Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: "A Philadelphia Catholic in King Jame's Court" was a pretty good book, nothing spectacular, but I did enjoy reading it. It's a story about a young Philadelphia Catholic (obviously), who finds himself forced to defend his faith against Kentucky Fundamentalists, including his Uncle. The author presents very good apologetic arguments, which are welcome to this reader. I've had to deal with the anti-Catholic barbs of some Protestants before, and this book responds well to the classic arguments. The story was interesting, and I eagerly read ahead, wondering how Michael refute the next attack. I have only a few complaints (hence the 4 stars). First off, it is unrealistic that a boy as naive and ignorant as Michael could suddenly parry any argument with Bibilical quotes after such a short period of time. Secondly, Michaels' strange prophetic dreams seem alittle too far-fecthed. Finally, the Fundamentalists are just too type-cast for my taste. For example, they act like "ignorant, self-righteous Bible Belt Christians" a little too much (they're the "bad guys" of the story). Besides these faults, a Philly Catholic is actually a good book, and if you're at all interested in the Catholic Faith, you'll be sorry if you pass it up.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Beginning Apologetics Book
Review: A Philadelphia Catholic in King James Court is an easy tutorial in beginning apologetics (teaching, explaining and defending the Faith). Being in fiction form makes it easily accessible to a wide range of readers and whets the appetite for more in depth study of the Catholic Faith or at the very least - gives words to explain Catholic beliefs to those who are not usually comfortable in discussing their faith.
Rating: 
Summary: LaSalle Student Review
Review: A Philadelphia Catholic in King James's Court did a very good job informing the reader about the Biblical justification of some very important Catholic Traditions. However, while reading this book, aside from the informative parts, I felt as though I were reading a fairytale. To start, the whole concept that after the death of his father, Michael's mother would just pull all the children out of school to go to Kentucky seems unrealistic, especially because it is near the end of the school year. Once in Kentucky, everything seemed to work out just about perfect for Michael. When there, he managed to learn a plethora of information about the Bible and his faith, in a very short amount of time, and always, he knew it just when he needed it. Also, at the Bible Discussions, despite never having any of the books there that helped him originally, he remembered perfectly every argument the books brought up, and every book, chapter, line and verse from the Bible he sited in order to back his arguments. The response of the Fundamentalists to his proof also was somewhat too perfect for Michael. The Fundamentalists such as Luther, Jimmy, and Les appeared to have more of an amazed response to Michael's arguments, rather then to have any really strong dissentions. Had he encountered a few more problems, and a few more issues or strong objections by the Fundamentalists, it would have been more genuine. Michael just always had the answers, right when he needed them, and they were perfect, leaving almost no ground on which the Fundamentalists could stand. I think that they [the Fundamentalists] would have been much more outraged, and not quite so passive of his contentions, especially Les. Overall, I did feel the book provided some good information about Catholic Faith and Tradition, however the actual story seemed too cliché and perfect to grab the interest of this reader.
Rating: 
Summary: A review
Review: I felt a Philadelphia Catholic in King James's Court was a pretty good book, but it lacked an entertaining plot and some aspects of the book were unusual. It was a good book in that it explained and supported the Catholic faith strongly. It showed me some things in the Bible that I did not know were there. Although it explained most of the aspects of the Catholic faith in depth, the presentation of these ideas was in a boring manner. It was just plain talk and no excitement. Also there were some things in the book I could not believe were true. I thought about how Michael's whole summer revolved around the Bible and work. There was no play, fun, or or frineds, just dedication to the Bible. I found that hard to believe because many teens want to have fun along with with having faith. Michael just had a faith it seemed. Also, I thought it was hard to bleieve how Michael started down in Kentucky not knowing alot about the Bible, and by the end of the summer, he knew more than his uncle who had been studying the Bible for years. Although it had these minor flaws, I thought the book was very informative, and it helped me understand my own faith a little better.
Rating:
Summary: A good explanation several religious faiths.
Review: I felt A Philadelphia Catholic in King James's Court was a pretty good book, but it lacked an entertaining plot and some aspects of the book were unusual. It was a good book in that the book explained and supported the Catholic faith strongly. It showed me some things in the Bible that I did not know were there. Although it explained most of the aspects of the Catholic faith in depth, the presentation of these ideas was in a boring manner. It was just plain talk and no excitement. Also there we some things in the book I could not believe were true. I thought about how Michael's whole summer revolved around the Bible and work. There was no play, fun, or friends, just dedication to the Bible. I found that hard to believe because many teens want to have fun along with having a faith. Michael just had a faith it seemed. Also, I thought it was hard to believe how Michael started down in Kentucky not knowing alot about the Bible, and by the end of three months, he knew more than his uncle who had been studying the Bible for years. Although it had these minor technicalities, I thought the book was very informative, and helped me understand my faith a little better.
Rating:
Summary: Freshman Highschool Student
Review: I found a Philadelphia Catholic in King James' Court to be a very insightful book. This book talks about the struggles a boy undergoes when he is confronted by his uncle who just so happens to be a Biblical Fundamentalist. His uncle tries to show the boy that being a Biblical Fundamentalist is the proper way to worship and that he should join him as a Fundamentalist at his church. This book is a great book to read if you are trying to find your faith as a Catholic.
