Avi is a young songwriter who can make up a silly song about garden vegetables, but he freezes whenever he tries to talk to the girl he likes. When his father sends him on a pilgrimage to the capital, Avi travels with his sister, his uncle, and Bhoora, the family bear. Their road runs through dust storms, drought, a deep canyon, and the open sea.
The story is set during the thousand-year reign of Christ, so it gives families plenty to talk about along the way. It asks what faithfulness looks like, why someone would turn away from a good King, and how we should use the gifts God gives us.
Here is what parents should know before reading it aloud. The Kindle edition is 362 pages, and the opening chapters move gently before the journey picks up. Avi is old enough to think about marriage, and his romance ends with one gentle kiss. Wine is served at feasts, and Avi drinks it. In one sad chapter a rebel is sentenced and dies in a courtroom, and in another a beloved animal dies before the King brings him back to life. None of it is graphic, but some of it may be heavy for younger listeners.
Try the opening chapter below, and then get the whole book on Amazon. Kindle Unlimited members can read it at no extra cost, and it also comes in paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
AVI STEPPED CAUTIOUSLY through the garden, which was bathed in a dusky light. He hummed softly against the whistling breeze and giggled at the funny shape of the bouncing melody. He let the music rise, adding humor with every note. The original composition bubbled with life and movement. He could hear it taking shape in his mind. Laughable lyrics dropped into place almost without a thought. As he dug his hands into the earth, he was careful not to harm the stocks of the grafted vegetable-fruits. He sang the funny little tune as he excavated his family's garden dinner.
Thy gummy guts, our garden gracious grows.
’Tis time to rise from thy dirt brimming bed.
Mine tummy does speak with a starving groan.
Thy fruity fat, my family will be fed.
The humor of his song stretched a wide smile across his face. He tugged on a row of apricot-carrots. After pulling them into the cool evening air, he knocked the dirt free from each and lined them up in a perfect row. They were delicate, but their flavor was worth the caution. He knew the family would want dozens, but his two hands limited the amount he could carry at once. He gathered as many as he could.
“Avi, come on.” His father called. “It’s almost time.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you need a hand?” his dad asked as he walked in Avi’s direction through the lush plantation of blooming ground fruits. He stepped over the patch of ivy-grapes and tiptoed through the berry-grass toward his son. Garden gatherings heaped across his arms as high as his chin. One apricot-carrot fell from Avi’s grasp. He spun quickly and bobbled the veggie-fruit with his sneakered foot before kicking it to his dad. “I guess I should have said, do you need a foot?” They laughed.
