Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent

Advent Adventures #1

by Arnold Ytreeide

In this widely popular, exciting story for the advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.

Genres: Christmas, Historical Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Childrens, Christian Fiction, Holiday

168 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Arnold Ytreeide loves to make people feel. "My second film I ever made was for a high school history project. It made the teacher cry, right there in front of all the students. That wouldn't be a big deal except that my history teacher was also the varsity football coach. That was the moment I decided I love telling stories." He's been telling stories ever since, in film, television, books, radio, stage plays. And he tells them in all sorts of genres -- historical fiction, adventure, and books that make you think. Sometimes Christian - like his popular Jotham’s Journey Christmas series - sometimes for those not so inclined - such as Under My Teacher’s Desk and The Twelfth Privilege. He pours a “life of a thousand episodes” into every story. Next up? “More Mike Danford books, more Amon books, and I’m starting a new series about a girl who lives on the moon.” Former cop, former film & TV creator, and Professor Emeritus, Arnold and his wife Elsie Jo live to hang out with their two children and five grandchildren. “And their dogs. And cats.” He's always looking for the next story he can tell that will help people "feel the wonder of this wonderful life."

Reviews

[DerpGuru · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this series when my children were younger. It was a hit in our household. Yes there were scary moments, and yes there was violence. So be warned. Our children who are older now, still pretend they see Decca on occasions and jestingly hide. It was never so scary they couldn't handle it, and the gospel lessons at the end, always stitched things nicely up for them. Children live in a world where there is violence, hurt, injury, death, sickness and heartbreak, and I felt this series of books, gave hope and pointed out how to get through such times- Jesus. If you want fluffy, magical Christmas stories where everything is right with the world, because of our magical, genie saviour, then this book is not for you. If you want a frame work of knowing bad things do happen to good people, how to deal with our sin and take responsibility for our actions, how to seek Jesus and our Heavenly Father amidst trials, how to learn the voice of discernment through the Holy Spirit, then this book has much to offer. It has timelessly resonated through our family life, when friends have died, sickness hits, or hope is lost. It is a reminder of why Jesus came, and that sin is not just something grown ups in prisons battle. It is raw and real and not a touchy feely watered down gospel, but the practical reality of finishing the race strong. And yet it was warm and engaging and the characters wove their way into our hearts.

We loved the Jotham and Nathan characters and saw so many lovely parallels within their relationship. The Father heart of God is strong, and grace and love, so beautifully intertwined with redemption.

It is one I will be saving and God willing, be reading to my grand children in years to come.

[Amy Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheesh. I had to come on here and reduce my rating from last year. It was even worse when we read it aloud. I cannot understand why so many homeschooling families rave about this book. The advent thoughts are nice, and the idea of a fictional story is also nice, but the writing style is just really hokey and bad in parts. We started listening not for any serious advent help but just for the giggles induced by the the constant, stretched metaphors and implausible plot points. Going to look for a better advent devotional next year, for sure. Not continuing with this series and author.

3.5 stars.

Negatives:
Some needless violence. A bit disturbing and, therefore, ups the age level of your children for read-aloud purposes. I read some moms talking about this and decided to read it myself in advance to decide whether or not to read it aloud to my kids. Some of mine are sensitive, and we have been through some experiences as missionaries in Africa in which they have had encounters with truly bad people.
The antagonist isn't credible: over-the-top bad, his mother seems demonically crazy-bad, you find out (spoiler alert) that he's related to Jotham and therefore Jesus, he wants to kill the entire family of Jotham--several brothers and their kids, etc., and no matter how many times you think he's been stopped--guess what? He'll show up again in the end. The ending "battle" was not believable. This therefore lowers the age level of your children for read-aloud, because the older children won't buy into all this. They'll probably start laughing at some point towards the end when Decca shows up again--with Nathan right behind him to save the day with his gymnastics. *roll eyes*
Some of the theology and timeline isn't quite right. For a book about Advent, it doesn't clearly explain Jesus as Messiah and what His purpose was, or more specifically, how Jesus accomplishes His purpose. Also, one time the devotional thought leaned toward universalism.

