This Seat’s Saved by Heather Holleman

Elita is starting seventh grade and it seems that her friends are growing up faster than she is. She doesn’t want to wear makeup, she doesn’t have cool clothes, and she’s not allowed on social media, but it seems like these are essentials for surviving middle school. As her once close friends begin to drift in another direction, Elita tries to drift with them and is shut out- unintentionally by some and intentionally by others.

Elita has to navigate boys, bullies, and big feelings as the year progresses but finds escape in tracking the patterns of a fox that crosses her backyard each night. When her fox starts to get her some attention, Elita is confronted with the truth that the Bible is God’s Word and it speaks to us today. How will this change Elita and her view of middle school?

This middle-grade novel is a plot-driven first-person narrative that still offers depth and growth in the protagonist, Elita. Heather Holleman writes easily and appealingly with short chapters that will keep readers coming back for more.

“Lying in that leaf pile, I felt my cheek dampen with tears. Nothing was going right for me, And just yesterday I saw Lindsay and Stephen laughing together about something. The sun’s golden rays filtered through the trees, and as 5:00 neared, right on time, Mrs. Burgley appeared in the backyard with a tray of something sweet and warm. Every day, a different snack. Cider. Hot cocoa. Ginger tea. And always with cookies. Mrs. Burgley firmly believed in snack time.”

I love the heart behind this book. The author’s clear goal is to show middle school girls that as long as they have a seat at Jesus’ table, it doesn’t matter if they have the “right” seat in the lunchroom- or anywhere else. There is an older woman (Mrs. Burgley) who hires Elita to work at her house but also ends up mentoring Elita and sharing the Gospel with her. I so appreciate the way the author doesn’t shy away from hard realities that middle school girls might be facing, like popularity, boys, and social media. Elita is realistic, relatable, and likable.

That said, I do have a few reservations about this book. The storyline of Elita and her crush Stephen is central to the plot. Although they do not officially date, other characters have romantic relationships, and crushes are regularly highlighted. I do wish the author had chosen to push back on the “you can date as a seventh-grader narrative” with the main characters and somehow acknowledged that they are too young to be dating, but this does not happen. Crushes are natural at this age, and noticing the opposite sex (appropriately) is healthy, but entering into a romantic relationship as a seventh grader is not something I want my daughters to think is normal or to be desired, even if the boy is like Stephen’s and outstandingly mature- he is written more like an 18-year-old than a 12 or 13-year-old.

Elita’s desire for Stephen’s affirmation is mentioned several times, for example, “Nothing mattered but the way it felt to look in Stephen’s eyes and hear his voice tell me I was real.”

I do appreciate that the author affirms that Scripture is how God speaks to us today, although some of the language around these sections might be a bit confusing. Mrs. Burgley phrases this as “God spoke to her,” and “Jesus told me,” although she is referring to realizing the truth of the Gospel while reading Scripture. During Elita’s conversion scene, she says,

“Finally, I knew the Bible was working. I knew how to talk to God and experience Him as I read those words. God, I cannot survive seventh grade without You anymore. I’m not sure I’m actually a Christian, but right now, I give You my heart and my whole life. You are my only hope, God. Free me from this trap like You freed David. Help me know how to tell the truth, and help people believe me, I don’t know what to do. 

I knew God was speaking because what happened next could only be Jesus. In my heart, I heard the whisper of something- not like a voice, but something deeper. I heard this: Don’t worry. Pray for Lindsay Myers. Forgive Lindsay Myers.”

What the author is trying to convey is that the Holy Spirit is convicting Elita to forgive Lindsay, but the language of “God whispering something in my heart,” and other similar sentiments can be confusing to young readers, especially if they don’t have a solid theological foundation.

There is also a scene before Elita’s conversion when Mrs. Burgley says, “…remember you are already seated with Christ, and He has a special place saved for you. So you never have to worry if you have a seat.” Depending on your theology, you may argue that because Elita wasn’t yet saved, she was not already seated with Christ.

There are also two phrases used that young girls might take in a way they are not intended. “You are marvelous just as you are; you don’t need to try and be like any other girls.”

“And anyway, you’re changing in your own way. And that’s the most important-being true to yourself.” In both of these instances, adults are trying to encourage Elita that she does not need to be just like the other girls in her grade, she can like different things and be her own person. The phrasing might need addressing with your daughter to clarify that being true to yourself isn’t the most important thing, but rather being true to Christ, while embracing the strengths He’s given you- although they may be different from others’ strengths.

Finally, Mrs. Burgley says, “I knew God loved me and wanted good things for my life…” While this is true in God’s big picture, a young reader might read this incorrectly to mean that it’s always God’s will for good things to happen to him/her. Again, I do not believe that was the author’s intent, but it may be worth addressing.

Overall, this book is not one I’d quickly recommend for home or private-schooled girls, as I think it leans too much into the boy/girl dynamic. This could be a helpful book for a public school girl who is dealing with the same issues as Elita, but I would read it alongside your daughter to clarify those possibly “fuzzy” theological sections as well as to have conversations about when it is appropriate to date.

Language:
Elita refers to her sister as “the worst”
Hate (not towards a person)
Elita calls herself ugly
Elita calls her mom annoying
Many instances of people being referred to as someone else’s “crush”

Questionable Behaviors:
There are many instances of bullying, lying, and gossiping among the seventh-grade girls
Elita states that “most kids lie”
Elita and two friends, “complain about their younger siblings”

Other Things to Note:
Halloween is mentioned, hunting is portrayed as making people sad, and the phrase “Jesus coming into your heart” is used once

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