A Review of:
By: Matt Van Bockern
Illustrated by: Justin Royal
Item #: 1220
Reviewed by: Steve Van Bockern
In 1998 when my son, Matt, was a senior in high school, he heard a story at church camp that made an impression on him. He turned the story into a writing project for his English class. Justin, a friend, did the illustrations. Martin Brokenleg was asked to review the work since the story and characters are about native people.
Over the years, I've shared Matt's story with folks at some of our conferences. Always, people would want to know where they could buy the book or they would express how the story moved them. It seems, the story makes good things happen! At our recent Nashville Seminars, I was touched when a participant presented a coal bundle for me to give to my son. The coal bundle is part of a Northeastern Illinois University project called "Keepers of the Fire". You can read more about this project by going to www.neiu.edu/~team.
Reclaiming Youth International is now pleased to offer Fire in the Heart through our bookstore.
I'm glad that Matt was finally able to get the story published. It is, in many ways, a story about belonging, mastery, independence, and most certainly, generosity. It is a story for all ages but I think elementary grade students will enjoy it the most. I suppose the book could be critizied for being too sentimental. You won't miss the "moral of the story". For me, it doesn't hurt to be up front and center with the values we want our children to build and develop.
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