Josh is an eighth-grader with a bad attitude. Since his
father died two years earlier, he’s lost interest in everything except violent
video games and books. He’s considering dabbling in the occult. He has no
respect for his teachers and even his long-time friends don’t know how to treat
him anymore. Even though he was once an altar boy and faithful Catholic, he now
has no use for the Church. After all, even the prayers of his parish priest
couldn’t save his father.
As part of a school assignment, he is paired up with a pen
pal at the local nursing home. The project is worth too much of his grade for
him to blow it off. Instead he crafts a letter full of lies that he sends off
to nursing home. When he meets Pie, he discovers a somewhat cantankerous old
man who begins to take an interest in Josh. Despite his best efforts, Josh finds
himself becoming friends with the older man, and even agrees to take part in an
unusual project.
The Gate by Nancy
Carabio Belanger, author of the successful Olivia
and the Little Way and Olivia’s Gift,
shares the story of this unusual
friendship as well as explores what it means to listen for and hear God’s call
in one’s life. It’s a serious, well-written book about weighty topics that will
encourage middle-schoolers to think about the direction of their lives. It
would be great as a school assignment or a read-aloud so that it can be used to
foster discussion.
No comments:
Post a Comment