Positives:
A lot of the devotional thoughts are VERY good, especially for kids, but even for adults to make Christ's Incarnation more real to us today and cause us to inspect our hearts in relation to the Truth.
The story is exciting and will keep kids' attention.
The story weaves together all the parts of the Christmas story, as well as parts of the geography and peoples of Israel (like the Essenes).
The story will hammer into your kids' heads the drastic consequences of disobedience.

I think I'll read it aloud to my kids next year. I was going to do it this year when we finished our current read-aloud, but I didn't realize that you should really read it on a time-table, starting this year on Nov. 29, and I'm behind. :/

[John Hedrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

We abandoned this one. My family was looking for a new, inspiring Advent story to read as part of our preparation for Christmas. Though highly recommended, this was not it. The story started out interestingly enough, but it slowly turned into one impossibly contrived and unbelievable misadventure after another as the hero, Jotham, undertakes a journey to be reunited with his lost family amid the backdrop of Jesus birth. The story's primary antagonist is a purely stock character with all the cliched dialog and description to match who pops up anywhere any everywhere the plot needs him to. The story includes some vividly gratuitous violence on the part of the antagonist which is included for no other purpose than to establish how evil he is. The House of Sixty Fathers, for example, contains violence, but it is part of the reality of the backdrop of the story. Violence is not used for the shock value of establishing characterization.

As we looked ahead and discovered *SPOILER ALERT* that the antagonist's attempts to kill the hero are actually part of a larger scheme on his part to kill the infant Jesus, we knew we'd picked the wrong book to provide a hopeful, inspiring story to help prepare us to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

[Kelly Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for Advent with my daughters. We all really enjoyed following the story of Jotham of Jericho. Almost every day’s reading ends with a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting more! Some parts are a bit intense (especially a specific scene toward the end), but did not bother my sensitive 6 year old. How can you not cry tears of joy at the culmination of the story when the Star appears and the Messiah is born?!!

[Lindsay B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. It leaves you in suspense every day. Great book for Advent. If you are looking for an Advent book, this is the one.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun advent reading for the kids! We were all looking forward to our evenings to find out what happened next. The writing was found to be wanting, but my kids didn’t notice. Yet.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, and its successors, are a holiday must! I still remember the first time I heard this book read aloud! I was volunteering in another country over the holidays and one of the missionary couples read this book in the dining hall each night at dinner. All of us, and we were all mostly in our twenties, were spellbound and often asked for the next day’s reading to be read also. The couple stayed true to the calendar outline though, as each day in December has a designated portion to be read. You and your children will love this!

In this widely popular story, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.

Ages: 7+

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[Desiree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book to my children for advent this year. I liked the idea of the book--following a young boy as the events from the time period unfolded--but the reality was uninspiring. It used suspense and horror to keep the plot going, which seems odd for a book written for children. The writing was weak and trite, and the some of the facts were wrong. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. we won't be reading it again.

[MacKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent!! It was especially intriguing for my 9 1/2 year old son and spurred on so much wonderful discussion. It is action packed and definitely intense at times (which might make it hard for younger ears) but all the lessons intertwined make it well worth it. I highly recommend this book and will be purchasing the other advent books in the series as well.

[Jess McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the idea and the kids really enjoyed the book, but the writing was so bad that by the end it resembled a comedy. (Which made it a lot of fun to read actually, the kids were howling with laughter at the battle scene.) it was “like the thrill of a thousand camel races.”

[Molly Grimmius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read during advent with the family and really enjoyed this historical fiction account of what it would be to be a Shepard when Jesus’ times. Answered so many questions of what it would be like to be a Jew waiting for the Messiah, to be waiting and access to the Bible. Really great read and look forward to the Easter one.

[Rosie Gearhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first year we read this my kids loved it. The next year it was just comical how "the bad guy" kept showing up at the end of most of the chapters. I think they outgrew it! Probably best for late elementary age.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. We enjoyed meeting all the characters from the Christmas story.

[Moony Lupin · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this every Christmas!

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jotham's Journey is intended as a family read-aloud Advent book. On this point it is a great success. Our kids loved the story and often wanted to keep going at the end of each chapter. It is set at the same time as the Biblical Nativity story and the characters of this fictional story intertwine with the Biblical narrative in a number of ways. I could see some taking issue with various details in this story which add to what the Scriptures tell us. But this story is clearly not intended to be considered as on par with Scripture. The author includes short reflections and questions at the end of each chapter for discussion as a family. We often did these, but sometimes we skipped them if we were catching up on a couple of days.

