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The Promise of Zion #6
True Betrayer
War breaks out following Israel's 1948 declaration of independence, finding Dov and Emily at Yad Shalom kibbutz helping old friends--and perhaps a new enemy--prepare for the approach of Arab soldiers, as Dov struggles with questions about his faith.
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
7 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Robert Elmer
90 books68 followersRobert Elmer is the author of more than fifty books, including contemporary novels for the adult Christian audience, nonfiction devotionals like Piercing Heaven and Fount of Heaven (Lexham Press), and seven series for younger readers. Among kids, he is best known for his historicals such as the Young Underground, Adventures Down Under, Life Behind the Wall, and Promise of Zion books. When he's not at the keyboard, he enjoys beachcombing and travel with his wife, and spending time with their three kids and families.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 4, 2023
There are six titles in this Christian YA series and I appreciate the series for the history covered.
Set in 1947 Palestine, readers are taken through the turbulent times leading up to the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.
The two main characters are Emily Parkinson who lives in Palestine because her father is an English major stationed there by the UN, and Polish/Jewish Dov Zalinski who survived the Nazi death camps and makes his way to the Promised Land where their paths cross. Together they find themselves in various situations, witnessing historic moments and/or relevant scenes of the day.
The characters certainly aren’t the main driving force, and at times are a little annoying, sometimes backtracking from the moral progress they made in a previous book. But all is righted at the very end and both accept Christ as their Savior.
Readers will see history through the eyes of the frustrated British, desperate Jews trying to flee Europe, the Haganah, the Irgun, and a Christian Arab. I appreciate how well balanced Elmer covers this difficult topic and the amount of history and cultural knowledge he includes. The books are pretty informative without being inappropriately detailed for the intended audience.
I was excited to realize that my copy of book #4 (that I recently ordered from Thriftbooks) was signed by Elmer! How cool is that! Especially since I’ve been a big fan of his Young Underground Series since I was a kid (I got them for my twelfth birthday).
Which if you’ve read that series, you’ll be excited to know that Henrik is included in this series! I love that Elmer made that connection so readers could follow up on Henrik after he left the twins.
Ages: 12+
Content Considerations: the death camps are mentioned but no details are provided as to what actually took place there except for being hungry, people dying, being hit and the like. Several side characters die. A character lives through a bombing. A character is kidnapped by the Irgun (tied up but nothing more scary). People smoke. The main male character is hardened by what he lived through but is softening more and more in each book as he encounters Christians and experiences God’s love. A character steals money and feels bad about it later.
Set in 1947 Palestine, readers are taken through the turbulent times leading up to the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.
The two main characters are Emily Parkinson who lives in Palestine because her father is an English major stationed there by the UN, and Polish/Jewish Dov Zalinski who survived the Nazi death camps and makes his way to the Promised Land where their paths cross. Together they find themselves in various situations, witnessing historic moments and/or relevant scenes of the day.
The characters certainly aren’t the main driving force, and at times are a little annoying, sometimes backtracking from the moral progress they made in a previous book. But all is righted at the very end and both accept Christ as their Savior.
Readers will see history through the eyes of the frustrated British, desperate Jews trying to flee Europe, the Haganah, the Irgun, and a Christian Arab. I appreciate how well balanced Elmer covers this difficult topic and the amount of history and cultural knowledge he includes. The books are pretty informative without being inappropriately detailed for the intended audience.
I was excited to realize that my copy of book #4 (that I recently ordered from Thriftbooks) was signed by Elmer! How cool is that! Especially since I’ve been a big fan of his Young Underground Series since I was a kid (I got them for my twelfth birthday).
Which if you’ve read that series, you’ll be excited to know that Henrik is included in this series! I love that Elmer made that connection so readers could follow up on Henrik after he left the twins.
Ages: 12+
Content Considerations: the death camps are mentioned but no details are provided as to what actually took place there except for being hungry, people dying, being hit and the like. Several side characters die. A character lives through a bombing. A character is kidnapped by the Irgun (tied up but nothing more scary). People smoke. The main male character is hardened by what he lived through but is softening more and more in each book as he encounters Christians and experiences God’s love. A character steals money and feels bad about it later.
November 6, 2025
I've enjoyed reading this series since I was a teenager and still read them as a young adult! I loved the main teenage characters' growth throughout all 6 books and how they mature and become more sensitive to others' needs. I often pondered the meaning behind each title.
I learned so much about British-mandate Palestine and its transition into the independent nation of Israel! They are written from two points of view--one is from a Jewish boy named Dov (pronounced as in the verb "dove" into the water) and the other is from an English girl named Emily.
