Scott and Jo vs The Pirates - Scott and Jo Comedy Mysteries 1
Ages: 12-15
The first of a trilogy of comedy mysteries.
Thirteen year-old Jo's parents have decided that she's very responsible. And then her cousin Scott arrives. He says very little, understands electronics, and loves math. Is it at all possible that he is a robot? Jo isn't sure, but Scott makes clear from the beginning that he's a rational atheist.
He and Jo share a passion for getting to the bottom of mysteries, so they end up working together, often while arguing. Comedy, adventure, and high calibre Christian content.
This series includes discussion of the classical Christian arguments on the evidences of God. Each book can be read independently, but parents may also want to read along to provide guidance, insight, and discussion.
In Book One of the series, information from her father's research company is disappearing. Scott launches his own investigation, and Jo comes right behind him. The two of them form an explosive team as they confront an international team of tech pirates!
Reviews
I read this book aloud to my kids. They loved the adventure of normal, and “good Christian girl “, and her unlikely cousin. He shocks and impresses her in turns with his nerdy genius, self proclaimed atheism, and general kindness, as he breaks all the stereotypes she’s ever known. Without giving away any spoilers, they both get sucked into a rollicking adventure with lots of laughs and suspense along the way. They both learn valuable lessons through their experiences.
When Scott moves in with Jo and her family, Jo is intrigued because Scott is the first atheist she’s met. She’s not sure what to expect…and she’s a bit surprised to find out he’s a normal person. And then Scott and Jo get wrapped up in a mystery. Why is sensitive information being leaked at Jo’s father’s company! Who’s involved? And why? Scott and Jo work together trying to solve the mystery. Throughout this book, there are many conversations about faith and why Christians believe what they believe. In addition to the adventure, this is a brief introduction to Christian apologetics. The author did an excellent job of presenting respectful dialogue between people of different faiths. The perspective is obviously Christian, and yet the author did a good job of not creating a caricature of an atheist. There were no straw men arguments or bad faith conversations. All of the dialogue was centered around caring and respecting people even when they hold different beliefs.
