Prayers That Changed History

October 1, 2015
Grades 4-8 It might be hard to make the power of prayer accessible to young readers, but it's even harder to make it entertaining. Goyer succeeds on both fronts in her anthology of 24 Christian individuals (plus the British people of WWII) who, she contends, changed the course of history through prayer. Arranged chronologically, the profiles feature such famous figures as Sojourner Truth, Helen Keller, and Mother Teresa as well as such lesser-known figures as John Newton, who found God's mercy during a near-death experience aboard a ship and began to see the evils of the slave trade. Each profile begins with a short fictionalized narrative that describes a difficult situation and how prayer helped the individual overcome the adversity. Although thought-provoking, the author doesn't indicate that she is reimagining scenes from history. She follows with questions that connect the reader to the narrative, direct quotes, biblical connections on the same theme, and inspirational guided prayer topics. While geared for Christian readers, history buffs will also enjoy the unique angle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)