Today we wrapped up our Advent reading of a book called Bartholomew's Passage, written by Arnold Ytreeide. I know, it's a little late, but with how busy we were the few days before Christmas, we didn't get to finish it on time. I read this aloud with my younger 2 boys, ages 13 and 10, and we all absolutely loved it!
This was a wonderful book that kept us on the edge of our seats and wanting to read more when each day was finished. This is fictional, but has many historical components to it. The story takes place in Israel around the time of the birth of Jesus, and follows a boy whose life was changed when Roman soldiers invaded his town. He was separated from the rest of his family and sold as a slave in another town.
There is one chapter to read for each day of Advent. At the end of each day's reading, there is a short reflection that ties the story to God's Word, and it helps you to think about how to apply that thought in your own life.
When we got to the end of the book, my 13-year-old sighed and said, "I don't think I will ever forget this story because it was just so good!" That about sums up my thoughts as well.
Arnold Ytreeide has quite a few other Advent stories that are similar. Last year for Advent, we read Jotham's Journey, which was also quite memorable. In fact, we found out in Bartholomew's Passage that some of the characters cross paths from book to book! We're really looking forward to reading another Ytreeide story for Advent next year. I highly recommend these books for a great Advent family read-aloud!
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