Rating:
Summary: Review of "A Philadelphia Catholic" by a Phila Catholic
Review: I found A Philadelphia Catholic to be a beautiful Fable with true and persuasive content. The descriptions of Philadelphia communities were right on the money. The impressions of the Catholic faith Michael runs into are the same I ran into when I first left home for other states. The answers, and reasons for catholic belief do well to describe the beauty of our faith. I think this would be a fantastic book for teenagers and young adults of all faiths. Because the underling message of being charitable and loving to everyone of every faith makes this a truly uplifting tale. I think the time frame represented in the book seems short for the amount of growth, study and learing that takes place. The characters however are all realistic, and likeable while at the same time many are easy to disagree with. Overall the story is well done and inspirational. I wish the author would do more books.
Rating:
Summary: A simple delight and a clear presentation
Review: I was very delighted with this book. It presented a clear explanation of both (in my view), not only Catholicism but also fundamentalism and it's fundamental weakness. I've read a great deal of catholic apologetics, so very little of the content was new to me and Kennedy clearly seems to be writing for a teen audience (to which I now longer belong). None the less, I was very entertained with it and very impressed. Impressed to the point that I am now actively seeking out Catholic fiction authors to see what else can be found in this sub-genre.Kennedy's youthful protagonist is given suffeciently compelling struggles throughout the book that I found it easy to care about his dilemmas and I appreciated, as a reader, the manner in which the struggles became greater in a manner that showed the growth of the hero as he faced them. I highly recommend this book for any teen (or adult) who is doubting the validity of his/her faith, catholic or not. I hope to find and enjoy more fiction from Martin de Porres Kennedy in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Philadelphia Boy Defends his Faith in Kentucky
Review: In the novel Philadelphis Catholic and King James's court, a teenage boy travels from his home town of Philadelphia to his uncles roral area of Kentucky. I felt that the book showed its reader, Catholic and Non-Catholic alike a different view upone what Catholics believe. Not only can you learn from the book but you can also get a different account towards other views of the Bible. I felt it was a good read for all those people who are interested in understanding the many differences between the many Christian Denominations. It not only shows the average person an easy way to learn about faith, but it also throws in an interesting plot line to move everything alone. I would say that the book could carry its plot with the story very well, but there were some points in the novel where the plot may have conversed with true fact and caused a unrealistic effect. Over all it was a good read for a person with an elastic understanding towards the different views of Christian denominations.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written coming-of-age story
Review: Michael O'Shea is surviving a bittersweet summer; the untimely death of his father has sent him spiraling into a grief that only prayer seems to quell, and at the behest of his maternal uncle his family is urged to leave the familiarity and comfort of their Philadelphia home to heal in rural Kentucky. There the only comfort is found in the welcoming smiles and hospitality of strangers, as Michael learns his mother's brother's family are staunch "Bible-believing" folk who choose to live as "plain" people. Socializing among the Amish of that region, Michael's extended family's existence is founded upon a lack of material wants and needs and an abundance of faith.
Gradually Michael and his family come to relax and enjoy the company of their relatives. Creature comforts fade into memory, for playing a game of baseball and tucking into homemade ice cream on the front porch appears to yield more enjoyment than a night in front of the television. However, Michael senses something amiss, particularly every time his uncle brings up issues of faith and challenges the boy to validate his own beliefs. As if dealing with the death of his father was not enough to bear, Michael soon realizes his uncle's ulterior motive for bringing his family to Kentucky -- to persuade Michael's mother of the error she made in converting to Catholicism by first converting her children to his beliefs. Michael, a lukewarm student of his own Catholic faith, is suddenly shocked to hear people dismiss the Catholic Church as "pagan" and "unChristian."
Explanations outside of actual Bible quotes (KJV version, mind you) fall upon deaf ears, and Michael is self-propelled into a crash course in apologetics, with only the Bible and the prayers of his mother to sustain him. As Michael prepares to successfully defend the Faith against the local nay-sayers, many of whom know much of the Bible by heart, his confidence grows, and it is his knowledge of the faith through God's Word which helps establish an atmosphere of tolerance which some in this tight-knit community are more willing to embrace than others.
Like the works of Bud MacFarlane, Jr., Kennedy's "Philadelphia Catholic" is a teaching novel, an apologetics tool in the guise of an engaging coming-of-age story. Kennedy's eye for detail is evident in his descriptions of Amish country and portrayals of life among the "plain" people, and Michael's dialogue and evangelization is well woven into Kennedy's prose. Kennedy delivers the facts of the faith without making it sound as if the "Philadelphia Catholic" is regurgitating lines from a textbook; the reader should not feel as if he/she is being lectured, and considering the tense climactic scene where Michael faces his challengers as a witness standing trial, Kennedy should be commended for a plausible conclusion to the story. With "Philadelphia Catholic" Kennedy leaves us to decide the validity of the Catholic faith, and through Michael O'Shea he offers convincing arguments bracketed by a touching story.
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