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Elita Brown #3
The Elite Seat
Book 3 in the Elita Brown series. Spring arrives in Pennsylvania and Elita Brown suddenly finds herself seated at the table of popularity. She wins a leadership award that also wins the admiration and attention of others—including the new popular boy in school. But when her best friend posts a video about Elita that goes viral, Elita realizes not every table fits her personality—or God's plan for her. Torn between joining the world of popularity or the world of hummingbird nests and fox dens, Elita pulls away from the Nature Club she loves. But negative comments about her appearance and the pressures of feeling famous leave Elita questioning her choices. Elita must decide what matters most of all. How will she get back to the table where she belongs? Can she ever forgive or reconcile with her friend? Will the friend she’s been ignoring all spring accept her apology? With the help of trusted people in her life, Elita learns to look at her seat from the perspective of God’s riches in mercy and kindness. Readers of The Elite Seat discover how to persevere amidst the unique temptations of middle school popularity and the problem of self-consciousness; they learn God's plan to live a life of forgiveness, authenticity, and service to others—even when 7th grade survival feels beyond possible.
183 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2025
About the author
Heather Holleman
15 books164 followersHEATHER HOLLEMAN, PhD, is a popular speaker, writer, and college instructor. She serves with Faculty Commons with Cru alongside her husband, Ashley, who is the Executive Director of Graduate Student Ministry. She is also a faculty member of Penn State's English Department and teaches both Rhetoric and Composition and Advanced Writing in the Humanities. She is the author of Seated With Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison, her first in a series of books on life-changing verbs in Scripture. Heather lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their two teen daughters. She blogs daily at www.HeatherHolleman.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 19, 2025
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher. Opinions expressed are my own.
Scripture Connection
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;"
Matthew 23:5-6
This passage is quoted in the story as part of the girls’ Bible study. This affords opportunity for discussion about the meaning of the passage. For example, one of the girls asks what “phylacteries” are (which I didn’t remember while reading), and the girls talk about how the Pharisees’ behavior maps to their own experiences with peers. There’s also some thoughtful content about how motivation makes a behavior wrong. The issue isn’t necessarily popularity, but there’s a problem when that is all a person cares about.
Spiritual Themes
This book is packed with spiritual content, including discussions about popularity (see above), love of enemy, and forgiveness. There’s also some great content about what it means to be beautiful, with encouragement about how Jesus sees us and about how we become beautiful when we are radiating His love to others.
The book, itself, is a beautiful radiation of Jesus’ love and kindness. I’m so touched by the scenes in each book that show Jesus’ closeness as Elita turns back to Him. This was especially powerful and timely for me, today, as I was grappling with a sin area in my own life.
The Real Elita
I am, once again, wowed by the Elita Brown series, and I think I can safely say that book three is my favorite so far (Really hoping it’s “so far.”).
Elita is such a delightful, relatable protagonist and I really, really appreciate how human she is. Holleman does a fantastic job of portraying Elita’s nuanced experience of popularity. On one hand, she’s so grateful to finally feel seen, rather than invisible, among her peers. On the other hand, she recognizes that this new experience is making her susceptible to negative character development: She catches herself feeling a teeny bit happy when her rich, beautiful friend feels jealous, and she finds that it’s way too easy to discard her current friendships for the opportunity to take a seat at the popular table.
It’s an overall bewildering experience for Elita. At first, she responds to her sudden celebrity-status with a burst of panic, but she soon feels that she is having some of the best days of her life — in spite of the niggling sense that she’s not really acting like herself.
The first-person, past tense narration is extremely self-aware, with occasional touches of foreshadowing. Elita is aware of how she’s changing even as it happens, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. Later on, when she asks her mentor how she could undergo such a quick transformation, Mrs. Burgley explains the concept of temptation and how quickly it can take a foothold in our lives.
Holleman’s portrayal of temptation (and, for that matter, the fleetingness of popularity) is spot on. Through Elita, the author shows the mixture of positive and negative thoughts as emotions, as well as the consequences of our negative actions. At the same time, she also shows how our thinking can become skewed towards and by selfishness.
In one scene, Elita is trying to explain herself to her friends, and no one will hear her. Then the Lord intervenes and gives her a heart of compassion for her friend, and she speaks truth and apologizes. Even now, as I reflect on this scene, a bit part of me agrees that Elita was “right,” but then I remember how her own actions contributed to the problem, to begin with. I think I say this as evidence that Elita feels very real, and very close, as a character. And I love that she’s not perfect.
