With the guidance of the pale-faced girl, Jack finds himself on a quest to uncover the dark forces that threaten to bring danger to his school, his friends and family. At school, secrets are being shared in hushed whispers and dark forces are hidden in the library. The staff and pupils seem to be deeply involved, even at the heart of it all.
This is an engaging story for younger readers (perhaps aged 10 to 14) full of action and intrigue that pulls in the reader right from the start.
The story is about the supernatural, but very much focussed on the positive side of things – quite atypical to the many titles in the market for this age group that are often centred on the dark side of the supernatural.
It is a story of finding friendship, the battle between light and dark, with a strong Christian theme throughout that will encourage young believers as well as maybe intrigue a reader who may be searching.
Unlike many other books for this age group it does not present the dark side as attractive or glamorous – it presents it as fearsome, dangerous, odorous and vicious. It paints a picture of evil that is much more appropriate. It shows how the powers of darkness, and the powers of light, can be hidden in plain sight, impacting our day to day lives, and highlights the dangers of dabbling in the occult.
It is a book full of light and hope, with goodness winning through and with a solid Christian message as its backbone. It is a fun read, plenty of action and intrigue, appropriate wholesome content that will encourage believers and show non-believers that the dark side does not have the monopoly on excitement.
The Pale-Faced Girl, by Cath Hensby Worboys, is available here.
I received a copy of this book from the author, but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.
