The Promise

by Jackie French Koller

"Sara?' I whispered. She made no move, no sound. I looked all around again, Had she really spoken, or...I looked up at the sky. Or was it Ma? Or was it just my imagination, running wild? There was no answer. Nothing but the rush of wind. Sara whimpered softy, urgently, and I remembered Ma's favorite saying, the one Jamie had reminded me of just that evening. Some thing you just got to take on faith.

Genres: Childrens, Christmas, Animals, Holiday, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, Faith

71 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jackie French Koller (born 1948) is an American author of picture books, chapter books, and novels for children and young adults. She lives and writes in western Massachusetts.

Koller is also an accomplished painter. Her interest in art inspired her to open The Little Black Dog Gallery in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Koller's young-adult novel If I Had One Wish was adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie under the title You Wish!.

Reviews

[Danylle DuPris · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Promise" by Jackie French Koller was a good read. Everything the children and Pa went through touched my heart. It was Christmas Eve, Matt and Jamie were decorating the tree to keep their spirits up. A few months back they had lost their Ma, so they're trying everything to keep themselves happy, including Pa. Not everything is going the way Pa had planned. Sara, their dog, starts getting sick. Matt can tell that day by day she is getting weaker. One morning Matt and Jamie got up and saw that Sara couldn’t move at all. Pa and Matt quickly rushed her to the veterinarians house. Pa told him that the kids have had a tough spell for the past few months, and wanted him to try his hardest to save Sara. Will they lose another important member of the family? Or will there be a real miracle waiting to happen?

“The Promise” is told in first person from the character, Matt. Matt is only ten years old. He lives without a mother, has a younger brother at the age of six, a father who is down in the dumps, and golden retriever, Sara. Matt is very independent and knows what he must do to make this Christmas good. He tries very hard to put the grieving away and be the big brother he knows he needs to be.

“The Promise” takes place in the early 1900’s. This time is important, because it really lets me know what life was like back then, and they don’t have the medicine to help save someone from being ill like we do know in the future.

The theme that really sticks out in this book is love. I picked love, because even with the death of Jamie and Matt's Ma, they still try to make the best out of Christmas. They give all their love to their Pa to make him feel better. When Sara gets sick, they pray to make sure she makes it through this hard time. Knowing her family loves her helps her with what she is going through.

I recommend “The Promise” by Jackie French Koller to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, because I think they would enjoy a small book like this. Seniors probably should be reading higher level books.

[James Hoch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Promise is a book about a small family getting ready for Christmas who had recently lost their mother. The story begins with the boys going outside to do their chores for their dad on Christmas Eve. When Jamie goes to decorate a tree with his dog, Sara, she is mauled by a bear and barely survives. The boys then believe Sara survived because of a miracle sent from their mother.

The main characters are the two brothers, Jamie and Matt, the dog, Sara, and their dad, also known as Pa.

The setting takes place around their home and inside of their barn on Christmas Eve. There is not a specific location or time.

The main theme of this book is happiness and how important family is. Even though their mother has passed they still learn how to be happy and remember her.

I would recommend this book to kids in middle school. This was an easy and short book to read.

[Anjitha Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I read when I was really young and has been one of the favourite and most heart warming books I have read. The story is of family, a father and two children, who had recently lost their mother celebrating Christmas after their mothers death. On Christmas eve the kids along with their dog, Sarah, goes outside to place food for the birds on the tree, their mother's favourite christmas tradition. They are attacked by bear. The story goes on about how the dog who is badly hurt by the bear survives the night lost in the woods with the child. A Christmas miracle send by his mother is what the child believes. A wonderful story.

[Amy MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story. Short which is nice for kids. Slightly strong subject matter for tender hearts yet great for teaching about faith and loss.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brief, but heartwarming and touching, story! It has always been one of my favorites to read around Christmastime. I love the simplicity and faith of the two young boys.

