Sheep Among Wolves Publishing

Christie’s Old Organ – Book Review

By Margaret June 30, 2015 Book Reviews

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Book Details

  1. Title: Christie’s Old Organ
  2. Author: Mrs. O.F. Walton
  3. Publisher: Lamplighter Publishing – Please note, that this book is a reprint of the 1874 edition and has been edited by Lamplighter. It is available online in its original format, but as we have not reviewed that edition and we have found significant differences between Lamplighter’s edited editions and the originals of other works, we cannot recommend the online version at the present time.
  4. Genre: Fiction
  5. Number of Pages: 169
  6. Theme: Tenement life in 1800’s
  7. Age Range: 9 and up

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Summary

Christie, a poor young orphan boy, finds a home and family with an old organ grinder named Master Treffy in a bleak lodging house in London.  The two friends help each other to survive the traps and pitfalls of poverty as they rely on the few pennies brought in by the old barrel organ that Treffy loves so much.  With a little direction from their young friends Mabel and Charlie, they hope to find the real meaning of the phrase “Home Sweet Home” before time runs out for both of them.

This endearing old classic will have you reaching for the tissue box before you are half way through it!  A wonderful story that clearly presents the gospel and challenges the reader to examine their life in light of eternity.  Could be useful as a witness to unbelievers.

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SAW Rating System

Good Qualities – 4/5

Great Qualities – 4/5

Red flags

  1. Romance and morality – Brief mention of a servant’s relationship with her “young man.”
  2. Disturbing content – Poverty and death are discussed in a very straightforward manner which may be startling to a sensitive child who has no previous experience of end-of-life issues.
  3. Language – No issues
  4. Alcohol and drug use – No issues
  5. Spiritual content – The book is written from an evangelical perspective.  Some may perceive it to lean toward child evangelism.
  6. Family roles and Behavior – No issues
  7. Mature subject matter – The struggles of poverty are portrayed in an accurate, but not gratuitous, manner.  Death of a small child’s mother is described.