My throat was sore last night, not only because of my early-winter chest cold, but also because no one in the family (including myself!) wanted me to stop reading aloud the final 30 pages of Courage by Darkness. As slowly as the first half of this book seemed to go, it really picked up in the end, and we were all excited to discover what might happen to Jean Derwood and her prayers for an adventure.

This book is the fourth in the series of six by author Jerri Massi, and in it we get to meet Jean Derwood, the younger sister of Penny (the star of Book 1, Derwood, Inc.) and Jack (Book 3, Treasure in the Yukon). Jean has watched as her elder brother and sister have made headlines in helping capture smugglers and bootleggers, and up till now, she’s been happy to let them have the limelight. But recently she’s been noticing her own cowardice, and at the prompting of her Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Bennet, the adoptive mother of their friend Scruggs (Book 2, Dangerous Game), Jean has begun to pray for courage by asking God to send her on an adventure.

She finds opportunity for such an adventure when her aunt and uncle in Alabama ask her to come down from Wisconsin for a month to help out on their farm. Facing dogs, horses, mysterious neighbors, and a terrifying cave, Jean ends up with more adventure than she bargained for, and some life lessons to boot.

This book was the most direct of the four thus far in relating its teachable moments. In discussing Jean’s craving for courage and adventure, for example, Uncle Rufus tells her plainly:

“Jean, courage ain’t godliness! … Courage ain’t obedience. There’s three great things—faith, hope, and love. Courage ain’t one of them.” (132)

Later adding:

“You see, Jean, obedience is all part of love. Trust is a part of love. You have to be willing to love the Lord most of all and be willing to obey and trust Him, and when you do, anything the Lord has called you to do—like maybe be brave—He can enable you to do.” (134)

This was an exciting addition to the series, though my kids have still voted Treasure in the Yukon as their mutual favorite. I enjoyed reading this one aloud the most, maybe because I could more easily differentiate the characters with my wicked Alabama drawl. We look forward to starting Book 5, Llamas on the Loose, tonight!

But for now, I need me some honey-and-lemon tea.

©2021 E.T.

Read More from JourneyForth Press:

• With Wings as Eagles by William Pinkston (1983)
• These Are My People by Mildred T. Howard (1984)
• Medallion by Dawn L. Watkins (1985)
• Derwood, Inc. by Jerri Massi (1986)
• A Dangerous Game by Jerri Massi (1986)
• Treasure in the Yukon by Jerri Massi (1986)
• With Daring Faith by Rebecca Henry Davis (1987)
• Courage by Darkness by Jerri Massi (1987)
• Some Summer! by Jean Vandervenne (1987)
• Llamas on the Loose by Jerri Massi (1988)
• The Runaway Princess by Milly Howard (1988)
• Abandoned by Jerri Massi (1989)
• A Question of Yams by Gloria Repp (1992)
• Brill of Exitorn by Peggy Downing (1994)
• Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World by Deb Brammer (1994)
• The Lost Prince by Peggy Downing (1995)
• Tales from Dust River Gulch by Tim Davis (1996)
• Camp Sierra Secret by Esther G. Wilkinson (1996)
• Chickadee Winter by Dawn L. Watkins (1999)
• Songbird by Nancy Lohr (2000)
• Nix by Penny McKnight (2006)
• Shield by Dawn Watkins (2008)