Trial by Poison: Mary Slessor

Trailblazer Books (Chronological) #24

by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson

In 1888, change arrives in a small village in Calabar, Nigeria in the form of a courageous missionary named Mary

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Africa, Historical

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Dave and Neta Jackson are a full-time husband/wife writing team who have authored and co-authored many books on marriage and family, the church, relationships, and other subjects. Their books for children include the TRAILBLAZER series and Hero Tales, volumes I,II, III, and IV. The Jacksons make their home in Evanston, Illinois.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have fond memories of my mom reading these books to us over lunch. And we’d beg her to keep going when lunch was over too, because we just had to know what happened! Well told, engaging, adventuresome and you learn about a famous Christian in history.

Ages: 7+

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[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This addition to the Trailblazer book was really good! I think it got the true story across very well- Mary Slessor was an incredible woman devoted to serving God. The authors also did a good job adding action to the story to keep it interesting! This was hard to put down, and taught good lessons, 5/5 stars.

[Lilly H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fantastic if you want a quick and intriguing story. If you want something more in-depth you won’t find it in this book, but it is a good story, and I would highly recommend it.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this story about Mary Slessor and her courageous witnessing in Nigeria. God used her to help save many twins from death as the Ekenge people believed twins were a result of evil spirits. She also fought to stop trial by poison beans and cannibalism and the harsh treatment of women.

[Vivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this one being a bit much for me as a little child. The title alone... I was always afraid of the story and it left a dark feeling in m memory. Probably better suited for older children.

[Grace Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this book for school, and I remember enjoying it a lot. Kept my attention, and learned a lot.

[Katrina Koehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

formational childhood read

[Hannah of the Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this a lot as a kid. Rereading as an adult, it's just ok. It's a good story and introduces kids to the work of Mary Slessor, missionary in what is now Nigeria.

[Catherine Gillespie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kids really enjoyed Trial by Poison, a story taken from the life of Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary to Africa in the 1800s. Slessor was pretty remarkable in that she went to the field as a single woman and lived and dressed as the people in the jungle villages she served. She also took in all sorts of unwanted kids, such as abandoned twin babies (who were believed to be cursed). The story is a dramatic episode involving an unjust practice of dosing enemy prisoners with poison to see if they were guilty of causing an accidental death, but it also highlights Slessor’s commitment to the Gospel as a truth applicable to all cultures, not just Western culture, which I think was unusual for that time. The book is full of adventure and appealed equally to my girls and boy. The illustrations are mediocre at best (as is true for this whole series of missionary stories, much to my chagrin) but I just don’t bother showing the pictures and we move on.

Get more recommendations for great kids chapter book read alouds on A Spirited Mind

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my kids' reading books and I'd never heard of Mary Slessor. Fun biography info while reading of her adventures as a missionary in Africa, from the perspective of a young African girl whose village gets the privilege of hosting Ma Slessor.

[Colter · Rating 2 out of 5]

great book for young kids a dear freind gave it to me

[Jones Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a good book for adventurism piopol

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this fictional book based on real events in Mary Slessor's life to younger siblings.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little on the wierd side but only because i didnt live in that in africa.