Angeliki and the Shipwreck (Download)

We are excited about this new series! Reading about Paul’s shipwreck from a different point of view made the story come alive. We appreciate the author’s efforts to not contradict the Bible. We’re looking forward to the other books in this series!

Angeliki and the Shipwreck is a retelling of the events of Acts 27, reimagined through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old girl named Angeliki.

My kids (ages 7–11) absolutely loved this historical fiction book! It was dramatic and adventurous, yet remained faithful to the biblical account. I especially appreciated the emphasis on what prayer is and and how worship can exist even in the midst of chaos.

So often with books like this, the creative license an author takes can overshadow the true biblical story. As the author notes at the beginning, he set out to avoid changing any details from the biblical account, only enhancing it with fictional elements from a young person’s perspective. I think he succeeds beautifully.

We are all looking forward to reading more from The Witness Series as they become available!

This descriptive, engaging, historical fiction story pulls you right along, page after page, with Angeliki as her family travels to Rome upon the promotion of her father, who is an interpreter. Traveling with Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus, Angeliki quickly sees the difference in their simple worship and confidence in their God while facing storms and danger, versus everyone else’s worship of pagan gods who seem unable to offer anything in return. Note that while there is much cultural talk about “the gods,” they are not discussed in detail and always from the viewpoint of a girl trying to understand the truth. It mentions the ship owner offering sacrifices (like dumping grain into the sea - nothing graphic), and at one point they pass the broken down statue of Colossus and Angeliki wishes it were still standing so she could pray to it. Paul asks her if she would feel better if she could pray to a god who could not even withstand an earthquake, and she realizes how futile such faith is. Through the book, she comes to place her confidence in Jesus, although there is never really talk about repentance, turning from sin, etc.

I appreciated the history and cultural information woven through the story, and I will never read about Paul’s shipwreck quite the same way again. There are relatable dynamics like keeping up with a high-energy younger brother, the tension from wanting to be in control and learning to trust, what it could have been like to arrive on the island of Malta, etc. My eleven-year-old daughter read most of the book in one sitting, and would have finished it right then if not called away. I think it would also make an excellent family read-aloud.

The only thing I do not love are the illustrations. My artistic daughter observed immediately that they are AI generated, and while they are fine, I feel it cheapens individual artistic talent and skill. The style is interesting too, with classic detailed sketching for everything and everyone except Angeliki and her family, who look more like Disney characters. Again, not bad, just not what I prefer. I am still giving it five stars for a well-written story that teaches history, ancient culture, and, most importantly, the Truth!

What a fun book! It’s such an enjoyable and entertaining way to dig deeper into the story from the Bible. It is written from the perspective of a fictional character, a fourteen year old girl. There is a disclaimer in the beginning of the book that the author’s intention was to stay as close to the biblical account as possible without altering any of the scripture. He adds characters and dialogue. I think that it is helpful in teaching kids that it is a fictional book based on a very real event.
The story is well-written and keeps one’s attention. It is an enjoyable and quick read. It has relatable and loveable characters. This is one that everyone will be asking for just one more chapter, and it is one that is sure to spark discussions about the biblical account.

To start with I love historical fiction, specifically when it is with Biblical characters. This did not disappoint. It was bringing Acts to life and made be feel like I was on the ship with Paul. I was getting concerned for the crew as well as excited seeing Angeliki's faith grow through the book.
Some of the other sailors are following other false gods of the day, but when sacrificing to them it mentions grain being dumped into the sea. It shows how others followed false gods and those gods were not alive and did not protect them. Paul is preaching about Jesus and his confidence in God's protection and his love and compassion for others shows through.
I was encouraged to depend on God no matter what storms are in my life.
I read this before handing it to my kids, and I know they will like it as much as I did. The recommended age is appropriate.