Susan Creek, by Douglas Wilson
(Veritas Press, 2004), pb. 124 pp.
ages 8-12
For some reason- completely odd to me- Amazon does not even have a listing for this book. I hope they will remedy this soon, but my link above will lead you to Wilson’s own Canon Press where the book is available.
This is the sequel to Blackthorn Winter which I reviewed previously. Susan Creek is significantly better than Blackthorn Winter. The overuse of ambiguous proverbial sayings is gone and the action is increased. My boys early on in the reading said they liked the sequel better.
The story does not take up right where the last book left off. Instead, this story focuses on John Monroe, the son of Thomas from the previous story. Thomas has become a prosperous merchant in the colonies but expects his son Thomas to work hard as a regular sailor to learn his way before leading the family business. So, on a visit to Scotland John stumbles into intrigue and adventure which follows him back to America. Along the way he hears the preaching of George Whitefield and is challenged to live out his faith. Issues of justice, bravery, when to fight and when not to, and the basic issues of being a man all arise in the story. It also introduces readers to life in colonial America in the days of the First Great Awakening, prior to the Revolutionary War.
This was a fun and helpful read. It does not rise to the level of our favorites, but we commend it to you.