{"id":653,"date":"2009-05-15T10:27:00","date_gmt":"2009-05-15T10:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/the-elijah-project-on-the-run-by-bill-myers.html"},"modified":"2009-05-15T10:27:00","modified_gmt":"2009-05-15T10:27:00","slug":"elijah-project-on-run-by-bill-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/elijah-project-on-run-by-bill-myers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Elijah Project – On The Run by Bill Myers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/span><\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Bill Myers<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On the Run-book 1 in new series: The Elijah Project<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zonderkidz (May 1, 2009)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334760270771472130\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Bill Myers is a bestselling author and award-winning writer\/director whose work has won forty national and international awards. His books and videos have sold eight million copies and include such titles as The Seeing, Eli, The Voice, My Life as\u2026series, and McGee and Me. <\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $4.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310711932
ISBN-13: 978-0310711933
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334760337764495122\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBeginnings \u2026\u201d <\/p>\n

Zach Dawkins headed for the schools. <\/p>\n

\u201cSchools\u201d as in the high school, junior high, and elementary school that were all lined up side by side on the same street. \u201cDeath Row,\u201d he called it. <\/p>\n

Zach was pretty good looking\u2014sixteen with dark hair that stuck out in so many directions it looked like it got cut by a lawnmower gone berserk. It\u2019s not that Zack was sloppy \u2026 he just had better things to do than worry about his looks\u2014especially when he was late for school, which was like every day. <\/p>\n

Zach wasn\u2019t exactly the responsible type.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Piper, his thirteen-year-old sister, was. <\/p>\n

It seemed her job was to remember everything Zach and the rest of her family forgot. Like her brother, she was good-looking (though you couldn\u2019t convince her of that). She had these chocolate brown eyes that were incredible \u2026 but you had to work hard to find them beneath all that hair she hid under. <\/p>\n

Piper was a bit on the self-conscious side.<\/p>\n

At the moment, she was trying to keep up with Zach while also shouting back to her little brother. \u201cElijah, come on, hurry up!\u201d <\/p>\n

As usual, six-year-old Elijah dragged behind them. Nothing new there. The guy was always lost in his own world and he hardly, if ever, talked. Piper loved him fiercely and she always looked out for him. <\/p>\n

But there was no getting around it\u2014the kid was weird.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d she called. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be late!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elijah nodded and then immediately slowed to watch a butterfly.<\/p>\n

Piper blew the hair out of her eyes and stopped with her hands on her hips. \u201cElijah \u2026 \u201d She was about to traipse back and get him when she heard Zach use that voice he reserved only for making her life miserable. <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, well, lookie here \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

With a certain dread she turned to her older brother \u2026 and cringed. <\/p>\n

Cody Martin, the all-school heartthrob, walked just across the street. He was tall with deep blue eyes and a smile that literally made it hard for Piper to breathe. Of course he didn\u2019t know her from Adam, or Eve, but that didn\u2019t stop her from pulling up her sweatshirt hood or ducking further under her hair whenever he was around. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, she had stupidly asked her brother about him when the two had played baseball together. And that was all the ammunition Zach needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook who\u2019s across the street,\u201d he teased.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Piper asked, trying to sound bored. \u201cOh, you mean Cody. What do I care?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, right,\u201d Zach snorted. \u201cSo you don\u2019t mind if I call him over?\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly her heart was in her throat. \u201cZach!\u201d<\/p>\n

With a sly grin, he shouted, \u201cYo, Cody. What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cody turned and spotted them. \u201cHey \u2026 Zach?\u201d Then, nodding to Piper, he added, \u201cHow\u2019s it going, Patty?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPiper,\u201d Zach corrected.<\/p>\n

She turned away, whispering between her teeth. \u201cZach!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Cody asked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister\u2019s name, it\u2019s Piper. Actually, it\u2019s Naomi Sue, but if you don\u2019t want her to beat the tar out of you, I\u2019d stick with Piper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGottcha,\u201d Cody grinned.<\/p>\n

Zach turned to her and whispered, \u201cSo do you want me to call him over?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, no!\u201d She begged.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you admit you\u2019ve got a crush on him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned back to Cody and yelled. \u201cSo, Cody\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Piper whispered, \u201cAlright, I admit it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Zach grinned. \u201cNothing. Just wondering if you were going to play ball this spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably. You?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, probably.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCool.\u201d Then, spotting a geeky, overweight friend, Cody speeded up to join him. \u201cTake care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d Zach called.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou, too \u2026 Piper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Piper\u2019s head snapped up to him. The only thing more startling than hearing him speak her name was the grin he flashed her before moving on. <\/p>\n

