s law and served other gods. It is a picture that evil reaps evil but God can still use it for his glory. I don’t think these things should deter your children from reading, but again, they are subjects for you to point back to the Bible, and the gospel.
Social Impact:
I think there are also some major social conversations you can have with your kids. Or if you are a kid watching this, know that this book could impact your view of the world. The Kleins live in a world that is ruled by a dictator and is dreary because of it. They have to deal with a lot of evil as well. This exists in our world now. Farr could intentionally be making comparisons with dictators past or present. Certainly, he draws some of the characteristics of the dictator and the way the country they live in from some real-life examples. This would make anyone ask if God is good, why does he allow such evil to exist? That answer can be difficult, but simply, some humans desire evil. Some good humans, when presented with power desire more power and become evil. We are capable of both good and evil. God does not desire evil but allows it. But he also allows good. He doesn’t desire robots, he desires relationships. And even of those who do evil. But to force us to be good is not God’s will. It could be, but it isn’t. But the Bible promises that one day, our desire for evil will disappear, and sin and evil will be no more. Not because he forces us to do and be good, but because evil will die. We will live in that beautiful resurrection with Him, and all evil will be eradicated. What a day that will be.
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has so many things to make us think about and consider. It could spark great conversations with your kids or others. But remember, always look through the lens of the Bible on books, not the other way around. There is no worry about things if you do this. Certainly, some things shouldn’t be watched or read by anyone in my opinion. But the vast majority of books are good to read, though, again, under the wing of the Bible. The Book of Stolen Dreams shows just how evil some people can be, but it also shows hope. And what greater hope is out there than Jesus? This is just a picture of the world, a taste of reality, but the real is far greater.
Until next time, have a good read.
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