[Elena Davila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-warming story about the love and faith we find in our dogs; a quick read at 71 pages. This would be a great short story to read around Christmas.

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story about family and faith. I definitely got choked up at some parts. Very quick read for the children's read-aloud time.

[Chelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! It had such a sweet message. It was short and sweet so it made for a quick and easy read. ❤️

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was all fine and dandy until the dog mysteriously started talking. It threw me for a loop.

I also didn't really appreciate all the praying to the dead mother.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the dragonling series, and the Wizard Named Nell series, but this one was too religious and mediocre for me. A cute idea, just not for me.

[Robert Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book. I really enjoyed it.

[Sparrow12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book very much

[Rebecca Crull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a wonderful "springboard" to talk about faith and God's plan for our lives. This December, I read this book with my 2nd graders. I am a public school teacher, teaching in a very faith based community, so it was easy and natural for my students and I to talk about faith. There's a part in the book where Matthew and his father go back to look for Sara, and see her body covered in snow. The father tries to prepare his son for the worst, and tells him that even though he has faith that she will be ok, that faith isn't a guarantee that it will happen. This is when one for my sweet boys, Cameron, raised his hand and said, "That's like my Aunt Julie. She was sick and we had faith that she would get better, but she didn't." I know Cameron's family and their Aunt Julie's story very well. You see, I had Cameron's two older sisters a couple of years ago when they found out that their beloved Aunt Julie had colon cancer. Julie fought hard. She went through chemo, went into remission, and then go sick again a few months later. Then after going through even more grueling treatments, she ended up passing away a few weeks before school ended two years ago. Julie left behind a husband, two young daughters, family, and countless friends who loved her, prayed for her, and had complete faith that she would beat cancer. But as we all know, having faith isn't a guarantee. God has a plan for all of us, which at the time may seem unexplainable, but it's His perfect plan. When Julie was going through her last treatments, Cameron's sister Emma sent her one of her teddy bears named Peace Bear. It is a blue Build-a-Bear, covered in peace signs. She told her Aunt Julie that she hoped that it would give her peace as she went through one of her many surgeries. After Julie passed away, Peace Bear came back home to Emma. Then last school year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. The week before my mastectomy, sweet Emma gave Peace Bear to me, to bring me peace as I went through my surgery. Thankfully, I am now cancer free and healthy. Through all of this, Emma came up with the idea to make more Peace Bears and send them to children and adults who are battling cancer. Last year, she won an essay contest where she wrote about her Peace Bears, and received money to start her project. Now, when she hears of someone going through cancer, Emma sends a Peace Bear and handwritten note to them to help them through their treatments. When we talked about faith in class, and Cameron brought up his Aunt Julie, that brought to mind all of this. If Julie hadn't had cancer, and if it hadn't ended the way it did, Emma may not have had the burden in her heart to do what she has done with her Peace Bears. Do we wish that Julie was here? Of course! Does her death mean that we didn't have enough faith? No! God has a plan for all of us, and whether good things happen or bad, they are all a part of His plan. We may not understand it, but everything that happens to us happens for a reason.

Below are two websites that talk about Emma and her Peace Bear project.

http://danisdreamsoutdooredcenter.wor...
http://www.wthr.com/story/23858124/20...

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family is experiencing their first Christmas since Ma has died. All are trying to be joyful in keeping traditions. The oldest boy and the family dog are decorating a tree outside the house when they come upon a bear. The bear and dog fight, leaving the dog in bad shape. A Christmas miracle happens and promises are kept. Chapter book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This pulls on the heart-strings for sure. This book never fails to put a smile on my face or warm my heart no matter how many times I read it. A little Christmas tradition of mine since childhood that brings back some of the childish wonder and magic of Christmas.

[Madeleine Coughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really good.

[Michelle Mayfield]

Quick read for struggling readers. It is a nice Christmas story.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check my review here: https://darlingilovebooks.blogspot.co...