HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW
Book: Three Go Searching
Author: Patricia St. John
Illustrator: Robert G. Doares
Publisher: Moody Publishers, reissued in 1977
ISBN-13: 9780802487483
ISBN-10: 0802487483
Language level: 1 (nothing objectionable)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Rating: 5 stars (EXCELLENT)
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker
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St. John, Patricia. Three Go Searching (published in 1966 by Moody Press, a division of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL 60610). I had heard of Patricia St. John for years but had never read any of her books until one year, when I bought everything of hers listed in the CBD catalogue as a present for my wife Karen. This is the third of her books that I have read, and none of them has been a disappointment. Three Go Searching is primarily about David, the nine-year-old son of a medical missionary to Africa. His native friend Waffi is mischievous and willful, and David, especially after his brother Murray goes off to England for school, sometimes yields to Waffi’s suggestions that get them into trouble. However, when David decides to follow Christ, he tries to become a good influence on Waffi.
The two boys find a sick servant girl named Lela whom David also teaches about the Lord. In addition, the three children find a mysterious boat that leads to an exciting adventure when they are captured by gun runners. If you do not like “Christian fiction” that emphasizes the need to serve Christ, then you will not want this book. However, if you enjoy exciting, adventuresome stories for children that are Biblically based and exalt the Lord, you should find this book interesting. There is some typical evangelical denominational doctrine about how to be saved, and references to celebrating Christmas and Easter as religious holidays are made. Otherwise, this is a lovely tale of learning how to put one’s trust in God, with an added note on the importance of taking the gospel to the lost in other parts of the world.
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