Bartholomew's Passage : A Family Story for Advent

Advent Adventures #2

by Arnold Ytreeide

Let the exciting story of Bartholmew’s adventures prepare your family for Christmas! Day by day through the Advent season, you and your family can prepare for Christmas by reading Bartholomew’s spellbinding story. Follow him from when Roman soldiers destroy his village and disperse his family, through his enslavement to a tyrannical master and his escape with his new friend Nathan, to his reunion with his family and a wonderful climax in Bethlehem. Along the way Bartholomew makes a new pal, Jotham, whom many readers have grown to love in Jotham’s Journey. This family Christmas story and devotional a portion of the story--always a cliffhanger--for every day of Advent and for Christmas day, reflections for family devotions, an Advent calendar from now to 2075, and ideas for family Advent customs.

Genres: Christmas, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Christian, Fiction, Devotional

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Arnold Ytreeide loves to make people feel. "My second film I ever made was for a high school history project. It made the teacher cry, right there in front of all the students. That wouldn't be a big deal except that my history teacher was also the varsity football coach. That was the moment I decided I love telling stories." He's been telling stories ever since, in film, television, books, radio, stage plays. And he tells them in all sorts of genres -- historical fiction, adventure, and books that make you think. Sometimes Christian - like his popular Jotham’s Journey Christmas series - sometimes for those not so inclined - such as Under My Teacher’s Desk and The Twelfth Privilege. He pours a “life of a thousand episodes” into every story. Next up? “More Mike Danford books, more Amon books, and I’m starting a new series about a girl who lives on the moon.” Former cop, former film & TV creator, and Professor Emeritus, Arnold and his wife Elsie Jo live to hang out with their two children and five grandchildren. “And their dogs. And cats.” He's always looking for the next story he can tell that will help people "feel the wonder of this wonderful life."

Reviews

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

2017: Read it this year. We enjoyed the story (just as suspenseful and violent as we remembered, but easier to handle now that the kids are 9 & 11), but some of the devotional readings at the chapter endings were slightly off or even downright untrue. For example, after one particular chapter, the author tells us that sometimes God cannot stop the storms that come into our lives; rather than communicate that He sometimes chooses not to stop them because He has a purpose for them and will work something good from them, we are told simply that He is unable/incapable of stopping them. It bothered me so much that I got out a Sharpie and crossed it out. What part of God's sovereignty did the author fail to notice?

There were a few other parts that just sounded off; something about lies...oh yes, he told us that God doesn't want us to lie but that it's okay if we lie for UNselfish purposes. What? The author is blurring the lines here and setting kids up for a habit of justifying wrong behavior.

I think that discerning parents would do better to have their own discussions off-the-cuff at the end of each reading, rather than read aloud all of the devotional thoughts. Many of them were fine, but there were too many questionable ones for me.

2015: Going to wait another year or two for this one. Suspenseful and violent, the themes are too mature for my kiddos. They end up being stressed out by each reading. Quite frankly, I don't know how we managed to complete Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent last year; it was equally distressing (but terribly exciting), and while the kids loved it, I omitted or subtly changed a lot of the terrifying descriptions. I decided this year to forgo the mental challenge of keeping one step ahead in order to filter the scary stuff. We'll try again when the kids are more mature.

[Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] (writing hiatus)]

"My father told me that no man is a fool if he follows Jehovah and follows his heart. Have you not done this?"

✧༺♥༻∞ Content Warning ∞༺♥༻ ✧

Mild language: hell is said, referring to the actual hell

Profanity: n/a

Blasphemy: n/a

Suggestive comments: n/a

Innuendos: n/a

Kissing/making out: cheek kisses (all in greeting or farewell)

Sexual content/sex: n/a

Alcohol/drugs/smoking: n/a

Homosexual/transgender content: n/a

Violence: mild violence, most alluded to, others seen with very little description

Gore: n/a

Thoughts about violence: a threat to cut off a boy's hands

Other: slavery

Age rating: 9+

Genre(s): advent, Christian, Christmas

Age category: children's

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very enjoyable story, perfect for children on advent, staying up late during the Christmas season. I've shared so many laughs with my family listening to this. I loved sitting next to my mother as she read this advent story while staring at the flickering flames of advent.

