Author: Jim Cromarty

Publisher: Evangelical Press

Price: £9.99

Lowdown: This is a biography of a near-forgotten Christian man who lived in the C19th. Born in Scotland, he gave up a comfortable life to travel to the tribal lands of the New Hebrides (near Australia) to tell cannibals about the Gospel. He had many terrifying experiences and describes his almost constant brushes with death, because the tribes feared or hated white people. He spent most of his life in danger, and this book is told in such a way that you feel part of the action, making it an extremely addictive read.

Good points: Too many Christians who have risked their lives are unheard of. This is one story you have got to tell your friends about. It gives young Christians great encouragement that God has a plan, even when it seems the world has turned against you, and it challenges us to do more for God and complain less about our circumstances. There are plenty of pictures to look at throughout to help you visualise the characters and/or the events that are happening.

Bad points: The book mentions in detail some other Christian missionaries who were killed, which might be difficult for younger children to understand. Also there are some confusing words to get to grips with, when describing the tribal people and their culture. The book is geared more for older teenagers.