Rating: 
Summary: Good plot, unrealistic
Review: Overall this was a pretty good book with a good story line, yet I found many faults. I couldn't seem to understand that Michael could learn so much about his faith and the Bible, in so little time. I think many parts of this book were greatly exaggerated. I also looked at the book in other ways too. I understood my religion more and now I have a clear understanding of the difference between Biblical Fundamentalists and Catholics. I see the flaws in Fundamentalism and now I know good arguments to prove Fundamentalists wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Unique!
Review: Story of a Catholic teen sent to spend the summer with his Baptist cousins, who try to convert him. He defends his Catholic faith from the Bible. Preachy, but interesting! It was a great premise; too bad the author was such an amateur. The first half of the book was almost painful to read due to the author's breaking every rule of fiction writing known to man. OK, maybe I'm being a bit harsh . . . but I did have to FORCE myself to keep reading. Eventually it stopped bothering me so much. (Or maybe he got better as he went along.)
Anyway, I found the Catholic apologetics most fascinating. Much of it I knew and agreed with, but I had never understood why Catholics consider Peter to be the first Pope. (Shows how ignorant we non-Catholics are, even those of us sympathetic to Catholic beliefs!)
Rating: 
Summary: A very engaging story.
Review: This is a great book and I'm glad I read it. The characters really come alive and the story is well constructed. The plot slowly but steadily comes together and climaxes with a surprise ending. The apologetics content was very educational. Michael O'Shea, the teenage protagonist, does a wonderful job of defending his Catholic faith (although given his tender age, he is no Karl Keating or Tim Staples, of course!). It may seem that his apologetics ability comes out of nowhere, but the reader must be alert to the fact that he is motivated to study by the love he has for his father, who was a devout Catholic before dieing heroically in a fire--but most importantly, the reader must be alert to the fact that in all the scenes where Michael holds his own while defending Catholicism, his mother was elsewhere praying the rosary for him! His dreams are prophetic, and thus one can see the Holy Spirit working in his life through the intercession of his mother and perhaps even his father. The point is, God is using Michael to bring his Protestant relatives closer to the truth of Christ. Michael conducts himself very charitably while sharing and defending his faith, even when attacked harshly by the fundamentalists. This book is a must read for high school students and for everyone who has ever had their Catholic faith come under attack.
Rating: 
Summary: La Salle student's review
Review: This was a great book that taught us a lot about the Protestant and Catholic faiths. I am a Catholic and this book still taught me a lot about Catholicism. Even though it was a good book the plot was still hard to believe. The book is about a boy from Philadelphia and his father dies in a fire. The boy moves to Kentucky for the summer with the rest of his family. In Kentucky his cousins and everyone else are all Fundamentalists and they would all love to see him and his family convert to Fundamentalism. The boy, Michael, ends up getting into a few arguments with some Fundamentalists that have studied the bible for many years. The part of the plot that I find hard to believe is how a 17 year old boy can study and learn all about the bible in a few weeks, but Michael has some great arguments defending the Catholic faith and I suggest that you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: this is the best book i ever read about the catholic faith
Review: Though the long and odd title may make you think this book will be weird and juvenile, this novel is well thought out and very accurate. Not only does it portray the true beliefs of both fundamentalists and Catholics it shows how they differ and how a true and devout catholic can defend their beliefs when put on the spot. This is an excellent read and should be on every true Catholic or christian bookshelf.
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