Home on the Blue Ridge

Title: Home on the Blue Ridge
Author: Pablo Yoder
Major Themes: Virginia, Faith Mission Home
Synopsis: The Sanford Yoder family, now living at Faith Mission Home, continues to have adventures as the boys explore the mountains and learn more about life.

We have been enjoying reading books by Pablo Yoder for a number of years now. A few months ago, we read Home on the Rock Pile, and now we finished Home on the Blue Ridge. This second book was even more interesting than the first! We especially enjoyed the family dynamics, with four boys in a row in the family. We have four boys approximately the same ages as the boys in this story, and could really see similarities between the Yoder boys and ours. The boys loved the story about the hand-cranked generator that Paul’s brothers found, and it inspired one of our boys to try to come up with his own. We also loved the stories about training and racing the pony, the day one of the boys got bitten by a snake, and the time all eight children got locked in a tiny bathroom for several hours.

I appreciated watching the way the Yoder parents related to their children. No, they weren’t perfect, but they were definitely a picture of godly parents. They were dedicated to teaching their children Biblical principles, as well as ministering to the local people. Paul’s father was in charge of the Faith Mission Home for handicapped children, which had just opened. As time went on, however, he was not able to spend enough time with his family, and knew something had to change. I appreciated the way he and his wife, and the local church, sought God’s will for their future. To read about the next several years for the Yoder family, read The Long Road Home.

Anyone who wants a good clean story of real-life adventure will love this book. Boys will especially love it, but girls will, too.

No warnings!