Spirit Fighter

June 25, 2012
Thirteen-year-old Jonah Stone is a self-consciously average seventh grader who is constantly embarrassed by baby brother Jeremiah and lives in the shadow of his younger sister, Eliza. But then Jonah learns that his mother is half human and half angel—meaning that he possesses superhuman powers by birth. When fallen angels abduct their mother, Jonah and Eliza embark on an adventure to rescue her and soon find themselves in the midst of a war between good and evil. Griffin Burns is an ideal narrator for this audio edition: he captures the youth and essence of Jonah and Eliza, reads crisply, and creates a medley of voices for the book’s wide range of characters. At times, Burns dips a little into caricature in his portrayals. However, this minor flaw is unlikely to be an issue for most listeners. Ages 9–up. A Thomas Nelson paperback.

March 19, 2012
Law dreams up an exciting debut novel featuring seventh-grader Jonah Stone, who learns to his amazement that he, his younger sister Eliza, and little brother Jeremiah are quarterlings: one quarter angel. He is the offspring of a nephilim, a half-angel descended from a human and a fallen angel. Immediately after he learns that, angels, and trouble, fly. When the children’s nephilim mother, Eleanor, is kidnapped, Jonah and Eliza are tasked with finding her in New York, where, with the help of guardian angel Henry (who looks like a teenager), they face battles for their lives and souls. Law negotiates well the balance between using a biblical infrastructure and making it sleekly modern and appropriately fantastical. There’s lots of action, credibly repellent evil creatures, characters young readers can relate to, moral fiber, and the promise of more adventure in the Son of Angels: Jonah Stone series. Law’s young quarter-angels are off to a flying start. Ages 9-up.