Friends of mine gave me The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers for Christmas last year and assured me that I would love it. They had been reading the trilogy out loud to their children and everyone was enjoying it (and they were kind enough not to switch to a different read-aloud book when I was visiting until I had a chance to catch up).
I started reading it and was enjoying the story. The young hero, Aidan, longs for adventure and wants to be part of a "quest, adventure, or dangerous mission" that might come along. A couple chapters in, I realized that I was reading a retelling of the story of King David, if David had lived on an island, on the frontier, near the swamp, and dealt with panthers and giant alligators. It does follow his life, to some extent: he's caring for the sheep, he's destined to be a king, and he fights a giant. There are also feechiefolk (the wild men of the swamp) to befriend, cannons to deal with, and miners helping him find his way to the enemy camp. Perhaps it is better to say that it's based on or inspired by the story of David.
While he enjoys the adventures that he eventually finds, Aidan also clings to his faith in the One True God. What I like about how the author includes the faith of many of the main characters is that it isn't forced into the story or seen as something irrelevant; rather, it is seen as a normal part of life that play an important role in dictating their decisions just as it does for many, many real Christians in my life. It is why Aidan does not try to force the prophecy or even worry about it, but rather learns to take the advice of the Bayard the Truthspeaker and prophet to "live the life that unfolds before you".
The Bark of the Bog Owl was a fun story to read, as were the sequels (which I eventually borrowed from the same friends). There's adventure, fighting, conflict, and (mostly) unexpected twists. It is written for the junior high age, but can be enjoyed by any age, as can all good stories.
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