All in all it was a wonderful way of grounding our family in the Christmas story. One of the strengths of this book was its ability to convey the building anticipation for the coming of the Messiah - and what better way to spend Advent than to enter as a family into that great yearning of which Christ's coming is the final and full satisfaction.

[Adam Duell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very special advent story (historical fiction) from my childhood. Our reading was waylaid a bit, so we’re finishing after epiphany, but it was worth it.

This book is not perfect, and I recommend that parents read ahead and making editorial decisions about certain word choices (the author gets a bit “creative” sometimes with certain usages of biblical and extra-biblical words and interpretations), and most certainly read ahead and make judgement calls on whether you want to read the after-chapter commentary debriefs to your children. Some of them are fine, but lots of them are very lame.

All that said, this is still a very fun and special story to me. My father read this one to us several times over the years during advent, and my family will continue to do so. Next year, we will choose one of the spinoff parallel books (Bartholomew and Tabitha).

[Staci · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had heard so many great things about this book, but it is not for our family. I started listening with my kids and stopped it about 25% through. It got very intense. I decided to finish on my own to see what age would be best for them. Never. It is unnecessarily violent and suspenseful. I thought it was going to be a story about this boy and Jesus'. But it's basically just him running from the bad guy. I felt that a lot of the tension and violence was just for the shock factor. It wasn't necessary. A gentle, beautiful story could have been told instead. Throw in some suspense like being separated from his family, even. But not the violence and disturbing elements.

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

My children and I enjoyed the journey Jotham took from disobedience to experiencing the birth of Christ. It is obviously a fictional account but helped us enter into what it could have been like to be living during that time. There are some intense moments but my almost 8 and 9 year olds were fine with it. I look forward to reading more of his books in the future.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids were on the edge of their seats for this Advent book and often begged for an extra chapter (which I occassionally did, because we started late). We also finished the fourth section in one sitting. They all wanted to rate it 5 stars, but I personally would only give 4, due to violence and some over-the-top drama. All in all an interesting read, and we will likely try another from the series next year.

[Natasha Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We loved the story of Jotham and the way the author intertwined his story into the events and people surrounding the Messiah’s birth. Beautifully told, and in short, easy to read segments.
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because it was a bit too violent/intense at times for my children’s ages (10, 8, almost 6, and 3). But that’s just my opinion, and I was easily able to skim over anything I I felt was too much. We’re looking forward to reading the next book next year!

[Susy C. *MotherLambReads* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Advent book! A bit intense in place for younger ears (kidnapping, suspense) but the kids were really caught up in the story. True meaning for Christmas so beautifully written in a little boy's perspective.

[Beth McVey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story. I read this out loud to my 10 and 7 year old boys. It kept us engaged the whole time! Many days we wanted to read ahead. There were a few parts where I changed the words and a small portion of the story as it would have been too intense for their young minds but besides that, it was really good! Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

[Chloe Contarino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of this author after reading the lent book Amon’s Adventure. This one was good and kept my boys’ attention as well, I just wish it centered more on Jesus. He felt like a 3rd string character for much of the time.

[Bethany Feustel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action packed advent read aloud, it sparked great conversation, and my girls typically begged to keep going. The advent devotional at the end of each chapter was tastefully done, and thought provoking.

[Lauren Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this book for our advent chapter read-aloud and my boys loved it! It is super action packed and I really enjoyed how the author weaves so many characters from Scripture into the tale! I definitely plan to find more books from this author to use for future lent and advent resources.

[Heather Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5! I read this aloud to my 9 & 12 year old boys. They loved it and so did I!

[Malory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for Advent! My kids age 12 to 6 loved it and I enjoyed reading it aloud. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I desperately needed this advent book in my life, especially this year.

[Emily Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The people who get it get it. This book is fun, action packed, and a beautiful opportunity to be together as a family. You will laugh, cry, and see the puzzle pieces of the nativity fit together moment by moment.

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this advent book this year (2020) and my boys all loved it!! Historical fiction for children. It was a captivating story with good lessons. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series in the coming Christmas seasons.