The Songs of a Warrior

Christopher Ash

While staying faithful to the Bible plotline, Katy Morgan draws out the hopes, the fears, the belief and the unbelief all used by God to bring David to the throne.

Mike Dicker

The retelling of the biblical narrative really draws you into the action and tension of the story and, importantly, excites your curiosity to read the pages of the Bible itself.

“Amazing!”

It is an amazing book! I couldn't put it down. As I read The Songs of a Warrior, it felt like I was actually there, experiencing Jonathan's early life and meeting Samuel the prophet, as well as David, the shepherd boy.

“Encourages our kids to have humlility and love for God.”

This book is so well done. At 261 pages, it's a for your older kids, & yet the author kept this complicated heroes story G-rated. No mention is made of multiple wives, or calling a dead prophet back from the grave.
The story begins with Saul being crowned king and ends with David established as king over both kingdoms & dreaming of building a temple for God.
There is an epilogue of people talking about Jesus, from the line of David.
There is also an extensive section where the author discusses truth from fiction & gives reasoning behind her choices. She really did an excellent job of telling the story. She captures David's humility & love for God. Those are qualities to encourage in our kids, so I highly recommend this book.

“Glorious!”

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! From the very first page, Katy Morgan's sumptuous prose transports you into the world of Saul, David and Jonathan. The storytelling is so vivid, at times you can almost smell it.

Our kids (10, 7 and 5) were excited about reading the book, having really enjoyed Katy Morgan's the Christmas and Easter retellings. They weren't alone - as an adult, it is a delight to read.

An unexpected surprise was getting to know some of the peripheral characters in the story. This, along with the pacing of the book, mean you get a real sense of the humanity of the different characters - avoiding a 'goodies' or 'baddies' caricature, you grow to understand their motives, strengths, weaknesses and choices.

We read a chapter of the book at bedtime each evening, which became a highlight of our day. My only criticism would be that the deft cliff-hangers led to protracted negotiations at bedtime each evening, as the kids pleaded for 'just one more chapter!'

Rediscover the familiar story of Saul and David and be amazed at how God weaves the story together to prepare the way for the true anointed King!

“Brings the Story to Life”

Knowing this book was a middle grade read, I wasn’t expecting to get so caught up in the story! This book brings the Biblical story of David to life in a new way – and not just the same parts we hear all the time (aka Bathsheba.) I loved following the story of David, Jonathan, and Saul all before David became king. It was honestly insightful and encouraging in my walk with the Lord - as well a bit hard to read in points already knowing the Biblical narrative (Saul’s downfall & Johnathan’s death.) I especially loved the chapter by chapter explanation in the back with Biblical and historical references for the story as well as the included Bible reading plan to point readers back to the word of God! This would be a great read aloud to my preschool/ early elementary kids and I would feel confident giving it to any reader! It was like Francine Rivers without all the romance! (4.5 stars)

“Great Family Read Aloud”

This book brought narrative to years of Bible study. Sometimes it’s difficult for children to follow all the details in Bible narratives (in Scripture) and this book does a wonderful job connecting the history so the reader can walk away with big picture understanding of God and His purposes. We really liked how the author, at the end of the book, explained why she wrote each chapter the way she did. The author also includes a list of characters as a reference for readers to know if they are real (found in Scripture) or made up for the purpose of adding color and commentary to the story. The author honored the true Word of God and included Scripture references at the end of the book for each chapter. We used this as a bedtime read aloud for our kids (ages 9 and 7). Our kids really enjoyed it and we started reading 1 Samuel for our Bible time and they are able to recall events because of this book.

“Engaging Story”

This novel retells the biblical narrative of Saul and David. I previously read Katy Morgan's Nativity retelling, "The Promise and the Light," and this one takes a similar approach. Morgan stays true to the biblical record as much as possible, but fleshes out characterization and internal details to make the story come to life for younger readers. The book includes a reading plan for those who are also interested in delving into the source material in 1 and 2 Samuel, and there are notes at the end where Morgan specifies what she got from the Bible, versus made up or made an interpretive decision about

The publisher is marketing this for ages eight to twelve, and I see this age rating as a loose recommendation. Some eight-year-olds will find this book too dense for them, since it's about 275 pages long with fairly small text, but some teens may greatly enjoy this. "The Songs of a Warrior" is an engaging read, and although it sometimes includes graphic depictions of violence, this all reflects details from the Bible. Parents of younger, more sensitive readers may prefer to read this book along with their child to discuss some of the violence and Saul's abusive behaviors, but the content is age-appropriate overall.

"The Songs of a Warrior" is a great selection for kids who like historical fiction. The author fleshed out the characters in an engaging way, rotating through different viewpoints and exploring the human side of war and political tensions. The book has some pacing challenges, due to the broad time range it covers, and I found some of the transition points too rushed, but I enjoyed it overall. This engaging story will appeal to many kids, and I recommend this for individual use and book clubs.

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“A Superb Retelling of a Familiar Story”

The majority of Christian books I have for children are illustrated storybooks, but to have a retelling of a familiar story that is both accurate to the Bible's account but also full of vibrant detail that means that it's hard to put down! This is about the right reading age for an 8/9 year old, but could definitely be suitable for an early teen too. If you have a child in the top end of primary school or lower end of secondary school, this would make a great gift to help them read a familiar bible story with fresh eyes, getting sucked in to the world of Israel's kings.

“A very helpful read for middle graders!”

Using scripture, Katy Morgan is able to paint an imaginative picture of the biblical account of Saul and David.

While several parts of this book are imaginative, the structure and base is scriptural. The parts that were fictionalized did not alter the truth of the story, which is very important when handling retellings. Immediately after reading, I felt less to read the actual biblical account.

This book is ideal for middle graders. Before reading, I recommend getting a refresh and reading the full story of the account in the Bible, and then read along with the child. There is a wonderful Bible study at the end, and Katy Morgan has a helpful section that lists out which parts were imagined according to each chapter.

I also really appreciated the resources in the book, including a map of Israel, a list of characters, and scripture references.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read!