Shining stories...

Update on May 4/06 post "Get Caught Reading".

In the comment section of that post I wrote about Mitali Perkins, a wonderful Young Adult (YA) author who has garnered many awards for her book Monsoon Summer.

As a teacher-librarian, I can attest that "wonderful" YA authors are a rare breed. Often the literature geared to that age group is dark, depressing and explicit. This novel shines like a light among the choices held out to that audience - it is brimming with life. When I read it I felt that the author must be a Christian. I was right - and today I discovered her faith story...

"...One afternoon, we were scheduled for a tour of the Hermitage, a beautiful museum in St. Petersburg. The regular English-speaking guide was sick, but a higher-up museum official was assigned to take us from room to room. Once again, most of the paintings were of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. I didn't really listen to the tour, but stood at the edge of the group, questions racing through my mind.

... Just before we were about to leave, the Russian official pulled me aside. "You are struggling with something, aren't you?" he asked in a low voice. "What are you thinking about?"

I was surprised into telling the truth. "About God," I told him. "And about suffering."

"You are at an intersection of choice," he said. "There is no turning back. Either you decide Jesus is the Son of God, or you turn your back on him forever. You must choose for yourself."

I felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the icy Russian winter. Somebody was pursuing me. Some-body was reaching out to love me, someone who was more than a system of beliefs, a credo, or a philosophy. Slowly, it was dawning on me that I was being courted by a person, not a religion. I was seeking truth, and Truth himself was seeking me...

Read the whole article here.

And then grab yourself a copy of Monsoon Summer. Read it with your daughter - or a friend's daughter! This book is a jewel!!