This recently published young adult fantasy novel gets full marks for creativity! Imagine surfing, guardian angels, fairies, cancer patients, and miracles all in one story. That’s far out, as the surfers say. A Hidden Miracle by Gerilyn Herold is a thought-provoking coming of age fairy tale about a teenage fairy with a big heart and some difficulty following rules.
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The Plot
Gabriella, a 14 year old fairy, is tasked with delivering a miracle to a famous surfer who is dying of cancer. Big problem though: the evil Scabulen fairies convince the surfer to reject the miracle. Gabriella is determined to redeliver the miracle- even if that means breaking a few rules along the way. She makes a lot of mistakes along the way, but in the end helps redeliver the miracle and save her human.
Things to Like
A Hidden Miracle
This book is clearly Catholic in its worldview with Guardian Angels, the Eucharist, and priests all playing roles in bringing grace to human hearts. As in C. S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, A Hidden Miracle makes the battle between good and evil with its spiritual and corporal fighters real and believable to our jaded human minds. That’s a powerful worldview we need today!
This book is clean with no language, no sexual content, and minimal violence. There is one sad memory of the troubled surfer’s boyhood verbal abuse at the hands of his father. Also, there is a mention that the 14 year old protagonist is attracted to her older teen friend. However, the two teenagers seem to understand the need to wait to pursue any sort of relationship until they are older.
Parental Guidance Needed
As much as I loved this fairy tale’s take on spiritual warfare, there were a few parts which I think could be confusing to young readers. This is a story about a fairy who breaks the rules, but with good intentions. The question is: do good intentions trump rules? Well, what kind of rules are they? Who made them? Are they rules about morality or arbitrary safety rules? Are they from God? Or made by the opinion of the majority? When does conscience trump rules?
These are all good thought provoking questions, and I think it’s great to encourage kids to think about them and learn about law and rules. But in A Hidden Miracle, these questions are raised and then not clearly answered. Parents should be aware that this book will have their teens asking questions about different types of rules, whether intention matters, whether conscience overrides rules, how a correctly formed conscience plays in, and so on.
One good message in A Hidden Miracle is that when you’re confused about what is right, the solution is to seek counsel from a parent or respected adult. So be ready to have a discussion!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of A “Hidden Miracle” from the author in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
If you are looking for more great books for Catholic teens, check out my book lists!