A Sparrow Alone

by Alicia Petersen

Saddened by the death of her parents at the hands of soldiers in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, Mala, a
seventeen-year-old Jewish seamstress, finds no comfort from her older brother Abdon, who is consumed
with anger, until they each meet Jesus of Nazareth

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Biblical Fiction, Historical, Christian, Fiction

154 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

Reviews

[Olivia]

This is a long-time favorite. :)

[Shannon]

This book is set in Bible times, and as such makes me a little skeptical. Some of the books set in the historical time of Jesus leave me with (I think) a more realistic understanding of the time. I would have to do more research, but the plot just didn't seem plausible. Even the description of a Jewish house and village of that time didn't fit with the information in Manners and Customs of Bible Times. While I enjoyed it to an extent, books that are set in a historical time with parts of historical and even biblical reality ought to be more believable. Others of that time period that I would recommend more, even for writing style, are Vinegar Boy and Titus, a Comrade of the Cross.

[M.K. Laffin]

this book made me cry.

twice.

Every Christian—every non Christian for that matter—needs to go read this book. Read it for the ending. Just read it. All the way to the end. You won’t regret it.

[Taylor]

I really liked this book!

[Katia]

Another read aloud done with students.
We liked it. The plot centers around a young woman named Mala, residing just outside of Jerusalem, and her brother, Abdon, who is the catalyst for conflict. Mala faces constant pressure from Roman authorities, her work, worries about her brother, and more.
There is a great tie in to a key Bible account of Jesus’ death.
Students wished the ending tied more of the “loose ends”. What about the Huldah subplot? Tahath? What about the ladies Mala sewed for? What becomes of them? I agreed with their assessments.

[Mandy D]

This was a nice quick read that follows some of the peripheral activity that surrounded the time of Jesus’s ministry and crucifixion. The central character, Mala, was sweet and wise, Her brother was troubled, and they had a steadfast friend. It is a well crafted fiction that helps paint the setting of what could have been happening.

[Alisha Graham]

While the story was engaging, I did not enjoy the writing style. The plot had too many unnecessary details about relationships that did not matter to the story while large portions of time were passed over to advance the ending. My kids enjoyed the story and appreciated the relationship the main characters had to the familiar stories of Jesus.

[Jenny Hartfelder]

This book offers a somewhat different perspective on the Jewish-Roman relationship during Jesus' day. Definitely includes some cultural insights. But overall ... It didn't really hold up very well to a second reading. 🤷‍♀️

[sophi ꫂ᭪]

So good.

[Aidyn Lovicz]

Super good!

[Applehillcottage]

I'm a librarian at a private Christian school, and this came across my desk. I liked the title, but mostly I wanted to read it to see where I should put it -- with the upper elementary books, or seventh grade and up. This is historical fiction -- spoiler alert -- her brother has turned bad, and eventually becomes the thief who is crucified with Christ -- the one who asks for forgiveness.
That said, this should have been a more powerful book. I expected more; and I'm not really sure why it wasn't more affecting. The two main female characters are well-drawn, and there is a hint of love story, and he is the epitome of the nice guy protector. But the brother is a puzzle -- you never understand why she loves him so much, except that he didn't used to be that way…
It wasn't a bad book; just could have been more powerful, I think.
I ended up putting it with the 4-5-6 grade books.

[Kiersten]

This was an amazing picture of a girl living just outside Jerusalem in the time of Jesus' ministry. The description, emotion and realness of this story really pulled me in. Glorious last two chapters - I've read this book three times and I still cry at the end, every time.

[Sean Higgins]

Some great worship affects worldview two-by-four mentions throughout the book, but the story-telling still promotes a more Precious Moments type response to blood and bad things.

That said, all four of my fifth grade girl students loved it.

[Lori Glitter]

This is a memorable book. I read it with my daughter and recommend it as an historical fiction piece.

[Rebekah]

I have read this book so many times. I love the setting and the plot. SO GOOD.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Hannah Bowen]

Loved this book!! I definitely recommend this book.