From Publishers Weekly
A lonely new girl is drawn into an evangelical Christian club, then disillusioned by its cultishness; PW praised the author's "evenhanded" treatment. Ages 12-up. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7-9. For high school junior Dorry Stevens, the move to Indianapolis from the small town where she has always lived is difficult and lonely. When Angela invites Dorry to join her and her friends for lunch, Dorry is flattered and excited. Through her new friends, she learns about The Fishers of Men, a religious group to which they all belong, and meets Pastor Jim, its charismatic leader. The group invites Dorry to parties and eventually to a retreat where she decides to join the church. Angela, her guide and discipler, not only engages Dorry in Bible study and church activities, but also gives her tasks to discipline her and make her a better Fisher. Dorry's parents worry about the ever-increasing control Angela has over their daughter's life. After a disastrous attempt to convert the children she is babysitting for to the Fishers, Dorry makes the agonizing decision to leave the group in spite of their harassment to stop her. With this decision comes the understanding that she has been involved in a cult. The realistic ending is not "happily ever after," but one of self-realization. Haddix has written a thought-provoking, riveting novel with strong, though rather sterotypical, characters?the victim, the recruiter, the charismatic leader. Her carefully constructed plot reels readers into the book in much the same way Dorry is reeled into the Fishers. Although the ending is slightly didactic, it does not detract from the forceful impact of the book.?Janet Hilbun, Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
