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The Promise of Zion #1
Promise Breaker
In 1947, two young people--one a Polish Jew and the other the daughter of a British major--make their way to Palestine for very different reasons and under very different circumstances.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
13 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Robert Elmer
90 books66 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 16, 2023
Obviously, I'm much older than the target audience. I thought this would be a great way to introduce kids to the formation of Israel and the challenges that took place for the Jewish people after WWII. I never felt super invested in the story, but this was written more with action to keep young people glued to the page.
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.
September 6, 2024
Great book definitely is for a younger audience but, adults can read it too! I loved this story as well as learning what happened after the Holocaust I never knew the Jewish people were so mistreated afterwards it truly started something with me researching and learning! Regardless a great great book! The story was wonderful! 9/10
June 12, 2023
**3.8**
This was a really great book! It was captivating and I didn’t want to stop reading. I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
This was a really great book! It was captivating and I didn’t want to stop reading. I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
March 14, 2014
Amazing book on an overlooked subject - what happened to Holocaust survivors AFTER the war. The book focused mainly on Dov, a young Jewish boy who survived the camps for a short while. He meets up with a man named Uri, who takes him and a group of other Jews to Israel. Meanwhile, Emily, a spoiled 13 year old of a British soldier in Palestine, begins to slowly learn the darker side of her fathers work - is what her father doing really right - or do the Jews deserve a homeland? Dov and Emily don't meet until the very end, so I'm looking forward to reading the sequels!
This somewhat reminds me of the movie/book the Little Traitor (free on Hulu), which is about a little Jewish kid who befriends a British soldier in 1947....awesome plot.
This somewhat reminds me of the movie/book the Little Traitor (free on Hulu), which is about a little Jewish kid who befriends a British soldier in 1947....awesome plot.
May 20, 2014
Absolutely amazing!
Absolutely amazing!
I consider myself pretty well educated on the holocaust and WWII. However, I never thought about what really happened to the Jews after the war. I knew Israel was created in 1947 the Jews to have a nation again. I never knew that Britain controlled Palestine, or that Jews were blocked from Israel. I can't wait to read more in this series. I love how fascinating this story is, while still being historically accurate and well-researched.
Absolutely amazing!
I consider myself pretty well educated on the holocaust and WWII. However, I never thought about what really happened to the Jews after the war. I knew Israel was created in 1947 the Jews to have a nation again. I never knew that Britain controlled Palestine, or that Jews were blocked from Israel. I can't wait to read more in this series. I love how fascinating this story is, while still being historically accurate and well-researched.
April 27, 2015
This book (and it's sequels) were some of my favorites when I was a kid. Dov's journey to Jerusalem to find his family is paired excellently with Emily's journey from a spoiled English brat to compassionate young woman. Each book in the series continues the plot (Dov's search for his family and Emily's fight to stay in Jerusalem), yet tells a good story on it's own.
Recommend for boys and girls, all ages.
Recommend for boys and girls, all ages.
June 9, 2016
Cliff hanger story about atrocities to the Jews
It was a holocaust story of the lines I have never read. It is human stories of so sad and terrible losses and terrible life changes and forever losses. It is so enlightening to read about non Jewish people risking their lives for God's chosen people. The story has to always be told forever lest we forget . The author is very talented I just didn't like the cliff hanger part. Thank you for no sexual content.
It was a holocaust story of the lines I have never read. It is human stories of so sad and terrible losses and terrible life changes and forever losses. It is so enlightening to read about non Jewish people risking their lives for God's chosen people. The story has to always be told forever lest we forget . The author is very talented I just didn't like the cliff hanger part. Thank you for no sexual content.
September 6, 2007
One of my favorite series!!!
March 25, 2009
As historical fiction goes, these are some of the best children's books. Not that I read many. But these were extremely interesting and well endowed with facts that weren't boring.
May 2, 2010
okay...
September 21, 2012
Great Book. If you like historical fiction this is for you.
July 23, 2015
Fabulous!!!
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May 23, 2023free on kindle
April 23, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews