John G. Paton South Sea Island Rescue

This is a children's biography of John G. Paton, a missionary from Scotland to the South Sea Islands in the mid-1800s. It's a good book for interesting children in mission work. John's concern for the souls of the cannibalistic islanders is well conveyed. As might be expected, the book is adventurous at times, but it is also spiritually instructive. The cover had made me expect a watered-down story, but it's more sophisticated than the cover implies. I read this aloud to my 8 yo and 6 yo, and they enjoyed it. For independent reading, a child would need to read at least on a 5th or 6th grade level due to the vocabulary used. This is a good book, but not excellent. The writing quality could be improved. Occasionally, the book advances forward in time rather abruptly. And, it wasn't even clear what century the book took place in until over 30 pages into the book! Still, it's a good book for those desiring to have missionary stories available to their children, and also points out some of the increased difficulties of mission work before satellite phones, airplanes, media devices, and other modern aids. But, I don't particularly feel a pressing burden to check out other titles in the series.