He had grinned …. at \u2026 her.<\/p>\n

Suddenly Piper\u2019s hood was up, her hair was down \u2026 and her knees were just a little wobbly.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until she heard Zach snicker that she came to earth and turned on him. \u201cIs it your goal to be the jerkiest brother on the face of the planet?\u201d She demanded.<\/p>\n

Zach laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s not a goal. It\u2019s a duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

She blew the hair out of her eyes. Looking back to their little brother she called, \u201cElijah, please hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n

Elijah came to attention and ran toward them. That\u2019s when Piper noticed the KWIT-TV news van heading up the street. <\/p>\n

So did Zach\u2014which explained him immediately waving and shouting. \u201cHey, TV news guys! Over here. Check me out. You\u2019re next TV star is right here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Piper gave another sigh. What was God thinking when he made older brothers?<\/p>\n

Suddenly, she noticed a small Cocker Spaniel puppy running into the street in front of them. It was followed by a little girl, probably in kindergarten. <\/p>\n

Neither of them saw the car coming from the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch it!\u201d Piper shouted.<\/p>\n

The little girl looked up but was too late. <\/p>\n

The car hit the brakes, tires screeching. Its right front wheel ran over the dog with a sickening K-Thump while the front bumper hit the little girl. It knocked her hard to the ground causing the back of her head to slam onto the concrete. <\/p>\n

Neither the girl nor the dog moved.<\/p>\n

The shaken driver opened his car door and slowly stepped out. The crossing guard, who had seen the whole thing, began running toward them. And the news van had jerked to a stop with the woman reporter now leaping out. <\/p>\n

\u201cGet the camera rolling!\u201d She called over her shoulder. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on it!\u201d the cameraman shouted just behind her.<\/p>\n

Students quickly gathered, pressing in around the car and little girl. By the time Zach and Piper arrived, the crossing guard was already shouting, \u201cStand back! Give her air! Everybody, stand back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Piper glance around for her little brother, but he was no where to be found.<\/p>\n

\u201cElijah?\u201d She called. \u201cElijah?\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned to Zach but he was too busy trying to get a look at the girl to pay attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cElijah!\u201d<\/p>\n

The news crew pushed past them for a closer shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, check it out,\u201d the reporter pointed. But she wasn\u2019t pointing at the little girl. She had noticed something across the crowd and on the other side of the street.<\/p>\n

Piper followed her gaze to see \u2026 Elijah. <\/p>\n

He sat on the curb holding the dead puppy. But instead of crying, his lips quietly moved\u2014almost like he was whispering to it. And then, to Piper\u2019s astonishment, the puppy began to move. A little at first, but it soon began wiggling, squirming, and even lifting up its head to lick Elijah\u2019s face. <\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see that?\u201d The reporter cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got it!\u201d The cameraman shouted. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like he healed it or something!\u201d She exclaimed.<\/p>\n

With a grin, Elijah set the dog down. It began jumping and running around like it had never been hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet in closer,\u201d the reporter ordered. \u201cI\u2019m going to talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only then did Piper realize what she had to do. \u201cElijah!\u201d She brushed past the reporter and raced for her little brother. \u201cElijah, come on!\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy looked up, grinning even bigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d The reporter called from behind her. \u201cMay I ask you a few questions?\u201d<\/p>\n

Piper ignored her. \u201cCome on little guy,\u201d she said as she arrived. She put her hand on his shoulder, looking for a way to get out of there. \u201cMom and Dad won\u2019t like this. Not one bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me!\u201d the reporter shouted.<\/p>\n

Spotting the school, Piper figured it was better than nothing, and started toward it. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n

They walked faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me!\u201d<\/p>\n

They started to run, neither turning back. <\/p>\n

* * * * * <\/p>\n

Judy Dawkins was struggling with the vacuum cleaner when her husband burst through the front door. <\/p>\n

She looked up startled. Seeing the expression on his face, she asked, \u201cMike, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

He tried to smile, but something was up. <\/p>\n

\u201cMike, what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He walked over to the TV remote. Without a word, he snapped it on and found the news. Finally, he spoke. \u201cThey\u2019ve been playing this all morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

