- 2 children tour Europe with a beloved elderly man who shows them many historic sites
- focuses on hymn writers and other Christian figures of the Protestant Reformation time period
- convo: mentions persecution (worst being a brief mention of lighting ministers on fire, locking women & children in a church and setting it on fire)
- no language concerns
- includes the music for a hymn at the end of each chapter
Type: chapter book
Ages: 6+ (listeners), 8+ (readers)
Author: Douglas Bond
Bond’s love for Christ’s church shines clearly through the text of this book. Readers truly receive a neat education about church history and unique cultural customs while traveling all sorts of ways across a few different countries. You’ll even enjoy bits of a mystery that isn’t solved till the end!
Here’s my [light] critique: It’s cheesy at times and verbose in descriptions. To me, though, it was worth it. Reading it aloud to my children was pleasant for all of us. The storyline is gently engaging and many ages could enjoy listening to or reading it. My favorite parts were when a German spoke, because doing the accents was so fun, ha!
If you plan on reading this for Reformation Month and don’t have a lot of time, I’d start it in September due to its lengthiness. However, it’s set during one summer, so that would be a lovely time to read it, too! Mr. Pipes, Annie, and Drew travel via plane, car, train, and ship. They meet all sorts of neat people and experience an unforgettable trip. I hope your family can enjoy it!
P.S. Douglas Bond has written many other books. His theology is solid, and I generally trust him as an author for my children’s bookshelves. Two 5-star reads I’ve reviewed on here are Guns of Thunder and Hostage Lands.