Three Go Searching

by Patricia St. John

ISBN:0-8024-8748-3 printed right above
Paperback Edition, 1977 (Original copyright 1966)

Everyone knows a person like Waffi -- mischievous, willful, and having a knack for getting others into trouble. David, whose father is a missionary doctor in Africa, is Waffi's friend. Although Waffi occasionally gets David into some difficult situations, David is learning to be a witness for God. When Waffi and David find a sick servant girl and a mysterious boat, an exciting adventure begins for them.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Patricia Mary St. John spent 27 years as a dedicated missionary to North Africa - and was also a prolific children's writer. Her books are loved and treasured around the world; some have been turned into stirring films. Gripping adventures which cover real life issues are her hallmark.

Reviews

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read every other book we own by this author, but somehow this one had slipped by. I'm glad I found it and read it.
Well told as all of Patricia St. John's books are, this story takes place in North Africa and follows three children on their journey to Christ. While each child needs the same thing–David, the son of a missionary doctor, Waffi, a native boy, and Lela, an orphan servant–each one is unique and different. There is a bit of excitement in this story and some tender moments.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful vintage little paperback this is. Of course, I should expect a touching story from Patricia St. John, and it has certainly been a few years since I've read one of hers, but I'm sooo glad to have picked this one up. It has EVERYTHING that a good moral story should, and it touched my heart generously.

The spiritual content is largely based on being sons of God, and shining as a light in the darkness (from a memory verse that David learns, Philippians 2:15). This added a lot of depth to the plot, as David, a missionary doctor's son, keeps finding himself in trouble, or being persuaded to do things he shouldn't, yet he tries so hard to please the Almighty

Really, it's a simple story, but has an engaging plot. It imparts a lot of biblical truth on the reader, even a young reader can see it. David is trying to be a good son of God, Waffi is kicking against the pricks, and Lela just wants to find out who God is. All three are in a different place in their spiritual journey. But the orchestration of Lord's hand is clear; these children will be loved by Him as He guides them in the right direction.

Excellent quality vintage fiction. It can touch hearts young and old.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Going Searching is really about how three different children find Jesus as their Savior - a missionary’s son, an island boy and a village girl.

The story focuses on salvation, not giving in to temptation, and being a light in the darkness. And there’s definitely some adventurous chapters that are real page turners!

Ages: 8+

Content considerations: all bad behavior is correctly resolved. Two boys are taken captive and there is talk of killing them/drowning them but they’re released. May be tense for some children.

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[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

One night last week I couldn't sleep and I sat in my house in the dark, looking out the window and watching people on the roof of the apartment across the garden from me inspecting a chimney with their flashlights. When I was sure they weren't going to do anything more exciting than that I turned a light on and read this book. I've read it a lot of times. It's about a little missionary boy named David living in what seems to be north Africa, I would guess Algeria, but it never says. He makes a friend and they discover a smuggler's rowboat filled with rifles, they find a hunchbacked orphan girl sleeping under a grapevine with flies on her face, they dive into shallow water, break things, etc. They are also taught many bible lessons by shepherds (LOL) and by David's parents. A few months ago I reread another one of Patricia St John's books and was kind of horrified by it. She's a christian writer writing for christian children, and her treatment of christians and non-christians is extremely condescending and adorably simplistic. But she's good at evoking the confusion/anger/loneliness/despair and eventual comfort of being a little kid (or, uuhhhh, a 31 year old) and, especially in THREE GO SEARCHING, she gets the mild mystery and adventure that I want in a children's book really right. I'll probably read it a lot more times.

 

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[Angie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia St. John is not only one of my favorite writers, she's also one of the only ones who can refuse me (or her characters) the comfortable, perfect, all-loose-ends-tied-up ending that I want and still leave me not only satisfied but knowing it's for the best. Case in point--I would have found some way that David didn't have to go off to school in the end, or at least have brought Lela into the house to take his place helping his mother. But the story doesn't end sadly; it ends with everyone just where they're supposed to be, doing the work God's given them to do, and leaving me with nothing to argue about.

The thing that I love more than anything about every Patricia St. John story is the honesty and reality that goes so much deeper than just relatable characters. She knew people, and it shows on every page. But she also knew God, and He shines through this story with amazing clarity. The Christian message is front and center through the whole book, but it never feels forced. Better yet, we're not left with vague platitudes and examples to follow; we're led directly to the fountain of strength and encouraged to drink deeply and let Him perform His work in us. There's never any question that the children's lesson of shining like stars in the darkness is only possible through God's grace and help, and the naturalness of the story just emphasizes the fact that these are real-life truths to be lived out by real people in a real world. Another gem from this author. <3

Content--lying, stealing, keeping secrets from parents, all dealt with appropriately; a man kicks a sick girl; boys are threatened by gun smugglers

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good one from Patricia St.John.
It's a regular boy book with themes of faith, courage and adventure all the way through. Can't wait to give this to my boys.