An anchorman with gray hair was addressing the camera: \u201cCarly Tailor, our Newsbeat reporter is still on the scene. Carly?\u201d<\/p>\n

A young woman appeared on the screen. She stood perfectly poised in front of the news van. \u201cThank you, Jonathan. As we\u2019ve been saying, something very strange happened over on Walnut Boulevard this morning. Let\u2019s roll the footage, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scene cut to an accident sight where a little girl was being loaded into an ambulance.<\/p>\n

The reporter continued. \u201cAt approximately 8:00 this morning, LeAnne Howard ran into the street after her dog and was struck by an oncoming car. From there she was taken to St. Jerome\u2019s Hospital where her condition is reported as critical. There is speculation that she will shortly be transported to the Children\u2019s Surgical Unit at Eastside Memorial. But there is another issue to this story that we found most interesting . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

The scene cut to a Cocker Spaniel lying if front of a car. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis footage was taken immediately after the accident. As you can see, the dog looks \u2026 well, he looks dead \u2026 or, at least severely injured.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again the picture changed. This time a little boy sat on the curb holding the dog and whispering to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no.\u201d Mom brought her hand to her mouth. \u201cIt\u2019s Elijah!\u201d<\/p>\n

The reporter continued, \u201cBut moments later, as people were trying to help the girl, this small boy picked up her dog and \u2026 you\u2019ll have to see for yourself. This is simply unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears filled Mom\u2019s eyes as she watched the dog suddenly sitting up in Elijah\u2019s lap and then lick his face. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s amazing,\u201d the anchorman said. \u201cLet\u2019s see it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the scene replayed, the reporter continued. \u201cWe tried to interview the boy, but a girl, the girl you see here, led him off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mom stared at the screen as Piper appeared and hurried Elijah away from the camera and toward the school. <\/p>\n

The report continued but Mom no longer heard. Tears blurred her eyes as her husband wrapped his arm around her. <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t cry, sweetheart,\u201d he said. \u201cWe knew this day would happen, didn\u2019t we?\u201d <\/p>\n

She tried to answer, but her throat was too tight with emotion.<\/p>\n

Dad repeated the words more softy. \u201cSooner or later we knew it would happen.\u201d <\/p>\n

* * * * * <\/p>\n

Monica Specter and her two male assistants sat in the dingy, cockroach-infested hotel staring at the same newscast. <\/p>\n

With a sinister grin, she switched off the television. \u201cAlright team, the objective\u2019s been sighted.\u201d She rose and started for the adjacent room. \u201cPack up. We\u2019re leaving in fifteen minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruno answered. He was a hulk of a man, whose neck was as thick as most people\u2019s thighs and whose upturned nose looked like he\u2019d run into a brick wall as a child (several times). \u201cUh \u2026 okay. Where are we goin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica stopped, flipped aside her bright red hair, and stared at him in unbelief. \u201cSanta Monica, you dolt. You saw the news. The boy we\u2019re tracking is in Santa Monica.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruno nodded. \u201cUh … right.\u201d <\/p>\n

She looked at him another moment. Then, shaking her head, she disappeared into the other room.<\/p>\n

Silas, their skinny partner with a long, pointed nose, shut down his laptop. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t ask stupid questions like that,\u201d he said to Bruno.<\/p>\n

Bruno nodded then stopped. \u201cBut how do I know they\u2019re stupid if I don\u2019t ask \u2018em?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silas sighed. \u201cBecause you\u2019re going to try something brand new.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll try thinking before you speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruno frowned, not completely sure he understood the concept. Then summoning up all his brain cells, he answered, \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silas answered. \u201cWe\u2019ve been looking for this kid eight months now\u2014checking newspaper articles, surfing the net \u2026 and, then out of the blue, he suddenly winds up on TV?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruno grinned. \u201cYeah, some coincidence, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, right. That was no coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think Shadow Man had something to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silas shrugged. He never liked talking about the head of their organization. To be honest, the man gave him the willies.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d he said, changing the subject. \u201cLet\u2019s get packed and grab the kid.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

==
I haven’t had the opportunity to read this novel yet. It’s a short book, so I can probably knock it out in a day. I’ll be reading it sometime in the future and I’ll be posting my review.<\/p>\n

I read the book entitled Eli by Bill Myers several years ago, and I recall enjoying that novel.<\/p>\n

~Cecelia Dowdy~<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-first-wild-card-blog-tour"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paovYP-ax","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}