Millie Maven and the Bronze Medallion Review for Christian Parents

Name: Millie Maven and the Bronze Medallion
Author: Rachelle Dekker and Ted Dekker

Concern LevelLow

Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

The most important thing for you to know about from a potentially concerning content standpoint stems from the fact that these authors really genuinely understand the evil we Christians find ourselves up against. They do a masterful job of knowing their audience and not letting it get dark or too intense, but some kids may not be quite ready for this. The interesting thing here is that the main villain characters operate through deception and verbal/mental/spiritual attacks. The first instance comes with the Aunt who is raising Millie at the start of this story. She is supremely cold and rules over Millie as a tyrant, using manipulation and shame to keep her fully in check. The second instance comes in the form of the character that represents the great deceiver, but initially comes across as so good and trustworthy. Honestly, this is one of the best parts of this book because it shines a light on how satan comes against us every day. Again, this is handled really well, but if this is a potential concern for you consider reading through it yourself first or, even better, reading it with your child as this will bring up some excellent conversation. — The end of the story has some perilous moments that may be slightly frightening (chased by wolves, etc.). There are also bullies in the book. They are really mean to Millie and others, but it never goes too far. At one point they call someone a “fatty”.

VerdictHIGHLY Recommended

Our Thoughts

This book is excellent. It is exciting and will keep the reader engaged from the first page on. There is an art to representing good and evil well, taking both seriously, and this book accomplishes that. Even more important, this is a really well done example of Christian allegory. You can really see the decades of experience these authors have in writing engaging stories that shine a light on our Christian journey and peel back the curtain on the spiritual struggle we find ourselves in… this time directed at building up children. In this initial book of this series, the focus is on our identity and where it should come from. This culminates with Millie hearing directly from “The Great Teacher” speaking truth about what He declares is true about who she is. — There is so much that kids and parents will identify with, but some of these moments really stick out. Here are a few lines we wanted to share: “There is no magic in this world. There is, however, the power of the Great Teacher. His ways are mysterious and marvelous. You will see”. “He’s the reason you’re here. He’s the one who gave everything so that you might know the way to His heart, the way there is perfect love”. “They are simply gifts my dear, given to us by the Great Teacher for the sake of all. Your true superpower is to change hearts… in the end it’s all about your heart”. “His life, death and resurrection point to a whole new way of being… He showed the way, He is the way”.

Plot SummaryNote: This information is typically from the publisher.

Enter the world of Millie Maven, a twelve-year-old orphan who embarks on a great adventure that takes her to the distant, mysterious world of FIGS, the FarPointe Institute for Gifted Students. There, she discovers that there is more to her than she ever dared imagine or believe . . . and that there are some truths that change everything

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