Just because the Sisters in Time series doesn't make the same mistakes other character building series are guilty of doesn't mean it isn't without flaws of its own. The good part is that the novels actually read like decent adolescent fiction, that the characters are fairly realistically drawn, and that Christian virtue is advocated without maudlin sentiment or the depiction of perfect heroes and heroines.

All good stuff when you're talking about character building fiction. Most of the books in that genre tend to be unrealistic, poorly written, and inaccurate representations of the Christian life. The Sisters in Time books are different. Each volume follows the adventures of a Christian girl in one of several periods of American history as she experiences important historical events and becomes stronger in her faith.

The one thing that's not good about these books is the anachronistic tendency. A variety of authors have lent their talents to the series, and all of them make the same literary faux pas—foisting on people of the past the attitudes and morés of modern Americans. People in the 17th century didn't think the way people think in the 21st century, but in these books they do.

Of course, these aren't intended as history curriculum. They're intended to provide interesting and profitable reading for adolescent girls, and they achieve this goal admirably. Young readers will eventually need to graduate to more weighty books (Spurgeon, Packer, and Sproul, for example), but these are a fine place to start, especially as an alternative to the often wildly humanistic fiction mostly available for middle school kids.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.