Intro to Book
Hello Readers,
This is going to be a somewhat fun episode. This is a Christian fiction book. I believe the first fully Christian fiction book I’ll be reviewing. So, as Gospel conversations go, there will be much to discuss. As everything else goes it’ll be a bit different. The story and setting take me back to the 90s. I’m not sure why, but I feel like the book has an older feel to it. Have you ever felt that with a book? I mean, I feel like books take me back to different places and different times, but this book feels like it’s a 90s story though it was written more recently. If you’re a Christian and you grew up in the 80s and 90s you might remember shows and movies like McGee and Me or The Buttercream Gang. That’s the feeling of this book. It’s not a bad feeling, it’s just kind of there.
The book is called The Key House by Mike Curtis. I did a little research on him after reading the book and found out he’s a pastor. You see it in the book with how the kids react to things, how their parents react to things, and the life lessons along the way. It is a great storyline, though highly Christianized. It takes me out of the world a bit, but I wouldn’t quite call it tacky.
Summary
The story begins rather abruptly with two brothers playing a form of broom hockey at their new house. An inheritance from their grandfather who recently passed. Well, one thing leads to another and very quickly they discover a mysterious hole close to the shed that seems to go down and far out of the borders of the yard.
We come to discover old family secrets that may have some treasure involved and some scandalous actions of past relatives. Leading the two brothers, their sister, and their dad to discover more secrets and lost things. Their mom remains mostly uninterested in the whole affair.
There are mysteries to solve, secrets to uncover, and dangers to be had in this adventure story.
The book blurb online says this, and I quote it simply because I couldn’t say it better myself, this book is a “fast-paced, Hardy Boys meets The Goonies, Christian/mystery adventure.”
Characters
The book mainly focuses on the perspective of the two brothers, though the other family members are regularly featured in this story as well.
Caleb Noland, is the oldest brother of the three siblings. He has a penchant for being seen, glory, and being the best. He often overlooks the needs or issues of others to his own vanity.
David Noland is the younger brother and middle child of the Nolands. He is goofy, lives in his brother’s shadow, which creates tension between them, and is often doing his own thing, which is usually odd. A typical middle child. I know, I am one. I have a strong liking for this character.
Lizzy Noland is the youngest member and their sister. She mostly sits out of the adventure but has a sweet demeanor often bring calmness between the two boys.
Mr. And Mrs. Noland are great parents who try to coach their children using the bible and moral lessons. Mr. Noland is a professor at a local school or seminary, and pastors a small church, or at least speaks there occasionally. Mrs. Noland stays at home and cares for the children.
Analysis
This is going to be the hard part for me today. I liked the book. Somewhat. I was often brought out of the world of the book because the characters seemed unreal and inauthentic. I get the fact that they are a Christian family, but the parents were a little too perfect. Very little depth to them. Then, there were a bunch of things that seemed inconsistent in the story. Little details were neglected. There were a ton of intricacies I enjoyed throughout the story, especially in solving the mysteries, and fine details that I felt and understood. Details I was welcomed into, drawing me further into the story despite their very unbelievable circumstances. But those were few and far between. I think the story sits at 2.5-star rating for me. I’d recommend it with some caution that it is a bit lacking in these areas, and it is overtly surface-level Christian morality throughout the book. It is great for people who want a Christian fiction book for the 7+ year-old. But I very much doubt the 10+ year-olds whom the story is written for would find much interest in it. If this book had a good editor to minutely analyze it, and offer insights to the author, I believe this story could make a much better book than it currently is.
Major Themes:
The major themes of this book are adventure and mystery. But many Christian and moral themes exist as well. I get the feeling that Curtis desired to write a book that was mainly an adventure story for Christian children. Again, the stories seem rather young and need an editor but the 7 to 10-year-old, ought to enjoy it well enough.
Writing Style:
This is a doozy. I think what was really necessary for this book was a good editor as I said before. The writing style just didn’t match the age group, though certain thematic elements did. And though a child might glance over some things, the consistency of the book was a bit lacking. I’m not trying to knock Curtis. Writing a book is hard. But a second set of eyes to make the story more consistent, and to level up the writing would’ve gone a long way in my opinion.
Plot:
As for the plot, it is simple. It’s a good ol’ fashioned mystery adventure story of the likes that I have not read for quite some time. It is very easy to follow and could easily be read by a young reader, or read to them. The story itself may even fascinate a five-year-old. Indeed, if this was made into a TV show or movie I have no doubt the story would captivate most Christian audiences. But I doubt very much it would captivate beyond those audiences. Part of the plot is the Christianity of the family, which reacts in ways I believe are very unrealistic, or overtly idealized. I think these things would turn off most audiences who wouldn’t buy the seemingly inauthentic, and veggietalesque conversations of the family members.
Gospel Connections:
This is blatant throughout the story. Almost annoyingly so. Not because it is so Christian, but because the overt Christianese took me out of the story. I very much dislike being taken out of the story. Again, Mr. Noland is a biblical professor and pastor. In almost every scene he’s in he brings up how the kids are to learn from the Bible. I mean, I do this often enough with my kids, but there are also times I say “Stop fighting!” and leave it at that expecting my kids to obey because they know both my standards and ultimately where they come from, the Bible. Mr. Noland instead somehow always brings it back to a biblical principle, reminding his kids what it says each time. It’s not a bad thing. Perhaps I should be better at it, but it doesn’t seem realistic.
As for other elements, there is a good deal of repentance, and one story of redemption which I must say was quite sweet though somewhat predictable. Again, this is a story chock-full of the Gospel and Bible. And tacked onto it are some Christian morals. This has Goonies, Hardy Boys, and Sandlot, thematic elements throughout the book but now with a biblical lesson to learn. Again, this isn’t bad. But many times it just takes me out. Maybe this won’t bother you as much as it did me. It could be a personal preference. I’m not even sure a kid reading the story would recognize it, but they definitely would get what I think is a decent message across. They might even have some good gospel/biblical questions after reading it.
Social Impact:
You know, getting to this part I think this is where it is the most bothersome to me. It isn’t exactly real. It’s idealized. There isn’t the typical messiness to the situations we see. Maybe the hero’s journey lacks a belly of the whale kind of situation to redeem our heroes. While we could look at how the brothers treat each other, repent, and ask for forgiveness, it just doesn’t feel real. Likewise, the other single and sweet redemption story is not real, nor does it have a realistic outcome. Sweet? Yes. Realistic? No. There would be a completely different ending to that story. One that could still be redeemable, but entirely different in real life.
So socially, could these things be applied? Maybe, but it is unlikely. And it seems inauthentic.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this is a good story, but not my favorite book. It sits at a 2.5-star rating, and I would recommend it to select groups of people, mainly Christians, who would not be put off by the overtly Christian themes and elements. I probably wouldn’t read this book again, though my son seems to enjoy it, and unless he asks, I likely won’t be buying the next sets in the series. However, if you so happen to think that the things I’ve mentioned won’t bother you as much as they did me, or perhaps your kid, it truly is a fun story. Get it! Read it. Let me know what you think.
Until next time, have a good read.
The Key House