Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings by S. D. Smith

Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings is an exhilarating installment in the Jack Zulu series, but it will leave you wanting more!

Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings by S. D. Smith. StoryWarren Books, 2024, 272 pages.

Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-12

Jack and Michelle are busy training in their new roles in the Wayland. And Michelle has learned much about her people—her real people. She’s a “sacred personage” to the refugee Thandalians. When the Thandalians’ world is under attack, Jack, Michelle, Wheeler, Michelle’s father, and Benny bravely enter that world and seek to defend it from evil. It’s time for Michelle to assume her rightful identity (hint: this involves golden wings!).

Jack wants nothing more than to be a hero. When he experiences betrayal at the hands of someone he trusted, he’s hard-pressed to obey his leaders’ instructions and bide his time. Time and again, he’s frustrated in his attempts to seek revenge and to be a true hero. In the end, when all hope is lost, what turns the tide is Jack’s efforts on behalf of one he loves. He turns his gaze outward and makes a sacrifice for someone else, without regard to his own future.

Action-packed from page 1 (and, admittedly, ending on a cliff hanger), Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings is a vigorous follow-up to the first Jack Zulu book. Readers who went through the door into the Wayland on round 1 will eagerly follow Jack, Michelle, and Benny to Thandalia. The trio matures quite a bit in this volume, bravely facing fears, struggling with internal character issues, and learning what heroism truly entails. As a fun bonus, the authors drop in a little bit of first love along the way. Read this book for its high adventure but come away with a renewed understanding of, and appreciation for, the communities in which the Lord places us. And be ready for when your own moment of heroism demands your all.

Bottom Line: Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings is an exhilarating installment in the Jack Zulu series, but it will leave you wanting more!

Considerations:

• Violence: A war is occurring with accompanying bloodshed. Notably, one character kills his own daughter. The villains are truly evil, and the heroes must really fight.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Definitely check out the first Jack Zulu book! We also discussed Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key for a Newbery Buzz feature.
• Review: For another story of a boy who crosses worlds, check out Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson.
• Reviews: Sara Ella is another current Christian author writing inventive fantasy. Her Curious Realities books (Wonderland Trials and Looking Glass Illusion) are clever spinoffs of Alice in Wonderland.

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