Shepherd, Potter, Spy -- and the Star Namer (Homeschool Review Crew)

One of my favorite parts of being on the Homeschool Review Crew is that I have access to some pretty great books. This time around I had the privilege to read Shepherd, Potter, Spy—and the Star Namer by by Peggy Consolver – Author.

When I was much younger I wanted to be an archaeologist. Granted, my archaeological hero had an awesome whip and wore a fedora, but history fascinated me. It still fascinates me. If you are a fan of Biblical history this book will be right up your alley.

The story focuses on the conquering of Canaan by the Israelites. However, the author provides us with a unique take on the happenings found in the book of Joshua. We see history through the eyes of a young Canaanite called Keshub. I could see shades of a young David in Keshub. Keshub tends his family’s sheep. He is brave and longs for adventure. Keshub is a fifth son to a potter in the village of Gibeon.

You might have heard of the Gibeonites. This wily group of folks duped Joshua into making a treaty with them. We find in Chapter 9 of Joshua that the Gibeonites didn’t want the same fate as their neighbors in Jericho.

Who could blame them?  

Keshub has quite a number of adventures throughout the story. We not only see him having those adventures, but we see him struggling with relationships and/or insecurity. He is like a lot of young men I have known in my life.  It was fascinating to see ancient life through the eyes of this young man. Peggy did an excellent job of bringing the events of the Bible to life. And even though she used a fictional character to do so I felt that she did not miss a turn scripturally.. I was most interested to read her article on the Associates for Biblical Research website. She took a journey in 2010 which helped her immensely with her research for this book.

From what I gather she didn’t need a whip or a fedora at all.  Though she does wear a hat with style.

Reading the book made me more curious about the Gibeonites and what happened later.  Peggy Consolver has created a study guide, Digging Deeper Into HIStory, that is available for purchase. You can find a link on her website. There is a nice sample available to see what you can expect before purchasing the guide.

This is a great book to add to any homeschool or family library. We have added more indepth Bible Study to our schedules this year so I am thrilled to have Shepherd, Potter, Spy—and the Star Namer as part of our collection.  

Just a final note: Josiah is dyslexic and this would be a book I would read aloud to him. It isn’t something he could tackle on his own. I do think that middle and high school students would enjoy it (as well as their mommas). It is a well-written and engaging book.

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