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The Belt of Truth Series #2
Brady Hart and the Soul Sting
Brady Hart has learned his leave crime fighting to the professionals. But what will he do when he discovers a new smartphone app luring kids into unsafe activities?
Brady's friends, Sunday and Gladiss, have already downloaded the FROOM app, and their rankings are soaring. Connecting with hundreds of new people is exciting, but the flashing dare button has them all concerned, especially after it results in a serious accident on Christmas Day.
Who issues the dares, and why are they targeting kids? Is it just a popularity game or is something sinister going on? Should Brady alert Special Agent Max Dunham or will that get him grounded until summer?
The answer seems simple--stay out of it--until a problem bubbles up that boggles his Why has Gladiss changed her appearance, and why has she gone from annoying him to ignoring him?
Brady's friends, Sunday and Gladiss, have already downloaded the FROOM app, and their rankings are soaring. Connecting with hundreds of new people is exciting, but the flashing dare button has them all concerned, especially after it results in a serious accident on Christmas Day.
Who issues the dares, and why are they targeting kids? Is it just a popularity game or is something sinister going on? Should Brady alert Special Agent Max Dunham or will that get him grounded until summer?
The answer seems simple--stay out of it--until a problem bubbles up that boggles his Why has Gladiss changed her appearance, and why has she gone from annoying him to ignoring him?
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2022
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Jill Osborne
14 books8 followersJill Osborne is an author and speaker who loves kids (probably because she still is one). She has 30+ years of experience working in children’s and youth ministry and now writes adventure stories to bring hope to a new generation. She lives with her husband in California’s Central Valley—just a short drive from her favorite place in the whole world, Yosemite National Park. A hike to the top of Half-Dome in 2003 inspired her very first book: Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 26, 2026
4 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Middle-Grade
It felt a little strange to read a book that starts at Christmastime in April, but I was honestly too excited to read this book after reading the first book in the duology last month to wait. This was a very exciting story and I liked many elements of it! I could see different parts (especially the humor and friend groups) like a movie in my head which added to my enjoyment and eagerness to see what would happen next.
This duology would be great for boys and girls, but particularly for those that like adventures or mysteries. I think this book and the prior one in the series are a perfect mix between those two genres because while it’s not really a “whodunit” kind of mystery story, there is trying to help those caught up in the problem, finding out the motive of the criminals, and stopping all of it from continuing.
I’m truly bummed there aren’t more books in this series as I loved seeing Riley Mae again and also greatly enjoyed Brady’s adventures! But it was a good ending to the series with a lot of character development of side characters and lessons learned for everyone involved. Definitely an underrated gem in my eyes and one I would recommend for sure!
Content info to come.
It felt a little strange to read a book that starts at Christmastime in April, but I was honestly too excited to read this book after reading the first book in the duology last month to wait. This was a very exciting story and I liked many elements of it! I could see different parts (especially the humor and friend groups) like a movie in my head which added to my enjoyment and eagerness to see what would happen next.
This duology would be great for boys and girls, but particularly for those that like adventures or mysteries. I think this book and the prior one in the series are a perfect mix between those two genres because while it’s not really a “whodunit” kind of mystery story, there is trying to help those caught up in the problem, finding out the motive of the criminals, and stopping all of it from continuing.
I’m truly bummed there aren’t more books in this series as I loved seeing Riley Mae again and also greatly enjoyed Brady’s adventures! But it was a good ending to the series with a lot of character development of side characters and lessons learned for everyone involved. Definitely an underrated gem in my eyes and one I would recommend for sure!
Content info to come.
July 15, 2024
A groundbreaking new app called FROOM has the kids of Creekside Elementary competing for rankings with a “dare” button within the app. From enticing kids to jump between roofs or change their looks for better rankings, the dares have Brady Hart’s arm hairs tingling—a.k.a. Brady’s spiritual gift of discernment.
Not to mention his friends have been acting kind of weird ever since downloading the FROOM app, as in “too afraid to talk to him” weird, even the school bully!
With a little digging, Brady discovers that the app’s users are often hit with a virus. Adults are threatened with identity theft if they don’t pay up, and Brady has a hunch it’s no coincidence. Kids, on the other hand, well, their identities may have already been stolen, finding themselves blackmailed when one of the “dares” involves stolen goods.
