Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow

Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow, written by brothers Christopher and Allan Miller, follows the story of a teenage boy named Hunter Brown. Although written for teens and children, the Millers make the story more than merely fun to read. Through the course of the book, they let out biblical truths that their audience can understand, while not giving the feeling of being preachy; mainly, that God is in control, and that whether the circumstances be good or bad, He always has a purpose for them.

            The story opens as Hunter is running for his life. The reason? He just pulled a prank on the school bully, Cranton, who isn’t too happy about. Hunter and two of his friends hide in a dumpster… that locks itself. As they begin to panic over their situation, a kind janitor named Evan opens the dumpster and helps them out. He promises not to turn them over to the principle… as long as they do him a small favor. The favor is to run to the local bookshop and get a book, then bring it back to him. It sounds simple enough, so they agree. When they return to the school, Evan is nowhere to be found, and the principal has never heard of him. She believes their story though, and asks them to take her to the book shop so that she can verify with bookshop clerk if in fact they were there. Only, when they get to where the bookshop is supposed to be, it, just like Evan, has vanished. The boys are given detention and the book is confiscated. When he is allowed to go home, Hunter is upset and a little disappointed… until he sets his backpack down. Looking inside, he finds the book and a key to unlock it. Little does he know that opening this book will be the worst and best decision that he will ever make.

            I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading, especially if they are a Christian. The allegory in this book is well written, the characters believable, and the story captivating.