Shadow Chaser: Son of Angels, Book 3

Gr 5–8—In the tradition of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, Jerel Law's third installment (Thomas Nelson, 2013) of the adventures of a half-angel/half-human boy is full of monsters, evil creatures, and lots of combat. Jonah Stone and his siblings Eliza and Jeremiah are back at the convent, recovering from their recent battle with the fallen angels and preparing for their next encounter at Angel School, located in the Morgan Library in New York City. The students study spiritual combat, biblical history, and the power of prayer. Everything is going great until Jonah is struck by a horrible case of zits that just won't go away, and his well-intended actions turn into catastrophes. He wonders if his run of bad luck has a deeper meaning and whether his relationship with Elohim will be enough to carry him through. Although listeners can easily navigate most of the narrative, there are some details that seem only to have been dealt with in the first two books, causing minor confusion at points along the way. Occasionally, there are emotional discrepancies between the declarations of the angels and the experiences of the kids. Many fans of preteens turned heroes will eat this book up, with the spiritual crowd finding extra reasons to enjoy it. Kelly Ryan Dolan's narration is appropriate to the story; the male characters are well differentiated, but figuring out which girl is talking is sometimes tricky, unless they are identified by name.—Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY