Shadows Beyond the Gate (SummerHill Secrets Series #10) Book

Join Merry Hanson, a very modern sixteen-year-old living in Pennsylvania's Amish country, as she faces the true-to-life struggles and heartfelt triumphs of growing up to be the best she can be in God's eyes. Can Merry count on her friends to understand as she at last attempts to come to grips with a years-old tragedy?

Children's Literature

In the tenth installment of the "Summerhill Secrets" series, Merry Hanson is now a young teen, interested in boys, occasionally embarrassed by her parents, frequently rash and later regretful. These typical concerns are given added interest as we discover that Merry's twin sister, Faithie, died a few years earlier and that Merry's family lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, among Amish and Mennonite neighbors. What stands out most about Merry is her solid, uninterrupted, unflagging Christian faith. "Summerhill Secrets" is definitely a Christian, inspirational, formula paperback series for young teens, and as such, is filled with nearly perfect youngsters and parents whose flawlessness sometimes stretches believability. But the story is well-written and has adequate plotting to fill a few hours of leisure reading for those interested, most probably pre-teen girls. In this episode Merry is trying to help her Amish neighbor, Rachel, raise an orphaned, newborn lamb, which has also lost a twin to death. This experience, along with the reappearance of Merry's old boyfriend, her mother's "midlife crisis," problems among her friends at school, and her growing relationship with her new boyfriend, Jon, finally forces Merry to realize she has not really come to totally accept Faithie's death. Dark storms, hurt feelings and uncomfortable fears are matched by baby lambs, warm homemade cookies, holding hands and saying prayers. 2000, Bethany House, Ages 9 to 14, $5.99. Reviewer: Donna T. Brumby