It’s up to eleven-year-old Brady—make that eleven-and-a-half-year-old Brady (it’s a big difference, you know!)—to clear his classmates’ innocence and prove that the FROOM app is up to no good.
Unfortunately, Brady isn’t supposed to be solving crimes ever since he got in over his head helping the FBI with a case. Plus, he was grounded for two months. No repeats wanted here!
But that’s okay. Brady will keep out of harm’s way while the FBI meets him halfway. Though at under five feet tall, maybe it’s Brady who’s meeting them halfway.
Turns out, the new substitute teacher is an undercover FBI agent. She assigns Brady to turn in a special “paper,” a.k.a. Brady’s unofficial investigation into the FROOM app.
At least now he has a good excuse to tell Mom as to why he’s working with the FBI again: “I was just doing my homework, Mom!”
Author Jill Osborne lends her signature charm, well-timed humor, and fast-paced prose to each page as the mystery of the FROOM app unfolds. Told from Brady’s perspective, each chapter delivers a relatable setting for young readers. The quick-witted character is proof that Osborne is not just a master storyteller for kids, but she knows how to think like a kid too.
As usual with Osborne’s work, she isn’t afraid to write a character who prays before acting, applies Bible verses to his situations, and relies on Holy Spirit for revelation about who’s behind the dangerous FROOM App.
Of course, there’s a logical explanation for the digital crimes. This is a mystery after all, not a fantasy. Jill Osborne reminds her readers, however, that just because a human being is the one behind the cyberattacks, that doesn’t discount the fact that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The unfolding mystery makes for an impressive and faith-filled display of young believers engaged in spiritual warfare, where the battlefield is none other than the virtual world on their smartphones. It’s exactly the kind of book kids need to read, leaving them with an important question: who—or what—is behind the screen?
“Brady Hart and the Soul Sting” by Jill Osborne earns our highest recommendation.
Not to mention his friends have been acting kind of weird ever since downloading the FROOM app, as in “too afraid to talk to him” weird, even the school bully!
With a little digging, Brady discovers that the app’s users are often hit with a virus. Adults are threatened with identity theft if they don’t pay up, and Brady has a hunch it’s no coincidence. Kids, on the other hand, well, their identities may have already been stolen, finding themselves blackmailed when one of the “dares” involves stolen goods.
It’s up to eleven-year-old Brady—make that eleven-and-a-half-year-old Brady (it’s a big difference, you know!)—to clear his classmates’ innocence and prove that the FROOM app is up to no good.
Unfortunately, Brady isn’t supposed to be solving crimes ever since he got in over his head helping the FBI with a case. Plus, he was grounded for two months. No repeats wanted here!
But that’s okay. Brady will keep out of harm’s way while the FBI meets him halfway. Though at under five feet tall, maybe it’s Brady who’s meeting them halfway.
Turns out, the new substitute teacher is an undercover FBI agent. She assigns Brady to turn in a special “paper,” a.k.a. Brady’s unofficial investigation into the FROOM app.
At least now he has a good excuse to tell Mom as to why he’s working with the FBI again: “I was just doing my homework, Mom!”
Author Jill Osborne lends her signature charm, well-timed humor, and fast-paced prose to each page as the mystery of the FROOM app unfolds. Told from Brady’s perspective, each chapter delivers a relatable setting for young readers. The quick-witted character is proof that Osborne is not just a master storyteller for kids, but she knows how to think like a kid too.
As usual with Osborne’s work, she isn’t afraid to write a character who prays before acting, applies Bible verses to his situations, and relies on Holy Spirit for revelation about who’s behind the dangerous FROOM App.
Of course, there’s a logical explanation for the digital crimes. This is a mystery after all, not a fantasy. Jill Osborne reminds her readers, however, that just because a human being is the one behind the cyberattacks, that doesn’t discount the fact that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The unfolding mystery makes for an impressive and faith-filled display of young believers engaged in spiritual warfare, where the battlefield is none other than the virtual world on their smartphones. It’s exactly the kind of book kids need to read, leaving them with an important question: who—or what—is behind the screen?
“Brady Hart and the Soul Sting” by Jill Osborne earns our highest recommendation.
October 21, 2022
This had everything I love in Jill Osborne's books! I became a fan of her writing when I was in third grade and now, even at 17, this book really made me think! Great themes! I recommend this for the whole family and can't wait to see what's next!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews