Through the Tunnel

By: Rebekah A. Morris

Narrated by: Ruth Elaine

"I hate being a foster kid!" Fourteen-year-old Lissa had thought those words dozens if not hundreds of times over the last 12 years. She and her twin brother, Leigh, had been foster kids for as long as they could remember. Lissa was naturally shy, and this life of bouncing around from one foster home to another, of changing schools midterm, and of never having a real place they could call home had left her with feelings of insecurity and doubt. Would they ever have a real home? Why didn't anyone want them?

Then one cold winter afternoon, Lissa persuades her brother to make believe that a tunnel under a snow-covered bridge is the entrance to a new world and a new life. Together they walk through it, and it changes their lives forever.

©2015 Rebekah A. Morris (P)2016 Rebekah A. Morris

Pulls at the heartstrings

Lissa and her twin brother had been in multiple foster homes over the years and never felt like they fit in anywhere. I really felt for them as they were fourteen and usually no one wants to adopt older children. Lissa's emotions were up and down, understandably so. When they went to live with the Holdens, who were far different than any others they'd lived with, Lissa continued to doubt that they could possibly want them. Each time she thought she 'messed up' she waited for a dreaded visit from the social worker to take her to a new home.

I wanted to hold her tightly and let her know she was loved just as she was.

I liked the closeness of the Holden family and how they all helped out around the house. The other children accepted Lissa and Lee right away. I appreciated the tenderness the parents had for each of the children. Their godly example, rather than what anyone could say, was what drew Lissa and her brother to the Lord. I would have liked to read more but the book ended!

A Wonderful Book for the Family!

I absolutely love this story! Listening to this book helps me to take a step back and remember what a wonderful gift family is!

The first time I read this story was from the paper copy and I loved getting to listen to it again! The reader is excellent. I love that she changes her voice just a little for each of the characters.

As the story progresses, Lisa's struggle for the security of family brought tears to my eyes. The way that Rebekah resolved the case in the end was perfect! I love the beautiful picture of salvation the adoption in this story portrays.

I just love the creativity in all of the different personalities that the characters have. They are very real to life. Debbie, with her hilarious enthusiasm, brought a comical side to this story that I thoroughly enjoyed! :)

All in all, this is a very enjoyable, wholesome story. I would, heartily, recommend this book to many a friend!

This Book Was Amazing!

I love stories about Adoption, but they are difficult to find. This one is definitely a favorite! The explanations for Salvation and Eternal Security were simple and easy for Children to understand. This is a book I will look forward to reading again!

So Sweet

Oh, this book was so, so sweet! <3

I think one of my favorite things about this story was how very realistic it felt. The way Lissa's emotions swung and swirled between hope and dread, excitement and confusion felt so spot-on and true to life. I usually have a hard time with books where characters have conflicting or back-and-forth emotions, but in this case, it endeared Lissa to me all the more. Her emotions never felt arbitrary or contrived for the sake of plot or conflict; instead, they felt like the very real struggles of a girl trying to adapt to change and longing but fearing to cling to something true and constant. I haven't had firsthand experience with the foster care system, but I know people who have, and I thought the timelines and other similar details were much more realistically portrayed than in a number of other books. Along with lending an air of realism, the foster care angle really helped to drive quite a bit of Lissa's internal conflict, not just in her past but in her present and future, which I really enjoyed.

Leigh was such a wonderful brother--so protective and loving while still being a regular boy. I would really have loved to get a few more scenes from his perspective, since I was intrigued every time we got a glimpse of his thoughts and attitudes. On the outside, he was much stronger than Lissa, but on the inside, he struggled with a lot of the same doubts and insecurities. Overall, he definitely fascinated me!

And of course the family--they were all so sweet, but not without the inevitable temperament clashes or slightly-overwhelming presence. Again, it felt so realistic, and even though I would probably have fit into this particular home without any trouble, I immediately sympathized with shy, quiet Lissa trying to figure out where she belonged in all the noise and bustle.

The spiritual thread felt very natural and not in any way forced. I actually thought the story was ending about eight chapters before it actually did, but I'm so glad it kept going after what would have been an obvious place to stop. And honestly, it added once again to the realism of the story. But I love the fact that with all the realism, the tone is one of love and hope and belonging. "He places the lonely in families" is one of my favorite Scripture quotes, and I loved seeing it included here. <3

My only real complaint was that the story ended pretty abruptly, and I would have at least liked to see Lissa's reaction to the final conversation. I also had a bit of a hard time keeping Leigh and Lissa in my mind as 14, but I think that may have had more to do with the audiobook narration than the writing. (Not criticising the narration as a whole, which was very good; I just felt like the voices used for the twins made them sound a bit younger than they were meant to be.)

4.5 stars, and one of my favorites from Rebekah Morris so far!

Sweet story

This is a sweet story about adoption, Christmas, and find out our hope and worth in Christ. It's about two siblings as they get a new family and learn about God for themselves. As always, Morris writes sweet, old fashioned type stories.