Christian GeorgeCharles Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers (Trail Blazers)

This book proved to be the perfect level for my nine-year-old. She and some other children her age did a book group at church on this book. It was lovely to see them engaging and discussing Charles Spurgeon.

Very inspiring story. Great read.

As a high school English teacher, one of the ideas my school has been working on is promoting biographies as an entertaining and educational genre for students. Oftentimes, however, it is a hard sell. To be honest, getting kids to focus on something that doesn't have a remote control or video-game controller is hard enough. Make the book a non-fiction work, even about someone they admire, and you don't get a lot of buy in. Having read Charles Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Christian George, it occurred to me that perhaps biographical fiction might be a better way to go. This Christian Focus published book presents Spurgeon's life in a way that makes use of many elements of fiction while it teaches the reader about one of Christianity's heroes of the faith. Perhaps this would be a solid `middle-way' to encourage youth to read biographies.The Real SpurgeonHaving never read a Spurgeon biography-that is a confession and I hope that does not disqualify me from having anything of value to say in Christian circles-I can only assume that there is historic accuracy in the events promoted in this book. With that assumption in mind, I found the events, peoples, and issues that the author focused on were interesting and inspiring. George weaves his biography through the ups and downs of this saint's life. Spurgeon is not presented as a gold-gilded brightly-haloed saint but rather appears as a real human with faults and foibles like the rest of us. In fact, the struggles of Spurgeon that the author walks us through are definitely one of the strengths of this book. Seeing Spurgeon in his coma-like state after a tragedy at a preaching event or the fear he faced preparing for his first sermon and the rest of his trials make this a compelling story that I think young people will connect with. One can relate to this preacher of preachers despite the esteem he is held in by most of North American Christendom. His relationships with his wife, friends, and acquaintances are also an enjoyable facet of this read. I think that the friendships, romances, and encounters are well-chosen and well-conveyed.Truth or FictionThere is clearly some creative license apparent in this book. And I think that is what will make this appropriate for youth. As mentioned earlier, straight biographies can be tough to sell to young people, but this book reads very much like a work of fiction. There is convincing characterization, particularly in the case of the protagonist Charles Spurgeon. We see him develop and grow and he is a likeable and intriguing individual. His fears are portrayed honestly, and his insecurities and doubts, as well as his strengths and courage, are all traits that young people will connect with. There are many conflicts both internal and external, which give rise to a plot that build suspense and takes this book beyond regurgitating facts to have the force of a good story. There are many edifying themes throughout the book, and Spurgeon's trust in God despite his shortcomings, and God's faithfulness in spite of Surgeon, will be one theme that resonates with young people.Recommended ReadingPerhaps the best commendation I can give this book is that I will encourage my own kids to read it. One of my children ambitiously read a short biography of William Wilberforce; she struggled through it and I was proud she didn't give up. However, I don't think she got a lot out of it. I think a book like Charles Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers would be far more appropriate for her and one in which she will be edified in the reading. That being said, as an adult, I enjoyed reading the book. At times it brought tears to my eyes and at times it brought a smile to my face. And it has encouraged me to remove the haven't-read-a-Spurgeon-biography stigma that has plagued me for so long. Get your hands on this book and give it to a young person you know, but give it a quick read yourself before you hand it over.I received a copy of this book from Christian Focus for the purpose of review.

Really enjoyed the story - it was very enlightening and interesting. Could hardly put it down! I highly recommend it!

First I believe I am supposed to issue a disclaimer to the effect that I received this e-book in return for a review. I hope that's legal enough.Charles Spurgeon: The Prince of Preachers by Christian Timothy George is a very good "dramatic" biography for children. It covers key moments in Spurgeon's life and career and gives the reader a good understanding of one of the greatest Christian preachers of recent memory.Spurgeon's life story can be an inspiration to young people today who think they must wait until they are older, perhaps graduated from seminary, before they can be of any service to God. It's also a great example of complete trust and faith in the will of God. This biography conveys these points clearly.I think the format of a more dramatic style will help the story become more engrained in the readers mind as opposed to a simple factual telling of things as they happened as is more common in biographies. It helps the reader to better connect with the characters and understand them as fellow human beings, not simply pieces of history to be researched.After the story there are many resources available to the reader, including a section entitled "Further Thinking Topics." These encourage the reader to think more about what he or she has just read in each chapter. It is a very helpful section; however, I would have found it more useful if each of these was immediately behind its respective chapter. This is especially due to the content of the first chapter, the only chapter with which I have a major problem.The first chapter begins the mythical account of Queen Victoria's desire visit to the Metropolitan Tabernacle. This account is then finished in the tenth, and final, chapter. Since there is absolutely no proof that this ever occurred, I was surprised to find it written in the book as fact. There is an author's note at the end of the book that explains that it may not have happened (and that, in fact, there is no evidence that it did), and it is also discussed in the Further Thinking Topics section. But it adds nothing to the story, and instead could possibly detract from belief in the rest of what is written. Since this is a book for children, the mythology of the visit should have been pointed out in some way immediately. If a child were to read the typical one chapter a day (what I would require of my child) with weekends off, he or she would spend nearly two weeks thinking that Queen Victoria did indeed go to see Spurgeon preach.Aside from a few typos, the worst (or funniest) of which being "ninetieth" written instead of "nineteenth" to describe the century, the rest being rather inconsequential, the content is good enough to make me highly recommend it with the qualification that the child be advised to read the Further Thinking Topics section for Chapter One immediately after reading the chapter. Most children will not do this sort of thing on their own but read books methodically from page one to page 100. This is particularly true of e-books.

Read the book more than once

good