I mentioned this in my review of book two, but I really like that Elita does make the mistakes and does have bad feelings and motivations, because it makes her so very relatable. If Elita didn’t have these struggles, or if her struggles were more subtle, she would feel unattainable. It would be easier to chalk up her sweet moments with Jesus to her being such a “good” person. But she’s a beautiful, delightful young lady who does sin, who does mess up. And when I see Jesus working in and through her, in spite of the mistakes she makes, I feel deeply encouraged and hopeful about my own relationship with Him. Thank you, Heather Holleman, and thank You, Lord, for ministering to me through these beautiful books!
Margo
I’m pleased with Elita’s continued friendship with Margo, partially (confession time) because Margo is so popular, but also because the two have been longtime friends. At the end of book one, I thought they may be parting ways peaceably, but I really like that they continue to make a little room for each other. The Elite Seat was particularly gratifying in terms of showing how the girls used to interact before the changes that seventh grade brought. It was also neat to see Margo mature a bit more in this book, and to see a bit more depth to her character. There’s one scene (which I won’t detail to avoid spoilers) that was super fun as it showcased Margo’s maturity, as well as her attention to Elita’s (different) interests.
Kindness
In The Elite Seat, Elita’s youth group leader encourages the girls to show kindness to people who don’t deserve it. Just as I appreciated the practical journaling guidelines in book two, I liked the practical ideas we see in this title, concerning acts of kindness. For instance, one of the girls decides to start a project writing encouraging, truthful notes to her friend. Another of the girls starts a tutoring session for her classmates, as she’s especially skilled in math.
Content Notes
On my review for book two, I had a question about the level of boy-girl content, which is a very important consideration for books for this age group. Here’s where I land for The Elite Seat:
For readers who aren’t at all thinking or reading about crushes, this content could be a bit mature. The Elite Seat has a bit more “romantic” content,
But, for readers who are already developing crushes, The Elite Seat does a solid job modeling a Christ-honoring approach to these new feelings. For instance, on her own and in the (girls only) Bible study group, Elita prays that she won’t think about her crush all the time. Although the narration expresses her concern that she’s thinking too much about him, her actual thoughts about him aren’t the main focus of the book.
As the book wraps up, Elita reflects, “One day I’d be old enough to have a boyfriend, but until then, I’d be fine staying thirteen years old” and ends on a sweet note of gratitude for the lovely things in her life right now.
Recommendation Status
Highly, highly recommended. Elita Brown is one of my favorite series, as an adult reader, and I’m so grateful for the messages the books convey to young readers. It’s beyond refreshing to read such honest depictions of sin and grace– and most of all, oneness with Jesus. Holleman does a wonderful job of showing His irresistible beauty in a genre that often plays it safe with moral lessons. This is a powerful series and The Elite Seat is, in my opinion, the best yet.
Scripture Connection
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;"
Matthew 23:5-6
This passage is quoted in the story as part of the girls’ Bible study. This affords opportunity for discussion about the meaning of the passage. For example, one of the girls asks what “phylacteries” are (which I didn’t remember while reading), and the girls talk about how the Pharisees’ behavior maps to their own experiences with peers. There’s also some thoughtful content about how motivation makes a behavior wrong. The issue isn’t necessarily popularity, but there’s a problem when that is all a person cares about.
Spiritual Themes
This book is packed with spiritual content, including discussions about popularity (see above), love of enemy, and forgiveness. There’s also some great content about what it means to be beautiful, with encouragement about how Jesus sees us and about how we become beautiful when we are radiating His love to others.
The book, itself, is a beautiful radiation of Jesus’ love and kindness. I’m so touched by the scenes in each book that show Jesus’ closeness as Elita turns back to Him. This was especially powerful and timely for me, today, as I was grappling with a sin area in my own life.
The Real Elita
I am, once again, wowed by the Elita Brown series, and I think I can safely say that book three is my favorite so far (Really hoping it’s “so far.”).
Elita is such a delightful, relatable protagonist and I really, really appreciate how human she is. Holleman does a fantastic job of portraying Elita’s nuanced experience of popularity. On one hand, she’s so grateful to finally feel seen, rather than invisible, among her peers. On the other hand, she recognizes that this new experience is making her susceptible to negative character development: She catches herself feeling a teeny bit happy when her rich, beautiful friend feels jealous, and she finds that it’s way too easy to discard her current friendships for the opportunity to take a seat at the popular table.