This is a very beautiful story about Jesus' birth.

My only pet peeve is Bartholomew's methods of making friends. He sometimes uses bribery, manipulation, and even blackmail to "gain" some man's friendship, and they somehow find it endearing.

Take this for instance, Bartholomew making friends with a Scripture copyist:

"I shall bring you bread every day," Bartholomew answered, "so that your stomach will not hate you. I want nothing in return and will never ask anything of you. But," he said softly, "if you would be my friend and teach me to read."

Or this:

Now Bartholomew really had what he wanted. With a grin he looked right at the man. "No, I will not take fish if you think it extortion. But if you would think me your friend..."

Bartholomew had seen this guy steal cheese from his neighbor and said "If you be my friend, I won't tell him."

And Bartholomew instantly thought of all the friends he could make in such a place.

Is this really all the kid thinks about?

I do not hate this, I love this! It was just that one thing that drove me bonkers!

And one inconsistency. Nathan plays the part of a fool:

But the fool did two giant backward flips, snagged the parchment from the hand of Hasbah, then flipped out into the crowd.

And a few chapters later we see this:

Bartholomew was pretty sure he could run farther and longer than his older friend, and he wasn't even breathing hard, but he decided not to say anything...{a few paragraphs later} "We'll...we'll take a rest for a moment," he [Nathan] said. Bartholomew still wasn't breathing hard, but he said nothing.

Other than that, it was a well-knitted plot, great characterization, and inspiring and thought-provoking story about sin, faith, and Jesus' brith.

[Melani Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids really liked this book that we started during Advent and continued through the Christmas season. We skipped the questions at the end of each chapter and didn't worry about matching the reading to the days in Advent. The kids like the suspense at the end of many chapters, and it does give a good feel for the world at the time of Jesus' birth, the good and bad.

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

My children and I were delighted with this follow up book to Jotham's Journey. It's a wonderful way to slow down and come together throughout the busyness of the Advent season. We're looking forward to reading book #3 next December.

[Anna Timmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable advent read for the family. Do use discernment and discuss with the family. There is the error of the wise men showing up at the time of birth at the stable instead of later at a house for one.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Jotham's Journey but yay Cornelius!

[Hannah Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read to my kiddos next year!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kiddos (and I) especially enjoyed this years advent story about Bartholomew. Endearing, danger, sentiment and some humor sprinkled in… all things that make up a good story.

[Melissa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading with family- we loved it! Such a great series to read during advent!

[Jenny Dubisar Brost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done advent story. Loss of family, way of life, adversity and overcoming challenges.

[Meg Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed doing this for Advent with the kids!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Advent in a row that we have read this author's books aloud as a family. We have really enjoyed them and plan to read a third one next year. These are filled with adventure with intersecting characters, and they end at the manger.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly we only got through the first week of this book, which is intended for a daily Advent story/ devotional. The chapters were much too long for us to keep up with reading on a daily basis. I'm sure the story ends up inspiring based on reviews, there is a lot of content that is very scary for children. I would especially caution parents who have children with a history of trauma or parent loss that these are strong elements in this story. In the first few chapters of the book, invaders capture the city and enslave children and adults, the boy in the story loses his parents and is enslaved, and he is threatened to have his hands cut off before almost falling into a scary pit of snakes. I'm sure if we had kept reading, it would have gotten to the hopeful, inspiring part, but the readings were too long for us to keep up with at this busy time of year, and we weren't getting enough spiritual benefit to continue it as our Advent reading.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A favorite family tradition for the family's advent. Ytreeide weaves a wonderful historical/fiction yarn based on the story of Jesus' birth. The stories are filled with humor, suspense, cliffhangers, and plenty of action!

[Dorothy Vandezande · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fun read aloud for Advent! I always remind my kids that it's fiction and just for fun and not really the way it happened. The devotional portions contain a fair amount of sketchy theology, so I'd skip those.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The boys, Jay and I read this book every evening during Advent. It was a wonderful story!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a realy great story involving a boy named Bartholomew and other characters such as Jotham, Festavian, Nathan, and Decha of Megiddo.

