Faithgirlz in Action: Two New Series

Zondervan’s “Faithgirlz!” books are series novels aimed at middle-grade girls. These two “girlz” series fall prey to some common weaknesses of Christian fiction, but show some bright spots too:

Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek (Good News Shoes, #1), by Jill Osborne. Zonderkidz, 2014, 238 pages. Age/interest level: 8-12.

Riley Mae Hart loves shoes: not the pointy-toed kind that make your feet hurt, but “the kind of shoes you can do stuff in—like hike, run, jump, and play sports.” She’s an active pre-teen who falls into a fantastic job within a few pages of this first volume of her adventures. Her dad happens to own a small advertising agency, and his newest client is a shoe manufacturing company called Swiftriver. When the Swiftriver suits meet Riley Mae, they are enchanted by her unfeigned enthusiasm for the shoes and decide, on the spot, that she must be their trademark spokesperson. Both Dad and Mom (a police officer) are hesitant, but to Riley Mae it sounds like a lot of fun. Within three chapters they’ve signed a two-year contract.

The whole family will have reason to regret that move, especially when a strenuous and slightly risky hike up Yosemite’s Half-Dome turns into more than a theoretical risk. Apparently someone wants someone else dead—but who, and whom? Answers will have to wait until the second volume in the series, Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids, which (fortunately for Riley’s fans) is available now. Vol. #2 picks up immediately after the cliff-hangerish ending of #1, so readers will have an easier time getting into it if they read Rock Shocker Trek first. I assume the series will cover the span of that two-year contract and involve not just the murder plot but also Riley Mae’s more ordinary life back in Fresno and her encounters with living out Bible truth. The title of the series (Good News Shoes) takes its theme from the full armor of Eph. 6:15: “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so you will be fully prepared.” Our heroine will have several opportunities to witness to both personal and professional acquaintances. Though not exceptional in plot (the murder storyline could use a little more preparation, as it seems to leap out of nowhere near the end), the story has some nice twists and Riley Mae is a likeable heroine who sometimes gripes and whines realistically but comes through at the end: You’re always tougher than you think. Actually, we’re often weaker than we think, and Jesus is always tougher, but I see the point Riley is trying to make. While it won’t necessarily deepen readers’ understanding of God and themselves, the series is a fun read with an easy, humorous style.

• Worldview/moral value: 4 (out of 5)
• Literary value: 3.25

Samantha Sanderson at the Movies, and Samantha Sanderson on the Scene, by Robin Caroll. Zonderkidz, 2014, about 260 pages each. Age/interest level: 10-14.

“Sam” Sanderson is a girl with a dream: she longs to follow in the footsteps of her mother, a foreign correspondent who travels the world to report on war zones and trouble spots. In the meantime Sam is earning her chops at her middle-school newspaper, aiming to grab the editor’s chair by eighth grade. In At the Movies, Sam and her best friend Makayla discover a bomb in the local movie theater, and circumstances surrounding the event raise suspicions about the local atheist group and their displeasure over the theater running a Christian film. Sam takes the role of investigative journalist a little too far, putting her police-detective father in a sticky situation. In the next volume of the series, Sam’s nemesis, “mean girl” Nikki Cole, becomes the victim of a bully and the situation seems perfect for a series of expose articles on the subject. While tracking down the bully’s identity, Sam gets more than she bargained for, both on the job and at home.

This series is aimed at a slightly older age group than Riley Mae’s—except for her dad having to drive her everywhere, Sam could almost be in high school. Both books in the series raise interesting questions about ethics and personal vulnerability, and I appreciate that. The quality is uneven, though: the “faith” parts seem perfunctory and tacked-on, the characters aren’t especially memorable, and there are some text repetitions and inconsistencies in dialogue. I read Advance Reader Copies, so some of this will doubtless be corrected in the final editions, but a few are rather glaring and should have been caught earlier. Sam’s world doesn’t always accord with reality: in her Little Rock suburb for example, attending a public school, Sam is surprised to discover one of her friends is not a Christian. She didn’t think she knew any non-Christians—really? Her style of investigative journalism is to raise questions that imply guilt, and then deny that she’s done any such thing because her facts are accurate. There’s too much of this in the real world of journalism, and I’m not satisfied with the way it’s handled here. But that’s an issue worth talking about, and if the series isn’t great literature it can provide fodder for discussion.

• Worldview/moral value: 3.75
• Literary value: 3

ARC/s of these two series received from the publisher in return for a fair/unbiased review.  See our review of the Faithgirlz! NIV Bible here.