I won't post any spoilers, but Amon's Adventure touched such a deep chord within me. Amon's father is falsely accused of stealing from the temple treasury, and is condemned to death by crucifixion--set for the day after Passover. Immediately so many thoughts raced through my mind:
It's not fair! He's innocent! (As was our Lord. Am I as indignant over his death?)
They can't take his life! (Have I come to "merely" accept Jesus' death as a matter of course instead of being upset? But they didn't take Jesus' life--he gave his life)
It's too harsh to experience this gruesome of a death in a book (the callous we sometimes bear from hearing about Jesus' crucifixion was torn off for me just by imagining how the book might end...)
Surely the author will provide a way out (as Jesus provides for us...)
It's too personal--the main character's father! (Does Jesus' death sometimes lose that "too personal" feel? The disciples, Jesus' mother, others who loved him--wept at his death. Do I?)
Would the father be the thief who hung next to Jesus and told the other thief that they deserved to die, as an "innocent" man? (As I pondered this thought, I knew he could honestly say it if he knew Jesus--none of us are innocent...)
Along the way there were light and funny moments, as well as probing questions. We got to see Jesus' ministry through the eyes of a skeptic, and the words and events were fresh and new. Amon is clever beyond his years, but in the end learns that we are all powerless without God. Suspenseful, exciting, thought-provoking--definitely another family favorite. At the end of each section is a Scripture and short discussion question.
We'll have to read Tabitha's Travels next Christmas, as that's the only one we haven't read so far.
Thanks for reviewing this! We've also read and loved JJ and BP, but I didn't even know about this one. Putting it on my list!
ReplyDeleteWe read Tabitha's Travels this past Advent & Amon's Adventure this Lent. We're planning on reading Bartholomew's book this year as that is the only one we haven't read. We all enjoyed reading Amon.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'd add is that this one isn't set up like the Advent ones - one reading per night during the whole season. It might be a good thing to mention that you can spread it out more or start later since there aren't as many "chapters" of this one as there are in the Advent books.