The Heart Changer (A Homeschool Coffee Break Book Review)

I love a good story, don't you? A good story told well will keep my attention, even when it's written for a younger audience, and that's the case with this book that I'm reviewing. The Heart Changer is a debut novel from Jarm Del Boccio, Author.

Jarm (pronounced like 'Yarm') Del Boccio is one of the talented teachers at SchoolhouseTeachers.com and has a background in elementary and high school education. She was also a school librarian. Jarm has done a lot of traveling throughout her life and finds inspiration in the places she visits. As a writer with a passion for the Bible and for history, she "is devoted to breathing new life into the pages of history."

The Heart Changer is Del Boccio's debut novel, a book geared for middle grade kids. The setting is the Old Testament time period, during the time of the prophet Elisha. The main character is Miriam, a twelve-year-old girl from the village of Shunem in Israel. Miriam is captured by the invading army and is given as a slave to the wife of a Syrian commander named Naaman. Miriam experiences fear, grief, and despair, but also finds unexpected kindness and grace as she learns what it means to trust in her God and to obey.

If you're familiar with the Bible story, you'll recognize the name of the master, Naaman. The Old Testament book of II Kings tells us that Naaman had leprosy, and came to the Jewish prophet Elisha asking for a cure. It says that a young Israeli girl who was servant to Naaman's wife suggested that he go to Samaria to see the prophet. All we know about this girl was that she had been captured by raiders from Aram. Jarm Del Boccio took these few details, did some research, added some imagination, and crafted a fine story for tweens and young teens that focuses on this servant girl.

I found that the details are quite faithful to the original story, with a little liberty taken in how Elisha's instructions are delivered to Naaman, and Del Boccio has his wife persuade him to follow those instructions, while my Bible translation says it was his servants that convinced him. In any case - spoiler alert! - Naaman is cured when he obeys the prophet of the Lord, and so we see that a young servant girl had a great influence. And perhaps that little girl did indeed find peace and purpose in her situation as a captive far from home, just as this fictionalized account indicates.

For those who would like to use the story as part of an Old Testament Bible study, character training, or history study, Del Boccio has provided a free Teacher's Guide at the publisher's website. This 12-page pdf includes some background and a little interview with the author, some of the author's insights on the character Miriam, and some discussion questions and activities based on the book. There is also some background on the Biblical background and setting. You'll also find some ideas for a Bible study or devotion, and a couple of Syrian recipes to try!

What I liked best:

• easy to read story geared especially to middle grade girls. It's simple and short, and although it opens with a raid on Miriam's village and deals with her captivity as a slave, there is nothing graphic, and nothing that would be particularly disturbing to most young readers. 
• it's faithful to the Bible story.
• the encouraging theme - a young slave girl made a positive impact because she tried to do what was right and kind, and was obedient to her God.
• at just 111 pages, divided into 25 chapters, this book will not overwhelm reluctant readers!

What I need to mention:

• If you would like to download and use the Teacher's Guide, it is not completely clear that it is a clickable download link on the publisher's website. It's simply a white background graphic with the text "The Heart Changer Teacher's Guide" just above the author's bio picture. It's so easy to miss! I'd recommend the publisher add a "click here" or other instruction to make it clear.
• I was surprised and a bit disappointed to find a few minor grammatical and punctuation errors. Very minor - for example, a word usage mistake like "hoard" instead of "horde"; misplaced commas; and some awkward sentences - but I mention them because they were so unexpected. None of these little things took away from the readability of the story, but just gave me a bit of a pause.

Our bottom line: If you're looking for a good story for your middle grader, particularly for a girl, this little chapter book delivers a heart-warming story about having a heart willing to trust, obey, and forgive. 

Would you like to read The Heart Changer for yourself? Here's what you need to know:

Visit the publisher's website:  Ambassador-International.com (this link is where you'll find the Teacher's Guide as well)

Visit the author's website: JarmDelBoccio.com

Pricing: The 116-page softcover book is available for $12.99. A digital version is also available - see the website for pricing and formats.

Age recommendations: Best for middle grade students

You can follow Jarm Del Boccio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog for more information and to read other reviews.

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