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Lucas
Lucas follows on from the story of Whisper, focusing more fully on the orphan’s life before he came to be a middle-aged man rescuing Britney from her world of abuse. In this book, we discover just how Lucas found himself growing up and then taking in the stray waif.
When the boy’s parents die unexpectedly from sickness, the family’s neighbours end up taking him in. Lucas likes the Copperley children, but is afraid of not being welcome in the household when he accidentally overhears their parents talking about him. Quickly, Lucas decides that village isn’t for him anymore and chooses to spend a life on the road, constantly drifting from town to town, searching eagerly for his place and somewhere he could belong.
During this course of aimless wandering, the boy finally stumbles across Seth and Ruby Rodgers and begins working for the friendly, easy-going couple, eventually being adopted by them. Lucas enjoys running the carpentry business when he’s older, but wonders if there is anything else for him, and the sudden arrival of the mistreated, terrified little girl brings even more responsibility upon Lucas’ shoulders than he ever thought possible.
Lucas loves the child deeply, but his strength of character is severely tested – will Britney ever learn to trust him? Or has the memory of her drunken father been ingrained so intensely within her heart that she will never welcome another man’s presence ever again?
This title has been presented with the NAPPA Award winning seal.
When the boy’s parents die unexpectedly from sickness, the family’s neighbours end up taking him in. Lucas likes the Copperley children, but is afraid of not being welcome in the household when he accidentally overhears their parents talking about him. Quickly, Lucas decides that village isn’t for him anymore and chooses to spend a life on the road, constantly drifting from town to town, searching eagerly for his place and somewhere he could belong.
During this course of aimless wandering, the boy finally stumbles across Seth and Ruby Rodgers and begins working for the friendly, easy-going couple, eventually being adopted by them. Lucas enjoys running the carpentry business when he’s older, but wonders if there is anything else for him, and the sudden arrival of the mistreated, terrified little girl brings even more responsibility upon Lucas’ shoulders than he ever thought possible.
Lucas loves the child deeply, but his strength of character is severely tested – will Britney ever learn to trust him? Or has the memory of her drunken father been ingrained so intensely within her heart that she will never welcome another man’s presence ever again?
This title has been presented with the NAPPA Award winning seal.
70 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2024
About the author
Alison Bellringer
13 books2 followersAlison Bellringer is a passionate storyteller who enjoys creating emotionally led, uplifting chapter books geared toward younger readers, especially those in the Middle-Grade or YA age group. With her slice-of-life approach, and love of animals and nature shining through every tale, more mature readers are able to deeply resonate with the strong sense of realism depicted in Alison’s writing. Immersive, nostalgic, and wholesome – her focus is on crafting character-driven narratives that encourage greater reflection and facilitates more educational and discussion-based learning.
Alison is known as a prolific children’s author who expertly weaves underlying lessons into each story with gentle simplicity and restraint, while keeping weighty subjects accessible and easily relatable to a wide audience. Well-known themes such as found family, increasing responsibility, friendship, coming-of-age, personal growth, resilience, and survival play key roles and appear across many of Alison’s increasing number of published works.
Alison loves reaching out to readers directly and has now received many requests from interested book clubs and other reading communities across the world in order to feature one or more of her titles in a relevant spotlight session, with the total number of groups constantly changing. This process aligns well with her preferred organic strategies regarding the promotion of her titles, including Alison’s long-term author vision of providing readers with a more impactful experience through this extra level of involvement, establishing a more tangible rapport and dedication toward each individual reader.
Her achievements include multiple awards and international recognition from quite a few different platforms for various titles, most notably placing highly in the Independent Press Awards, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, Moonbeam Book Awards, Bestsellers World Book Awards, N. N. Light Book Awards, and the Literary Global Children’s Book Awards. She has also received endorsement seals from the following programs – Mom’s Choice Awards®, Family Choice Award, Literary Titan Book Awards, Story Monsters Approved, and NAPPA. Common categories across the board consist of Children’s Chapter Books, Middle-Grade Fiction, Early Readers Fiction, and Making a Difference, among others.
When Alison is not busy writing or making contact with readers, she also enjoys some freelance photography, playing her growing collection of musical instruments, and hanging out with her cute dog while exploring all the local parks for picturesque settings to take more photos.
Alison is known as a prolific children’s author who expertly weaves underlying lessons into each story with gentle simplicity and restraint, while keeping weighty subjects accessible and easily relatable to a wide audience. Well-known themes such as found family, increasing responsibility, friendship, coming-of-age, personal growth, resilience, and survival play key roles and appear across many of Alison’s increasing number of published works.
