Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. Demco Media, 1986

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Reviewed by: Norlan De Groot
Key words: Novel, Fiction, Modern Work, Fantasy
Recommended Reading Level: Grades 4, 5
Theme: Eternal life can be a curse as well as a blessing.
Summary: The Tucks are a family that is blessed (or cursed) with eternal life after drinking water from a special spring. When a ten-year-old girl, Winnie Foster, discovers them near the spring, they take her home to explain why this must remain a secret. Winnie becomes friends with the Tucks and must decide whether or not she will drink from the spring as well.
Strengths: This is a good book to introduce the theme of eternal life to your children. It also forces them to consider just how appealing or unappealing this world would be if we had to stay in it forever. The chapters are short and include a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter to make the child want to keep reading. A simple vocabulary keeps the book accessible to most reading levels.
Weaknesses: The eternal life Babbitt speaks of is an eternal life that must be lived in a world still filled with sin. This is very different from the Christian conception of eternal life.
Other Notes: Because of the short chapters and easy reading style, this would be a good book to give a child who may need a little encouragement to read.

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