Bill Muir’s young adult novel “The Lost Medallion” is full of adventure, life lessons, and the occasional humorous situation. This is the archaeological/historical tale of a boy who learns about courage, loyalty, and what it means to be a leader, as well as an exciting tale of time travel.
While the novel contains some violence, it is not at all gratuitous. The author did a nice job implying the violent acts without including the gory details. He also does well to make a point that the violence is done by evil characters. In this “good versus evil” tale, good wins out. A neat feature of the book is the inclusion of some beautiful pictures from the movie and also intermixed with the text are QR codes that allow you to retrieve more information from the internet via your mobile devices. Their are two types of codes. One type has a video camera in the center of the code that shows you brief video clips of the scenes you are reading about. The other has a book and cross that takes you to a partner website where you can read bible passages that relate to the story.
What I appreciated most about this novel was the biblical themes the author injected throughout the book. Honoring those who are wise, finding one’s worth in how God values him or her, forgiving others, leading by serving, laying down one’s life for a friend: all these themes are so important for young readers. I look forward to my kids being able to read this book when they are older. “The Lost Medallion” is an excellent read for kids looking for a great adventure.