[Sarah Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read another time with the family aloud

[Lanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read aloud to the middle boys as an Advent read aloud. I was unimpressed with Mr. Ytreeide's theology. The characters say things like, "No man is a fool if he follows Jehovah and follows his heart" and when a Roman soldier says he thinks he should follow the law, the "Christian" character replies, "It is for every man to decide [what is right and wrong]...It is written in the love that Jehovah has placed in every heart." The author also seems to be a pacific so the hero defeats the evil villain by doing some karate moves and stealing his sword.
I was also very unimpressed with the devotionals at the end of each chapter and only read a couple of them before we just started skipping that part altogether. It was fun to imagine how people lived during the time of Jesus birth so I appreciated that it got us thinking but I also felt like several of the attitudes were anachronistic and it was hard to imagine people actually talking/acting like several of the characters. I am very proud of the fact that we finished only 2 days after Christmas so feel free to give me a pat on the back.
I don't plan on rereading this so if anyone wants our copy...

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Advent I read “Jotham’s Journey” to my kids, and this year “Bartholomew’s Passage” was a great follow up (it weaves in parts of Jotham’s story). Every chapter is a cliffhanger, leaving the kids (11, 9 and 8) clamoring for more. The plot is insane, and violent at parts, but it’s fun to read together and does instill in us a deeper reverence for Jesus’ incarnation. Each chapter ends with a short devotional - I don’t think the devotional parts are that great and some I flat out question/disagree with, but these are only a small part of my kids’ spiritual diet so not a huge deal for me. Overall, this book series has become a beloved family tradition. I love how much my kids enjoy it.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. My family read one every year for Advent -- until the year we decided we wanted to hear ALL THREE and made my poor mother read a chapter from each one!! I love how all the books are interconnected. The stories are weaved with Scripture and with each other and the characters just jump off the pages and have lives of their own. SO well done -- perfect cliffhanger endings, the right amount of suspense/action, and the BEST ending ever. Of course. <3

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

great story for me and my boys to hear and think about during the advent and Christmas season. loved that it really gave us a feel of what life was like back then, and made the longing of the Messiah real for us.
however, it was kind of an awkward read aloud at times... just not really well written. the violence was a little too intense for me my sensitive 8 year old and 6 year old... but I could easily edit them.
It was exciting and did usually make us want to read more!

[Sara Hollar · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally finished our Advent bedtime read aloud! 😂 The kids loved it. I thought it was decent. Very dramatic and unrealistic at times, but kids don't pick up on that like adults do. I would definitely skip the author's input at the end of each chapter. Just let the story speak for itself. There are 4 Advent books in the series, and as long as the kids keep enjoying them we'll keep cycling through them!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids love these books. I read it as is and although some parts are very descriptive and maybe frightful, they enjoyed it. (6 and 9). They couldn’t wait for the next day to read more. Some of the author’s commentary at the end of chapters I would have worded differently, but the gist is overall good. It was a beautiful Advent with this book.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps my favorite of this advent series. We starred with #1, Jotham's Journey, and, in my opinion, it felt a bit far fetched: like a soap opera where the most unbelievable outcome was always what happened. This one felt more possible. My kids really enjoy this advent tradition, but also liked this one best (we've read them all).

[Cala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud to T(9) and S(6). We love this series for Advent reading (finished late this year, but it’s always a good to celebrate Jesus’ birth). This book brings to life the time of Christ’s birth from the viewpoint of a ten year old boy. Bartholomew has often heard that Jesus will come as a conquering King, but he learns instead that the Messiah comes as a human infant!

[Ebjourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great adventure read! I am hoping to do one from another character's perspective next year. The story of Bartholomew, becoming a slave, being rescued, making friends, and ending with the birth of Jesus. Good for Christmas reading, and even says what days and what candles from the start of Advent until Christmas day!

[Christy Comstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our family loves this series. We read Jothams Journey last year and thought this was even better.
I think we will take a break next year and do something different, but will probably jump back in and read the next two after that.

[Christina Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great focus on the promised Messiah

My kids 8 to 15 loved it, and the adults, it is such a captivating story. They were thrilled when they recognised characters from the previous book.

[Lindsey Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arnold Ytreeide is ridiculously talented. He will bring you from laughing out loud to trying to hold back tears so you can keep reading to your kids…and all in the first chapter. These books have become one of my favorite advent traditions.