Keeping Holiday

I started and finished reading this book in one day and loved every minute of it! Much as in real life, Dylan realizes that there must be more to the Holiday celebration than presents, eating, & being with others. He longs to understand what the underlying "more" is, and sets out to find the missing element. On his journey, very key biblical elements are introduced, including the doctrine of election, God's sovereignty, His providential care, the folly of works salvation, and even the realization that salvation is not passed from generation to generation. I was very impressed with this book and highly recommend it!

First, it is a good story. Once our family started reading it, the kids were very eager to get back to it and find out what happened with Dylan and Clare and their quest. Second, the theological truths Meade communicates are profound. There is a lot here that you won't find in other Christian children's book. The comparison to Bunyan and Lewis is appropriate and becomes obvious as the story unfolds. However, don't expect writing and storytelling on the level of those classic authors. If you've ever read the "Magic Treehouse" series of books with your kids, the writing is about on that level. It is good, but I don't think people will be reading it 50 or 350 years from now.

We read this for the Christmas season to our two boys, 6 and 4, after receiving a recommendation from a friend. It reads like a mystery, and is very exciting! Our older son was begging me to please read one more chapter each time we ended one. We will make this a tradition year after year. Given the allegory, I expect them to understand more each year, but it is such a fantastic book! Just as an aside, there are a few parts that are highly suspenseful, and if you have children that are frightened easily, you may want to read it in the daytime.

The book is a wonderful children's journey we can all relate to. It takes you thru life's ups & downs and you begin to see how God is searching for us all the time. You don't find Him, He finds you!