Melissa

Springflower Books #7

by Eva Gibson

When Melissa's older sister, Colleen, vanishes without a trace, Melissa becomes convinced that she is not a runaway, but in serious danger

Genres: Young Adult, Christian

173 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 1982

About the author

Eva Gibson is the author of twenty books, including The Gift of Forgiveness and The Three Marys. She currently teaches "writing your life story" classes for Portland Community College and is an active member of Oregon Christian Writers. She has lived most of her life on the family farm in Wilsonville, Oregon, which is the setting for A Stitch and a Prayer.

Reviews

[Neda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forced myself to finish this book..

[Kaitlin Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book since I was a teenager. Surprisingly, I've only read it once up till now. I greatly enjoyed it. Some things I remembered, but mostly it was a surprise. Delightful is the word that comes to mind. Sweet. Innocent and sweet. Honestly, in a woke world, it's a breath of fresh air to read something that deals with the difficult issues of growing up but still delves deeper into the even greater (and sometimes more difficult) treasure chamber of knowing Jesus. Melissa's character grows beautifully, and the language is so lyrical and lovely. A wonderful coming-of-age story that was written in the 80s, republished in the 90s, first read by me in the 2000s, and has now been reread in 2021. I think it's safe to say this story can stand the test of time.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more had I read it before Colleen, but since I didn't I found it to be just alright. Not a favorite that's for sure.

[Mariella Esquivel Tello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhm excuse me, so basically Colleen wanted a clean break makes a big mistake that gets her in trouble and unknowingly dragged her little sister into it instead of just sitting down and talking to her parents like civilized people?

She let her family worry themselves sick not caring how much her absence affected them all... and the reader is supposed to just be okay with Colleen's choices?

Yeah, no.

With the aftermath of her running away, Melissa was RIGHT to worry. Those boys were being extra pushy and shady for the jewelry, well what was she supposed to think?

I give this two stars.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book when I was a young teenager and I loved it. The title was simple, and I was really into mystery books at the time. Even though I was quite young when I first read it, I remember how much of an impression it left on me. I loved that the family was Christian and that they were trying to find the sister who ran away from home. I wish I had found the book with the same name as mine, but I think these are hard to find.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this book tried for a lot of intrigue over something that was not even a big deal! Missing sister Colleen has her own book which I read, so it was interesting to get her backstory.

[Rachelklara of YHVH · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like this book until the end. Then the ending made it just OK.