Mystery at Ardfuar and other stories for girls

This is a book of four stories for girls – each one complete in itself but all having the same central character, a girl called Amy. Though hardly action-packed and full of adventure, they are well written and maintain interest. Each story involves a different event in Amy’s life.The cover describes Amy as ‘a young girl who leads a normal life’. However, the author weaves into the stories things like family worship and attending church, youth groups and camps – which are perhaps not the norm for most girls today!But those who may feel ‘different’ because they have a Christian upbringing, especially in small churches, could be helped by relating to such a character.The ‘big’ themes of the stories are death, friendship, failure and fear. Though specific teaching on these subjects is not given in a heavy-handed way, the stories do provoke thought on these issues – and provide biblical guidelines as Amy tries to put into practice what she learns in the Bible.Maximum benefit might be best derived from the book if an adult reads it too and then discusses the issues raised with the child – giving them the opportunity to talk about their own feelings.No age guidance is given on the book, but it would probably be most suitable for 9-13 year olds. A companion book of stories for boys has been written by the same author.