Christian Book Notes

Meade, Starr. Keeping Holiday. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008. 192 pp. $14.99. Purchase at Westminster books for $9.39.

Introduction

Starr Meade was formerly a director of children’s ministry for ten years. She also used to teach Latin and Bible for eight years in a Christian school. I am not sure if she did those at the same time, but it does show her wide range of experience and education. She is that author of Training Hearts, Teaching Minds and currently teaches in a home school program.

Synopsis of Keeping Holiday

Dylan is on a quest to figure out how he can keep the charm of Holiday all year long. One day on the way home from church in Holiday he discovers a flier asking him if he wants to learn how to keep Holiday all year long. This sets young Dylan off on a quest to understand what the flier means.

Three years later, he has talked with his cousin, Clare, about Holiday. Finding a sympathetic ear, they head off on vacation to Holiday determined to find how to keep Holiday all year long.

You are brought along on a journey of epic proportions with twists and turns at every corner. Although you never know what is going to happen next in the novel, you really do know. Each path is different but you learn quickly that every path along this journey leads to one conclusion: “He’s not just the Founder, he’s the Finder too.”

Critique of Keeping Holiday

When I first picked up the book, I noticed that men like R.C. Sproul and Michael Horton had written blurbs for the back cover. Sproul described the book as “spellbinding” and Horton stated, “There is more to this book than a story.” With those two comments by those two men, I was immediately interested in the contents between the covers. I quickly realized that both men were incorrect. Words do no justice to the contents of this book.

I started reading this book during my children’s naptime and finished it after their bedtime on the same day. This book has shot directly to the top of my list of recommended books. About the only way I can describe this book is that it is like Pilgrim’s Progress meets Chronicles of Narnia. I am very reserved when it comes to comparing anything with John Bunyan’s classic. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I have ever compared another work to Pilgrim’s Progress. Keeping Holiday contains the doctrinal elements of John Bunyan along with the vivid story telling of C.S. Lewis.

Recommendation

This book is meant to be a Christmas book. I think it is a book that should be read all year long. Children will be captivated by the story and the vivid descriptions while parents will be blown away by the depth of theology contained within. This book would make a great evangelistic resource for children who attend church without their parents.