If I could travel back to Bible Times

Thirteen-year-old Benjamin is brave; but when a Roman soldier stabs his mother during an uprising in the Jerusalem marketplace, he is unable to protect her. Struggling with guilt and sorrow, he prays that she will live. When his prayers go unanswered, he vows never again to ask God for help.

Still struggling with his mother’s death, Benjamin obediently attends temple with his father and grandfather. At the service, a stranger stands next to him.

As Benjamin's arm accidentally brushes the man's cloak, a wave of peace washes over him that he hasn't felt since before his mother's death. Why does the man's presence affect him so deeply? Who is this stranger? Where did he come from?

In pursuit of the answers, Benjamin takes an incredible journey of discovery.

"The Two-Edged Sword" by Caye Patterson Bartell 

I love reading stories where the lives of fictional characters cross paths with people we all know. I especially love when those stories are set in Biblical times, a time and place that we all imagine but can surely never really picture.

Benjamin, the main character in “The Two-Edged Sword”, could be a normal teen-ager of today. He loves and respects his parents, but he has those yearnings that every boy has when he is on the cusp of becoming a man. Then he learns about the man named Jesus and his life is turned upside down. 

This is a great book for teen-agers, young adults and up. Caye has done a wonderful job bringing the day to day lives of her characters into our lives. We can picture eating, sleeping and traveling in the same way that Jesus and His contemporaries did. And by understanding His life better, I feel as if I can better follow Him.