[Denise Philipp Rutledge · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I was looking for a short audio book listen while I waited for other books to become available. I think this was an attempt at a parable of a parable? Not sure. Not for me.

[Alicia P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not necessarily my favorite writing but the kids in this book are so wholesome 💕

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost: I did *NOT* read the ‘revised by Mary Mills’ edition and do not recommend it.

I read the UNrevised edition, 1980’s reprint from Moody Press. I know of two covers available that have the same 1952 unrevised contents, one has a charming color illustration wrapping from cover to cover, and the other one is unfortunately plain and somewhat tacky—simple typeface and a stock photo of a young boy with an open binder. That’s the one I read.

Annyywaayyss..as to the real book:

Can’t help comparing to “Treasures in the Snow”. In length, “Three” is vastly shorter in length. Therefore, much less nuance, much less character development, a lot more loose ends that are neither fleshed out with the nuance and care of “Treasures”, nor resolved or concluded. I read the moral point of the story as trying to impress the necessity for prepared Christians to be available to provide the answers of those searching. But I found support for that point somewhat lacking, with other plots diverting away from that theme fraying out unanswered. I do think it would be a successful read for young boys especially since it is about a little boy of a young age and has some very real life struggles they would identify with and relate to. For me, I was spoiled by the breadth and depth of “Treasures” and this one fell short. I am looking forward to St John’s other books, much more in line length-wise with “Treasures”, so my hopes are admittedly high.

Content considerations: a young girl is cruelly treated by other adults (she is ultimately rescued and rehabilitated). A young boy is an intentionally deceitful liar through most of the book (he ultimately is transformed, though not much fruit of it is portrayed or discussed). Two boys are kidnapped by criminal men, one wants to kill them, ultimately both boys are returned completely unharmed.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it talks about how we can be different from everyone as christians. And that we can be a light in the darkness. Another reasons is that it shows that God can help us through our temptions. In this book David learns that we can't decide we want to work for God unless he calls us. And that somtimes God calls us away from the mission to prepare us for the mission. On the whole, I really enjoyed this book!
Naomi Cuthbertson

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked reading this book a lot. It is about a boy whose parents are missionaries and he makes some friends along the way that he tells about the love that God has for everyone. It is a really good story for kids to read about how you might be tempted to do things that are wrong, but God can help you to overcome the temptations that come your way.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect to read aloud to young ones as it explains the faith journey very well, from 3 different child's perspectives. The family are English missionaries in Africa, so it goes into the Great Commission as well. K and I read it at bedtime and plan to read it to N.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story follows 3 different children in Africa: Waffi, a mischievous boy who has a knack of getting into trouble; David, son of the mission doctor; and Lela, an orphan girl who was mistreated and eventually escaped her difficult situation.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet missionary children's story.

We listened to the Audible version, which was not well done - though clear and intelligible, the reader was awkward and intoned the voices wrong. But the story was good enough to hold attention and drew the mind to the beauty of knowing and serving Christ.

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the author’s most memorable work, but this still is a sweet little story of obedience, honesty, courage, and God’s faithfulness. Gives a peek at missionary kid life and the sacrifices made even at young ages.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish i had read this sooner

[Nicola Travers-Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this as a child and it was just as good rereading it as an adult. Patricia St John knows how to tell a good story while getting kids (and adults) to think deeply about the world.

[Angela Priebbenow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story about how three children in very different circumstances come to faith in Jesus.

[Christa R · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. I appreciate the gospel message.

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number of pages: 128

Genre: Children’s fiction

Series: N/A

Age recommendation: Elementary School (6-12 if being read to, 8-12 if reading on their own)

Summary: David’s parents are missionaries in Africa, and when his brother leaves for boarding school, David doesn’t know what to do anymore. He starts spending his time with the neighbour boy Waffi. However, Waffi has a knack for getting the boys into trouble. Can David learn how to be a witness for God, or will he allow Waffi to drag him into his mischief?

My thoughts: this is such a cute little story. I really like Patricia St John’s books. They are definitely for younger children, so I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the antics of the children, but I still liked it. Lela is my favourite character, and her question challenges me: if there are so many people where you’re from who know about Jesus, why aren’t they telling the people who don’t know about Him? I don’t think that everyone is called to be a missionary in Africa, but it is a good point that everyone should be telling others about their faith. If it’s really that important to you, you should be sharing it with others.
I would totally read this book to my younger brother (he’s 9 years old) and he would love it, especially the part about the smugglers

My personal rating: 4/5 it was really good, but definitely not intended for teens.

Link to blog: https://wordpress.com/post/karinaschr...

[M.J. Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little missionary story from the perspective of a 9-year old missionary kid. Read this to my 5-yr. old boy and he loved it, and it encouraged him that he can be involved in sharing Christ too. Phil. 2:15 is woven throughout the entire story, "that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

[Konstantin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan and the children just finished this book. It is especially good if you live in a foreign country or are missionaries. We'll read it again and again!

[Josue]

its a beatifull book