Alison loves reaching out to readers directly and has now received many requests from interested book clubs and other reading communities across the world in order to feature one or more of her titles in a relevant spotlight session, with the total number of groups constantly changing. This process aligns well with her preferred organic strategies regarding the promotion of her titles, including Alison’s long-term author vision of providing readers with a more impactful experience through this extra level of involvement, establishing a more tangible rapport and dedication toward each individual reader.
Her achievements include multiple awards and international recognition from quite a few different platforms for various titles, most notably placing highly in the Independent Press Awards, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, Moonbeam Book Awards, Bestsellers World Book Awards, N. N. Light Book Awards, and the Literary Global Children’s Book Awards. She has also received endorsement seals from the following programs – Mom’s Choice Awards®, Family Choice Award, Literary Titan Book Awards, Story Monsters Approved, and NAPPA. Common categories across the board consist of Children’s Chapter Books, Middle-Grade Fiction, Early Readers Fiction, and Making a Difference, among others.
When Alison is not busy writing or making contact with readers, she also enjoys some freelance photography, playing her growing collection of musical instruments, and hanging out with her cute dog while exploring all the local parks for picturesque settings to take more photos.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 4, 2025
Alison Bellringer’s trilogy continues with “Lucas: Book Two” delving deeper into the world of its predecessor “Whisper: Book One.” This time though, the story focuses on the character Lucas who starts off much like Britney, a runaway seeking shelter. Along with him for the first leg of his journey is the dog of the family that took him in (and he then left behind): Bandit. However, Bandit tragically dies while defending Lucas, leaving him even more alone in the world. He is then lucky enough to cross paths with the kindly Ruby and her ill husband, Seth, whose daughter just ran away.
Ruby and Seth take Lucas in and, as he grows, the three become a family. Later, Britney and Whisper enter Lucas’ life and make it all the better, despite the initial confusion Britney’s presence brings. For readers of “Whisper: Book One,” nearly all of the characters will be familiar, but will now be with some added depth.
Lucas was a standup fellow in “Whisper.” Readers of the first book will know him as the loyal son to Ruby, devoted protector of Britney, Whisper, and Britney’s Ma, and kindly supporter who ultimately helps Britney’s Pa transform into a decent parent and partner. However, this book introduces additional depth to the title character, filling out his backstory. It was also great to see another canine protector, Bandit, appear and I believe this will be a theme throughout the whole trilogy. Although, it should be noted for sensitive readers that Bandit dies due to an animal attack.
“Lucas: Book Two” is best read in conjunction with “Whisper: Book One” and, I suspect, the third in the trilogy as they are all pieces of the same puzzle. Reading the entire trilogy will give readers the best perspective on everyone—including every dog—involved in this family tale.
Author Alison Bellringer has done a good job of fitting together this second piece of the family puzzle. “Lucas: Book Two” rounds out the comforting character of Lucas and gives some additional purpose to him. I look forward to reading the final installment of Bellringer’s trilogy.
Ruby and Seth take Lucas in and, as he grows, the three become a family. Later, Britney and Whisper enter Lucas’ life and make it all the better, despite the initial confusion Britney’s presence brings. For readers of “Whisper: Book One,” nearly all of the characters will be familiar, but will now be with some added depth.
Lucas was a standup fellow in “Whisper.” Readers of the first book will know him as the loyal son to Ruby, devoted protector of Britney, Whisper, and Britney’s Ma, and kindly supporter who ultimately helps Britney’s Pa transform into a decent parent and partner. However, this book introduces additional depth to the title character, filling out his backstory. It was also great to see another canine protector, Bandit, appear and I believe this will be a theme throughout the whole trilogy. Although, it should be noted for sensitive readers that Bandit dies due to an animal attack.
“Lucas: Book Two” is best read in conjunction with “Whisper: Book One” and, I suspect, the third in the trilogy as they are all pieces of the same puzzle. Reading the entire trilogy will give readers the best perspective on everyone—including every dog—involved in this family tale.
Author Alison Bellringer has done a good job of fitting together this second piece of the family puzzle. “Lucas: Book Two” rounds out the comforting character of Lucas and gives some additional purpose to him. I look forward to reading the final installment of Bellringer’s trilogy.
