The Wormling Series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry

Owen Reeder is a sweet boy living a terribly difficult life. With no mother and no friends, he lives alone with his cruel father above a musty old bookshop. He fills his days reading books, writing for the school newspaper, and running from bullies. Owen loves reading and takes much comfort in books and the escape they provide.

Owen is an unpopular high school freshman with a limp, and his story begins in a café. Bullies chase Owen from the cafe through dark streets and alleyways, where an unknown something or someone miraculously saves him from certain death.

He is minding the bookstore one day when a tattered stranger approaches him with a Book unlike anything he has ever seen. Owen immediately feels kinship with the ragged man and a deep connection with the Book. It speaks of a King and his Son and contains prophecies of deliverance and hope. The Book fully captivates Owen, as if it has opened his heart and started his life anew. His world quickly unravels as he discovers a spiritual realm unlike anything in his small, lonely life. While battling dragons and monsters, he learns courage, faith, and friendship as he is drawn into a conflict of good versus evil to save the two worlds and fulfill the prophecies.

Reading Level: Ages 10-14
Read-aloud Age: 10+

The Wormling is an allegorical-esque, five-book series by Christian authors Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry. This series is very well-written. It is engaging and flows nicely, with well-rounded characters and great vocabulary words! Owen is a likeable boy living in an appalling situation, but he does not blame others for his circumstances. He works hard to do the right thing while protecting his friends and forgiving his enemies.

The first book takes place primarily in the modern world but has a Victorian feel. Most of the language, romance, and questionable behavior occurs in the first book. The following four books take place primarily in another world with kings, castles, dragons, etc. The story’s narrator makes a habit of interrupting with random asides and information, especially in the first book. It is distracting initially, but there are fewer interruptions as the series continues.

There are clear Biblical themes and parallels throughout: the Father, Son, Dragon (Satan), bride, ancient Book, other world, good, evil, love, forgiveness, etc. This isn’t a true allegory though, with everything being a perfect representation.

This series contains heavy magical and spiritual themes. It is not overly dark, and the authors clearly draw lines between good and evil. There is little ambiguity about each character’s motive. The main antagonist is the Dragon, who clearly represents Satan. He tries to stop the Father’s plan,
destroy the Book, kill Owen, and establish his own kingdom. There are battles, nightmares, monsters, dragons, malicious adults, bullies, fires, betrayal, torture, imprisonment, etc. Most (but not all) of the passages in the ancient Book are straight from the Bible.

Language:
There is minimal language throughout the series, and most occurs in the first book. Words like idiot, gimpy, ugly, flibbertigibbet, diarrhea of the mouth, loser, shut up, hate, etc.

Violence:
This story contains a fair amount of violence, and there are bloody scenes. Adults and older teens are generally horrible to Owen. Bullies follow and attack him on multiple occasions, and Owen is constantly under threat from all sides. His father is abusive, neglectful, and hateful toward him.

Dragons and monsters from the other world chase and attack Owen. The Dragon attempts to kill a man by burning and destroying a hotel. A water monster chases Owen, nearly drowning him, and intends to kill and eat him. An evil bull monster threatens to kill everyone in a village and strikes families and homes, etc. The Dragon organizes a gladiator-style fight to kill prisoners.

Death is a prevalent theme in the series. The Dragon loves death and suffering and inflicts all manner of torture on his enemies. His servants kill many of his subjects and many of Owen’s dear friends. It highlights the Dragon’s truly evil nature and contrasts with the truly loving King.

Sexual Content:
Most romantic situations occur in the first book. Owen likes an older girl named Clara. There are some extended physical descriptions of her, including words like “seduce,” “enamored,” and “attraction.”
There is an awkward scene in the bookshop where Clara corners him and questions him on books about love and women falling in love with younger men. She then asks him on a date and writes her number on his palm. He is a freshman but skipped a year, so he is 8th grade age. Clara is possibly a junior or senior.

Clara and Owen meet at the movies. She chooses the show with a “handsome man” and a “beautiful woman” on the poster. He is happy to be sitting in the dark “next to a beautiful girl.” In another scene, he notices her perfume and feels his face “afire.”

Constance has a crush on Owen. She is ten years old and apparently notices “older boys” now. It mentions his “dreamy face.” Owen is typically charitable to others but initially does not speak kindly of Constance. However, their relationship develops over time, and he befriends and protects her.

SPOILER: The prophecy of the Son ends with a marriage feast in the other world. Owen is betrothed to Constance there and eventually marries her. However, he had a crush on Clara for most of the series, and the word love is even used. As it turns out, Clara is actually his long-lost sister. It is a bit strange and never really addressed!!

Questionable Behaviors:
There are several instances of lying.
Owen invites a total stranger into his home and hides him from his father. The stranger is a good guy, but he does ask Constance to keep secrets from her mother.
Clara says that she hates the school bully. She secretly edits Owen’s newspaper article about the bully, which inadvertently directs his wrath toward Owen.
There are references to alcohol and drinking. Men having “too much” to drink, Owen’s father’s associates drinking, and a description of the pub owner next door (who is an awful man.)
A character claims to regret not killing someone when he had the chance.

Other Things to Know:
Most passages from the “Book” are good, but there are a few problematic ideas and mixed messages: “Allow your heart the freedom it craves and then have the courage to follow it” is not a biblical concept! In a later passage, it states that Truth is found outside of yourself and that everything is given to you. This is true but conflicts with some of the earlier heart statements, such as Owen searching for royalty and finding it within himself.

This review was written by Good Book Mom contributor, Kate. To find out more about Kate, click HERE.

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