Summary:
In a time and place different than our own, a fourteen-year-old boy named Rol sets out on a journey, alone. He faces incredible challenges and makes lifelong friends. Rol learns what it takes to be who he is truly meant to be, with help from those he encounters along the way. Be: The Journey of Rol is a story of adventure and hope. It is a tale of friendship, humility and thankfulness, overcoming challenges, the consequences of decisions you make, and the importance of laughing a little as you go through life.
Review:
Be: The Journey of Rol by Ric Colegrove
I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book. The author has quite the imagination. This story reminded me of the journey in The Hobbit with the humor of The Princess Bride. This fantasy novel is filled with humorous passages, silly descriptions, and several laugh-out-loud moments. And a few clever moments of breaking the fourth wall (that’s probably not even a thing in books but I don’t know how else to describe it).
I mean, who can’t appreciate these descriptions on Rol’s map:
The Straits of Straight-up Pain, the Cave of We’ll Have None of That, andthe River of Aaaaaaaaaaaagh . . . Splash . . .Ohnooooo.
And here’s one of my favorite lines:
“What we need—us, right now—is an adventure song or ballad . . . a Salad. About our adventures so far,” Rol added excitedly as they continued walking.
Rol was such a great character. I loved his decision to be happy and not to worry about things, even when things go horribly wrong. When his mentor is taken by a horde of grumblegoblins—yep, you read that right, grumblegoblins, he makes the decision to embark on an epic journey, with the help of his trusty map.
Along the way, Rol meets two traveling companions who make the journey with him. The unique villages and situations they come across challenge the three new friends in many unexpected ways. The trio relies on their smarts, faith, determination, dumb luck to overcome all obstacles. This would be a fabulous story to read as a family. There are some wonderful discussion topics about friendships, courage, and self-discovery hidden amid the humorous gems.
A Note From the Reviewer:
As a writer and a mother, I’m always searching for wonderful Christian books for teens of all ages. I truly believe one way we can encourage teens in their faith is through fiction with positive messages, embedded in great stories. There are many fantastic Christian and Catholic teen novels out today but they can be hard to find. I’m excited to share some of these books with you.
Leslea Wahl