December 19, 2025
In Lucas by Alison Bellringer, we are introduced to Lucas, a young boy who has lost both of his parents and is now an orphan. This is the story of his search for family, security, and a place to call home. His neighbors originally take him in after the death of his parents, but he doesn't want to burden them since they already have a full house. Lucas leaves the town he grew up in and wanders from place to place, doing small jobs for food and shelter. He struggles to find a place where he belongs. Will he find the home and security he is looking for, and can he find his way?
Opinion:
The major theme in the story was belonging. This is Lucas’s central struggle as he tries to figure out how he fits into the world. He feels he does not belong with his neighbor’s family, and he leaves because he feels he is a burden to them. His sense of belonging comes in stages, from kindness from strangers to generosity from families. Each encounter allows Lucas to learn what it feels like to belong. I liked how strangers were willing to help him along the way until he eventually became the missing piece to a broken family.
The tone of the book was warm and caring. Although Lucas has a difficult start, there are compassionate people and acts of kindness that guide him on his way. There is a gentle and reflective tone that allows the story to gradually progress without moving too fast. This pacing allows for more character development and insight into the characters' emotions and feelings. I liked the hopefulness of the story, which made the reader want to root for and encourage Lucas to succeed.
Lucas is told from the first-person point of view, with the main focus on Lucas himself. While the story centers on his perspective, the author also provides insight into the people and events occurring around him. As a reader, I felt this point of view creates a strong personal connection to Lucas. The limited information presented reflects what Lucas is able to understand about the world around him. For young readers, this makes him more relatable, as they can connect to his struggles and growth.
I would recommend this story to those who have read the first book, Whisper. However, the first one is not necessary to enjoy this story. Young readers and preteens would especially enjoy the character development within this narrative.
Opinion:
The major theme in the story was belonging. This is Lucas’s central struggle as he tries to figure out how he fits into the world. He feels he does not belong with his neighbor’s family, and he leaves because he feels he is a burden to them. His sense of belonging comes in stages, from kindness from strangers to generosity from families. Each encounter allows Lucas to learn what it feels like to belong. I liked how strangers were willing to help him along the way until he eventually became the missing piece to a broken family.
The tone of the book was warm and caring. Although Lucas has a difficult start, there are compassionate people and acts of kindness that guide him on his way. There is a gentle and reflective tone that allows the story to gradually progress without moving too fast. This pacing allows for more character development and insight into the characters' emotions and feelings. I liked the hopefulness of the story, which made the reader want to root for and encourage Lucas to succeed.
Lucas is told from the first-person point of view, with the main focus on Lucas himself. While the story centers on his perspective, the author also provides insight into the people and events occurring around him. As a reader, I felt this point of view creates a strong personal connection to Lucas. The limited information presented reflects what Lucas is able to understand about the world around him. For young readers, this makes him more relatable, as they can connect to his struggles and growth.
I would recommend this story to those who have read the first book, Whisper. However, the first one is not necessary to enjoy this story. Young readers and preteens would especially enjoy the character development within this narrative.
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March 23, 2026Although Lucas has a strong emotional core, there are moments where the pacing slows down significantly, which may affect reader engagement. Some sections feel repetitive, but the sincerity of the writing and the depth of the characters help maintain interest overall. It is a novel that rewards patient readers.
December 16, 2025
*I read an ecopy from the author. This does not affect my review. This review is voluntary.*
This was another of those that I stumbled upon unexpectedly. I ended up really enjoying this story, but it wasn't what I had expected. For some reason, I originally thought this was a story about a boy and his dog, but it's not. Not really, at least. There is a boy and a dog, but the main message of the story isn't about that. Instead, we find a coming-of-age story about a troubled orphan who grows up into a kind and caring man. It's about the people he meets, the lives they live, and the burdens they carry. It's a tale about learning to heal, finding a place to call home, and discovering that family isn't always defined by blood, but by those who stick with you and who love you, even when you least deserve it.
This was another of those that I stumbled upon unexpectedly. I ended up really enjoying this story, but it wasn't what I had expected. For some reason, I originally thought this was a story about a boy and his dog, but it's not. Not really, at least. There is a boy and a dog, but the main message of the story isn't about that. Instead, we find a coming-of-age story about a troubled orphan who grows up into a kind and caring man. It's about the people he meets, the lives they live, and the burdens they carry. It's a tale about learning to heal, finding a place to call home, and discovering that family isn't always defined by blood, but by those who stick with you and who love you, even when you least deserve it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews