M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Three Books take Young Readers on Journeys
By Melanie Weaver

When I sat down to write my review for these three books, my first thought was that they had nothing in common with each other except that I like them. But when I thought more about it, I realized that these are each a story of a journey, with new people to meet and new challenges to face as the characters go through physical, emotional, and personal trials. Readers of all ages will enjoy traveling through the pages of these books filled with adventure, mystery, and, of course, romance.

The Alliance by Gerald N. Lund

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This thrilling tale of adventure is set in the future after the world has been destroyed by nuclear war. Eric Lloyd and his family live in what once was Star Valley, Wyoming. Their peaceful lifestyle is interrupted when members of their village are essentially captured and relocated to Shalev, one of four cities in the Alliance that have has joined together to rebuild civilization — all under the control of the mysterious Major.

It seems like paradise in Shalev. There are no crimes, fights, and the citizens display no strong emotions, such as anger or jealousy. Yet Eric feels there is something strange about this city, and he discovers the truth. Every citizen brought to Shalev is implanted with a small computer chip at the base of the brain, which records all emotions and sends a moderate wave of pain through the citizen’s body when he or she feels “unacceptable” emotions.

This novel explores moral agency, and just how far men can go to control people, or force them to be truly good. Eric leads the officials of Shalev in a fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse as he attempts to escape this fake Utopia. If he succeeds, hundreds of people will once again be free to choose and act for themselves, but if he fails, he and his family could be killed.

Eric races against time and the government to prove to everyone, including one particular guard, the beautiful and mysterious Nicole Lambert, that agency is something that can’t be forced or taken away.

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

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Judy Abbott has lived her whole eighteen years of life in the John Grier home for orphans, and though her life is not unhappy, she longs for more. And more is just what she gets when a mysterious trustee offers to send her to college and pay for everything on two conditions: one, she must write a letter to him every month, updating him on the progress of her schoolwork and on her happiness, and two, that she must never know his identity.

At college, Judy makes new friends, and life is a whirl of parties, classes, and holidays during which time she befriends Jervis Pendleton, a handsome young man as mysterious as her unknown benefactor. Readers will be charmed by Judy’s innocent humor and love of life as she grows into a young woman of education, charm, and class.

Moonraker’s Bride by Madeleine Brent

Lucy Waring, born of English parents but raised in China at the turn of the century, has lived a life of hardship. With fifteen young orphan girls under her care at the Christian mission in Tsin Kai-feng, Lucy faces a constant struggle against hungry mouths, cold nights, and never enough money to make ends meet.

However, everything changes when she meets a handsome young Englishman, Robert Falcon, who recites to her a cryptic riddle: “Above the twisted giant’s knife where the wind-blown blossom flies stands the temple where fortune lies…”

Later, when she finds herself in jail after being caught stealing in the market, she encounters the mysterious Nick Sabine, who saves her life and gets her out of jail, but not after he repeats to her that same riddle. Little does she know that the history behind this riddle will change her life.

As a result of Nick’s help, Lucy is able to journey to Englandand take up residency with the well-to-do Gresham family. Although she is in her native land, Lucy finds herself surrounded by a culture that is totally unknown to her, and finding the strength to fit in is a great challenge for her. She searches to find herself as well as the answer to the riddle as her journey takes her to the home of the Robert Falcon, Moonrakers, and then back to China. In the enfolding drama, Lucy must fight for her life, love, and the answer to the riddle that will allow her to be complete.