The Promise of Zion series occurs from 1947-1948 and begins right before WWII but doesn't have any graphic material from the death camps even though Dov is a Holocaust survivor. Emily starts out as bit of a brat but becomes sensitive to the plight of the undocumented refugees and immigrants. Emily's father is a British army major and complicates matters slightly. Her father is biased and views all Jews as terrorists which is not necessarily the case. Dov helps the haganah--a non-terrorist group--in non-violent ways like reporting on the radio, etc. Both of these young people find their true home and source of peace by the conclusion of this lovely series.
Dov & Emily try to help a group of orphans in this book that barely made it out of the Old City of Jerusalem alive in the last book. Keep reading to the epilogue and you'll be surprised, or not. :) Also--go to Israel if you can and it is incredible!
I learned so much about British-mandate Palestine and its transition into the independent nation of Israel! They are written from two points of view--one is from a Jewish boy named Dov (pronounced as in the verb "dove" into the water) and the other is from an English girl named Emily.
The Promise of Zion series occurs from 1947-1948 and begins right before WWII but doesn't have any graphic material from the death camps even though Dov is a Holocaust survivor. Emily starts out as bit of a brat but becomes sensitive to the plight of the undocumented refugees and immigrants. Emily's father is a British army major and complicates matters slightly. Her father is biased and views all Jews as terrorists which is not necessarily the case. Dov helps the haganah--a non-terrorist group--in non-violent ways like reporting on the radio, etc. Both of these young people find their true home and source of peace by the conclusion of this lovely series.
Dov & Emily try to help a group of orphans in this book that barely made it out of the Old City of Jerusalem alive in the last book. Keep reading to the epilogue and you'll be surprised, or not. :) Also--go to Israel if you can and it is incredible!
March 23, 2020
Setting: Israel
Time Period: 1948
I’ve come to really enjoy Robert Elmer’s YA (young adult) novels. This one, True Betrayer, is set in Jerusalem around the time of World War II and is a story of loyalty, trickery and adventure during turbulent times. Elmer’s series are a great way to introduce kids to what happened to the Jewish people all over the world during WWII and teach about history, friendship and most importantly, the Lord. (Elmer has another series, “The Young Underground,” which is set in Denmark during WWII.)
In True Betrayer, Dov and Emily have to do some brave things to help their friends who live outside Jerusalem in a kibbutz. I liked that there was both a boy, Dov, and a girl, Emily, as lead characters in the book. Both kids had a big part and point of view in the story, so if you have young readers, this book would appeal to both boys and girls. Also, there was a dog in the story! So, if you’re a lover of furry friends, that’s a big plus. The two things that really stood out to me in this book historically was that the author used the bad guy to educate readers on how WWII affected the Middle East, especially Israel, and also included a kibbutz in the story; which gave the book a really neat local flare. The book had an interesting plot and was appropriate for the age group.
Conclusion: I would recommend True Betrayer to young readers, especially ones interested in stories set in different parts of the world and/or in war times. It is #6 in a series, The Promise of Zion Series, so you might want to read all the books instead of just jumping in with this one. (I downloaded it for free on Kindle during a special promotion, hence why I read #6 first. lol) It’s a good introduction to what happened in Israel during WWII and shows how the Arabs supported Hitler, but how God was faithful to His people. It was a short, clean, enjoyable read that parents can trust for their kids!
Time Period: 1948
I’ve come to really enjoy Robert Elmer’s YA (young adult) novels. This one, True Betrayer, is set in Jerusalem around the time of World War II and is a story of loyalty, trickery and adventure during turbulent times. Elmer’s series are a great way to introduce kids to what happened to the Jewish people all over the world during WWII and teach about history, friendship and most importantly, the Lord. (Elmer has another series, “The Young Underground,” which is set in Denmark during WWII.)
In True Betrayer, Dov and Emily have to do some brave things to help their friends who live outside Jerusalem in a kibbutz. I liked that there was both a boy, Dov, and a girl, Emily, as lead characters in the book. Both kids had a big part and point of view in the story, so if you have young readers, this book would appeal to both boys and girls. Also, there was a dog in the story! So, if you’re a lover of furry friends, that’s a big plus. The two things that really stood out to me in this book historically was that the author used the bad guy to educate readers on how WWII affected the Middle East, especially Israel, and also included a kibbutz in the story; which gave the book a really neat local flare. The book had an interesting plot and was appropriate for the age group.
Conclusion: I would recommend True Betrayer to young readers, especially ones interested in stories set in different parts of the world and/or in war times. It is #6 in a series, The Promise of Zion Series, so you might want to read all the books instead of just jumping in with this one. (I downloaded it for free on Kindle during a special promotion, hence why I read #6 first. lol) It’s a good introduction to what happened in Israel during WWII and shows how the Arabs supported Hitler, but how God was faithful to His people. It was a short, clean, enjoyable read that parents can trust for their kids!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews