Joshua's Family

March 19, 2007
This disappointing prequel to Girzone's bestseller Joshua
imagines Christ's childhood in a contemporary setting. In the town of Sharon, a poor family moves into a ramshackle house. Joseph, the father, is a master carpenter; Miriam is the mother whose "whole life centered around her two men"; and Joshua is the kind, obedient 11-year-old son, wise beyond his years. Joshua realizes he is different from other boys when he turns water into wine, walks on water, heals an injured friend and mysteriously knows the best fishing spots. Girzone's characters ponder the sadness of war, the folly of taking God out of schools and rampant drug use among adolescents. These plot elements never catch fire, however. Repetitive phrases and contradictions vie with platitudes ("For people who have little, the simplest surprise fills their hearts with gladness") and ponderous observations ("That afternoon and evening was a time in their lives they would not soon forget"). Even readers who loved Joshua
will be hard pressed to find this bland story worthwhile.

Starred review from April 1, 2007
The long-running Joshua enterprise might seem to have entered bankruptcy with Joshua in a Troubled World (2004), Girzones foray into the mess of the Middle East. Now he offers up a winning effort featuring Joshuaor Jesusas a teenager. He is the wiser son of fumbling Josepha good man, an excellent carpenter, but a lost sheepand gentle Meriam. He plays baseball, demonstrating the ultimate in team spirit; he cleverly solves conflicts; and, of course, he takes the part of the downtrodden. Girzone is as didactic as ever, but Joshuas Family is simple and affecting, even so, and ranks with the original 1983 fable in the series, Joshua.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)