Rating: 
(93 reviews)
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Product Description
In this Newbery Medal-winning novel, Daniel bar Jamin is fired by only one passion: to avenge his father’s death by crucifixion by driving the Roman legions from his land of Israel. He joins an outlaw band and leads a dangerous life of spying, plotting, and impatiently waiting to seek revenge. Headstrong Daniel is devoid of tenderness and forgiveness, heading down a destructive path toward disaster until he hears the lessons taught by Jesus of Nazareth. With a brand new cover, young readers won’t be able to pass up this timeless tale.
5 Comments
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I am an [...] girl and this is the absolute best ever book I’ve ever read in my whole entire life. It is spectacular!! A story about a boy named Daniel, a sister that will not leave the house, a bunch of outlaws, and Roman soldiers. The book also includes Jesus. Elizibeth Speare carefully weaved the truth of Christ in this book. It is very emotional at the end. I cried while telling my mother what happened at the end. It truly impacted me. It makes me want to follow Jesus and please him. n
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You must understand when I say “the best book I’ve ever read”, what it beat. Here are some books I’ve read that this book outshined. n
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The Hobbitn
Harry Pottern
Shannaran
Les Miserablesn
Narnian
Hittite Warriorn
Cat of Bubastesn
The Golden Gobletn
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…and lots more. Notice the last three book titles. Those are also fabulous books. Bronze Bow, however, is wonderful. I can’t decide which words to use. You would have to read the book yourself to know what I mean. You will like it, trust me.
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My 12 year old son and I read this book for his (homeschool) English class. I read it with him as it was a hard read for him. But we both really liked it and as we got further into the book we didn’t want to put it down, but read as much as we could. It has a good lesson about not keeping revenge and hate in your heart. It is set in Jesus’ time and he is a character in the book. We are not Christians, but loved the book’s lesson and story line and I was glad to discuss the topics the story line brought up.n
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I read this with two of my children a handful of years ago and just recently, for the second time, with my youngest. It’s even better than I remembered! Others have summed up the plot very well, so I’ll just say, this is an excellent book!
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This is an interesting read for kids over the age of 10, and for adults as well. The main character depicts a Jewish teenager named Daniel living at the same time as Jesus. Daniel is deeply disturbed over the Roman occupation of Israel and the death of his parents. The book provides an excellent forum to teach children about religious tolerance and getting along with others. The characters are complex, allowing for deep literary analysis, and the historical context is educational, something that adolescents will associate with, given their background in world history. The story is both endearing and stimulating, with an active plot. My 11 year old is planning to read it again.
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There are a great deal of “Young Adult Fiction” books that I didn’t get around to reading at the “right age.” The Bronze Bow is one such book. I didn’t read it until I was out of college and had a better understanding of the Jewish faith and customs, and I wondered what had taken me so long. This book is wonderful! It presents an accurate picture of everyday life in early Christian Jerusalem and reveals how family tragedy can scar young lives. Daniel’s hatred of the Romans is an obssessive passion; it consumes him to the extent that he cuts himself off from other people and future relationships that he could have. “It is Roman blood I want!” he says and he lives for the day when the last Roman is driven from the land. He sees his relationsips with others, his feelings for his girlfriend Thacia, his sister Leah, and his friend Sampson as his “weakness”, something to hold him back from this goal he is trying to reach, and he continually shuts them out, though he is very lonely and unhappy when doing so. Only when he is alone and everyone is slipping away from him does he realize that hatred will not fill the emptiness in his heart.n
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I have always enjoyed Biblical fiction and am presently working on a book of my own. When I knew that this took place in early Christian times, I grabbed it right away! The unusual thing is that it ends before the n
Crucifiction, leaving readers to wonder how the characters of this story will react to it. It beautifully illustrates Christian truths, the power of love over hatred and the power to do all things, even impossible things, with God’s help. A treat for fans of Biblical and historical fiction!
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