It’s an overall bewildering experience for Elita. At first, she responds to her sudden celebrity-status with a burst of panic, but she soon feels that she is having some of the best days of her life — in spite of the niggling sense that she’s not really acting like herself.
The first-person, past tense narration is extremely self-aware, with occasional touches of foreshadowing. Elita is aware of how she’s changing even as it happens, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. Later on, when she asks her mentor how she could undergo such a quick transformation, Mrs. Burgley explains the concept of temptation and how quickly it can take a foothold in our lives.
Holleman’s portrayal of temptation (and, for that matter, the fleetingness of popularity) is spot on. Through Elita, the author shows the mixture of positive and negative thoughts as emotions, as well as the consequences of our negative actions. At the same time, she also shows how our thinking can become skewed towards and by selfishness.
In one scene, Elita is trying to explain herself to her friends, and no one will hear her. Then the Lord intervenes and gives her a heart of compassion for her friend, and she speaks truth and apologizes. Even now, as I reflect on this scene, a bit part of me agrees that Elita was “right,” but then I remember how her own actions contributed to the problem, to begin with. I think I say this as evidence that Elita feels very real, and very close, as a character. And I love that she’s not perfect.
I mentioned this in my review of book two, but I really like that Elita does make the mistakes and does have bad feelings and motivations, because it makes her so very relatable. If Elita didn’t have these struggles, or if her struggles were more subtle, she would feel unattainable. It would be easier to chalk up her sweet moments with Jesus to her being such a “good” person. But she’s a beautiful, delightful young lady who does sin, who does mess up. And when I see Jesus working in and through her, in spite of the mistakes she makes, I feel deeply encouraged and hopeful about my own relationship with Him. Thank you, Heather Holleman, and thank You, Lord, for ministering to me through these beautiful books!
Margo
I’m pleased with Elita’s continued friendship with Margo, partially (confession time) because Margo is so popular, but also because the two have been longtime friends. At the end of book one, I thought they may be parting ways peaceably, but I really like that they continue to make a little room for each other. The Elite Seat was particularly gratifying in terms of showing how the girls used to interact before the changes that seventh grade brought. It was also neat to see Margo mature a bit more in this book, and to see a bit more depth to her character. There’s one scene (which I won’t detail to avoid spoilers) that was super fun as it showcased Margo’s maturity, as well as her attention to Elita’s (different) interests.
Kindness
In The Elite Seat, Elita’s youth group leader encourages the girls to show kindness to people who don’t deserve it. Just as I appreciated the practical journaling guidelines in book two, I liked the practical ideas we see in this title, concerning acts of kindness. For instance, one of the girls decides to start a project writing encouraging, truthful notes to her friend. Another of the girls starts a tutoring session for her classmates, as she’s especially skilled in math.
Content Notes
On my review for book two, I had a question about the level of boy-girl content, which is a very important consideration for books for this age group. Here’s where I land for The Elite Seat:
For readers who aren’t at all thinking or reading about crushes, this content could be a bit mature. The Elite Seat has a bit more “romantic” content,
But, for readers who are already developing crushes, The Elite Seat does a solid job modeling a Christ-honoring approach to these new feelings. For instance, on her own and in the (girls only) Bible study group, Elita prays that she won’t think about her crush all the time. Although the narration expresses her concern that she’s thinking too much about him, her actual thoughts about him aren’t the main focus of the book.
As the book wraps up, Elita reflects, “One day I’d be old enough to have a boyfriend, but until then, I’d be fine staying thirteen years old” and ends on a sweet note of gratitude for the lovely things in her life right now.
Recommendation Status
Highly, highly recommended. Elita Brown is one of my favorite series, as an adult reader, and I’m so grateful for the messages the books convey to young readers. It’s beyond refreshing to read such honest depictions of sin and grace– and most of all, oneness with Jesus. Holleman does a wonderful job of showing His irresistible beauty in a genre that often plays it safe with moral lessons. This is a powerful series and The Elite Seat is, in my opinion, the best yet.
December 26, 2025
Heather Holleman has done it again! The third book of the Elita Brown series is just as fresh and poignant as her first two in the series, “This Seat’s Saved” and “The Disappearing Seat.” These stories are authentic, and packed with wisdom that young women need in order to walk well in this world. As a former resident of State College, PA, I so appreciate Heather’s novels that weave together interesting story, excellent biblical perspective, and the beauty of PA nature and local delights that transport me back to my days as a central Pennsylvanian. As a boy mom in her forties, I am certainly not the target audience for this book series, but I find myself delighted afresh with each new book, and have recommended and shared the Elita Brown series to countless friends with daughters between ages 8-14. I constantly hear how much their daughters resonate with Elita and I am thrilled to have such an excellent resource to share! Bravo Heather!
