The Ides of April

The Ides of April, by Mary Ray
(Bethlehem Books, 1974, 1979), pb., 165 pp.
Ages 10-15

This is a well written story with a compelling murder mystery. The story is set in Rome in A.D. 62 in the reign of Nero. The main character is a slave, Hylas, whose prominent master is murdered. Since it is assumed that one of the slaves was responsible, all the slaves of the family will be executed. Hylas escaped the initial arrest and begins a desperate attempt to prove the innocence of the slaves, find the real killer and rescue his fellow slaves including his mother. Intrigue, adventure, bravery, a nobleman’s recognition of the humanity of slaves, and even Christians who are willing to risk themselves to help a stranger- all these elements are skillfully combined for a fun story which also provides some insight into the Roman world.

We all enjoyed this book and commend it to you.

Our Home is like a Little Church

Having previously commended here the little book, Pastor Daddy, I am pleased to say that the new edition, Our Home is like a Little Church, has now been published by Christian Focus Publications. Previously the book was available only through Sojourn Church who produced it, so I am pleased to see it now made more widely available.

Here is the promotional blurb I wrote for the book:

This is an excellent book and I have sought to get a copy into the hands of every family at our church. It is a story about fathers leading their families at home as the pastor leads the church. The great old concept of “every father the pastor of the church meeting in his house” is portrayed here in an engaging and compelling way. The left hand pages comment on what the pastor does at church. The right hand pages then comment on how the dad does a similar thing in leading his family at home. Reading this then will urge fathers forward and give them some built-in accountability as children will look to see that the things read about are actually done!  The book is simply written in a nice rhyme with nice illustrations. This little book has the potential to accomplish much good. I encourage you to get a copy for yourself and then get copies for families you could give it to.