Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
Publisher: Bloomsbury (July 19th, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 259 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
The story of Lacey Anne Byers, a small town girl who is excited to star in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, until a childhood friend reappears and makes her question her faith.
Review: Small Town Sinners is one of the first books I've read that has such a strong focus in religion. Typically, books can get"preachy" or unrealistic when it comes to talking about teens and religion. That did not happen in this book.
Small Town Sinners is about a young girl named Lacey. She is from a very religious family and has been in church all of her life. Her beliefs are based upon her parent's beliefs- which is common for teenagers her age. But while her church gets ready to put on Hell House (a type of play) Lacey begins to finally question all of the previous ideas she has about herself and others.
Since Lacey's father is a pastor at the church, she is always involved in the activities they put on. Hell House is the biggest thing of the year and Lacey would do anything to play the part of"abortion girl". Then Ty comes into town and he opens up a door beyond worrying about the church play. He helps her come to terms with herself and see past what her parents have put in front of her.
Lacey was a wonderful character because she did seem very realistic. When she talked throughout the book I kept thinking"wow, I knew young girls who sounded just like that when I was growing up".and it was true. I went to church till I was 16 and grew up around a lot of very religious people. It seemed as if many of the teenagers (mainly girls) would recite their feelings as if it had been rehearsed. It never felt like that was really their original thoughts. That was the same feeling I got with Lacey. Although sometimes she was so naive it was scary, she was a fascinating character to follow.
Ty, on the other hand, was the more experienced character. He would talk to Lacey in a way that never forced her beliefs to change, but it helped her question her own ideas. Lacey's friends Dean and Starla Joy were wonderful as well. They both grew up in the church as well and were facing their own battles.
Melissa Walker did an outstanding job tackling a difficult topic for teenagers. Small Town Sinners shows how teens and young adults can find their own path to spirituality.
Full of thought-provoking dialogue and appealing characters, Small Town Sinners is great for anyone who has ever questioned their idea of religion.
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