October 21, 2025
A book for teens that will minister the heart of a woman any age. I read the Elita Brown with my 12 year old, but I think I may enjoy them as much or more.
Vivid scenes make me feel like I’m in a Pennsylvania forest I’ve never seen. Middle school and the turmoil and euphoria that come with relationships at that age bring me right back to being a teen. And through the three books a golden thread- Elita learning what it means to know God and follow Jesus!
Another wonderful book from one of my favorite contemporary authors.
Vivid scenes make me feel like I’m in a Pennsylvania forest I’ve never seen. Middle school and the turmoil and euphoria that come with relationships at that age bring me right back to being a teen. And through the three books a golden thread- Elita learning what it means to know God and follow Jesus!
Another wonderful book from one of my favorite contemporary authors.
February 21, 2026
4.5 stars, rounded up.
This is the third book in the Elita Brown series by Heather Holleman. This fictional series is about a seventh-grade girl who lives in rural Pennsylvania, and the books explore her changing friendships, deepening passion for science and nature, and growing faith. The first book, This Seat's Saved, focused on coping with social exclusion. The second book, The Disappearing Seat, grappled with disappointing life transitions and the sense that everyone else's life is more exciting than yours. Now, in The Elite Seat, Elita has an unexpected taste of popularity after a video goes viral, and she has to decide who she really wants to be.
The faith themes in this book revolve around issues of image and motivation, highlighting that if your biggest motivation is being seen and praised by others, then your heart isn't in the right place. The book also has great messages about loving your enemies, growing in forgiveness, and learning to reconcile your differences with others. I appreciate how well the author portrays Elita's hard-won growth. The book doesn't just teach lessons, but realistically portrays Elita's feelings, inner processing, and steps towards greater spiritual and emotional maturity. Holleman also paces things well and builds suspense throughout the book, and I found it hard to put it down.
It is definitely best to read this series in order. People who start with this title can still follow along, since the author explains and reintroduces things adequately, but readers will get more out of this story if they read it in sequence. The life lessons in this book build on the groundwork laid in the previous books, and the story frequently references past experiences and friendship dynamics that are relevant to Elita's life. This book is a very natural continuation of the previous two, and I appreciate how well Holleman ties in different subplots about supporting characters.
The Elite Seat is an entertaining, page-turning novel that will appeal to Christian girls. Girls ages ten to fourteen will relate to Elita's thoughts and struggles, and they will appreciate the relatable and suspenseful slice-of-life subplots, which represent common challenges with technology and relationships. The story also ends on an exciting note, setting up new adventures for the fourth and final book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This is the third book in the Elita Brown series by Heather Holleman. This fictional series is about a seventh-grade girl who lives in rural Pennsylvania, and the books explore her changing friendships, deepening passion for science and nature, and growing faith. The first book, This Seat's Saved, focused on coping with social exclusion. The second book, The Disappearing Seat, grappled with disappointing life transitions and the sense that everyone else's life is more exciting than yours. Now, in The Elite Seat, Elita has an unexpected taste of popularity after a video goes viral, and she has to decide who she really wants to be.
The faith themes in this book revolve around issues of image and motivation, highlighting that if your biggest motivation is being seen and praised by others, then your heart isn't in the right place. The book also has great messages about loving your enemies, growing in forgiveness, and learning to reconcile your differences with others. I appreciate how well the author portrays Elita's hard-won growth. The book doesn't just teach lessons, but realistically portrays Elita's feelings, inner processing, and steps towards greater spiritual and emotional maturity. Holleman also paces things well and builds suspense throughout the book, and I found it hard to put it down.
It is definitely best to read this series in order. People who start with this title can still follow along, since the author explains and reintroduces things adequately, but readers will get more out of this story if they read it in sequence. The life lessons in this book build on the groundwork laid in the previous books, and the story frequently references past experiences and friendship dynamics that are relevant to Elita's life. This book is a very natural continuation of the previous two, and I appreciate how well Holleman ties in different subplots about supporting characters.
The Elite Seat is an entertaining, page-turning novel that will appeal to Christian girls. Girls ages ten to fourteen will relate to Elita's thoughts and struggles, and they will appreciate the relatable and suspenseful slice-of-life subplots, which represent common challenges with technology and relationships. The story also ends on an exciting note, setting up new adventures for the fourth and final book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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