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This book is pure fantasy, with the main character 11-year-old Vince. Vince is in Lebanon with his archeologist parents and follows a white rabbit, falling into a hole in the sand. There he receives a vision from the angel Gabriel and is told that he will have special powers from God to use to help people in specific situations just by touching a dead man's bones. Throughout the story Vince is assisted, first by Gabriel and then by a mentor who is a retired minister. Eventually he ends up in a potentially deadly situation.
I do have a couple of concerns about this book. First, the main character has to keep his special powers a secret from everybody, including his parents. Secondly, the main character walks into a very dangerous situation with a "responsible" adult without his parent's knowledge - more than a little implausible, but then so are special powers from touching a dead man's bones.
That said, there is no chanting of magic spells. The main character has a faith in God and a knowledge of God, as does his family. The book gives a very good illustration of how everything in life is in God's timing and God's plan. Through it all, Vince remains an 11-year-old boy, playing baseball, teasing his sister, and picking on his brother. The book is well written and the action moves right along. I would recommend this book for upper elementary age kids.
Product review by Nancy Wagner, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, June 2006
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