Chosen Ones

Absolutely lovely. I wish I could just leave it there, because really, you just need to read it and treasure this work along with the children God has brought in your life that you may guard their souls. The lessons so valuable: The importance of selflessness, the problem with wise-seeming mistakes, the traps of pride and the treasures of grace, victory, and devotion ring so clearly in this work, with warmth, sweetness, and grace, and ending with a lesson all children should have the advantage of learning before thy reach their adult years: utter and complete disaster came because people loved power more than people. It's how sin entered the once-lucifer who through his lust for power became satan (which means adversary or slanderer) and who then led our race into sin and destruction. While the character Julia serves as a type of Christ, it was refreshing to discover the distinction made in the end of the book, for even in fiction, the accomplishments of Christ belong to Him alone. I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to more. This book was a divine gift to my family-I know the perfect child with whom to share this lovely treasure for the soul.

Alister has made the move into the influential fantasy fiction market after concentrating on his main gifts in theology and apologetics. The result is a well crafted, enjoyable story that is fun and positive. We really need more books like this and I hope it does well. If you enjoy this you will most likely also love 'Godstone' by G.A Williams which is a brilliant and original new Christian Time Travel story aimed at teenagers and adults: Godstone - The Kairos Boxes

Julia and her brother Peter are drawn into the fountain in their grandparent's yard on a silvery night, drawn into another world where they meet an 500 year old monk who knows the legend of 2 children who will come to rescue his people from their oppressors. The story is appropriate for children and early teens, it does not have an overabundance of description or character depth but enough to understand what the land is like and what the people are like which is appropriate for that age. Similar to the Narnia chronicles but perhaps simpler. It moves quickly and has several lessons which are slipped in without preaching or disrupting the narrative. It could be read by a child or read to younger children by an adult. There is some violence involved in the fighting around the castle so perhaps not appropriate for very young children. It is a good delightful story for 9 year olds.

500 years ago there had been a terrible rebellion in Aedyn. The traitors had won and given those who resisted the option of death or unquestionable obedience. Those who choose obedience had since been subjected to harsh slavery. Many had forgotten their roots--that once they had been a peaceful people ruled by a noble man who was guided by the Lord of Hosts. The years of oppression had led the people to despair and their only hope lay in the hands of two strangers whose arrival had been prophesied for centuries. When Peter and Julia (ages 14 and 13) were called to Aedyn, they were simply two young children, staying for a few days with their grandparents waiting for their father to arrive and tell them exciting news. Never did they dream that one night they would find themselves transported to another world to act as deliverers for an oppressed people. They were not heroes when they left Oxford, but by the end of their journey, these two children would learn how to overcome some of life's toughest struggles--ambition, deceit, and selfish desire. In a story which reflects several Biblical events The Chosen Ones is a delightful start to what looks to be an entertaining children's series. The Chosen Ones is very much a children's story. It has some similarities to the Chronicles of Narnia, but these seem to be intentional and not at all an attempt to mimic the series. The reader is given some creative, fantastical, images along with nice action sequences that should allow this book to appeal to a broad range of children. Though most kids should easily be able to read this book on their own, like the Narnia series younger readers will enjoy reading it with a parent. There are some nice analogies as well as Biblical references which make for good conversations. Unlike the Narnia books, though, this one is not as ageless. The recommended age is 9-12, which I think is about right (younger if the parent is reading). Whereas I still love reading the Narnia books for my personal enjoyment, this one is more to read with my kids. Since this is a children's story, not a lot of time is wasted on descriptions or flowery settings. For the most part we get a general idea of the surroundings and move on. The same is true for the characters. Not as much background as I would like, but quite appropriate for the intended audience. My main problem was a difficulty in determining the timeframe for the Oxford portion of the story. The book starts out `Once upon a time', but several references were made to Boy's Scout, which was founded in 1907. Kids probably aren't going to care, but there wasn't enough information given to pin point the time frame and that bothered me. It made it hard for my imagination to grasp the environment. I was uncertain of the kid's background and any shared common ground with today's children. Nit-picky maybe, but it prevented my imagination from filling in the blanks. Overall, this is a sweet story with some good les

Peter and Julia's grandparents' garden was built by a monk five hundred years ago in preparation of the Chosen Ones. He was murdered shortly after. Now, even on moonless nights, the garden emits an eerie silver glow. Enchanted, the children are drawn into the garden's pool, waking to wind themselves in the land of Aedyn. If this book was any more of a Narnia copycat, McGrath would probably be sued for copyright infringement. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing; almost everybody copies somebody else to a certian extent, so why not copy one of the masters? Chosen Ones get no points for originality, but you still won't be able to keep from liking it. It feels like reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe again, just with half the kids and an alternate ending.