The Tanglewoods' Secret

We worked our way through another book by Patricia St. John, The Tanglewoods' Secret. True to form, it was another real life book that pointed to Christ. This story surrounds the adventures of a brother and sister who are staying with their aunt and uncle while their parents are away. The sister, Ruth, struggles a lot with her temper and attitude while the older brother is easy going. They enjoy their free time away in the woods studying nature, birds particularly, and exploring. After a particularly miserable encounter with her aunt, Ruth runs away and finds herself sleeping the night in a church. The following morning, she meets the pastor and her life is changed as she gives herself to The Shepherd. The story continues with their relationship to a poor boy who makes a bad decision which ultimately ends up leading to his death (may be a hard subject for particularly sensitive kiddos). Throughout, St. John weaves the gospel and shows how Ruth tells others about Jesus and how her life is changed. As with all her books, many children may not stick with the book totally on their own, but it works well as a read aloud, and my kids always enjoy them. Good book...realistic story line...good challenge to know Christ and become more like Him.