Riley Mae and the Sole Fire Safari

Riley Mae and the Sole Fire Safari is the third book in the Good News Shoes series written by Jill Osborne. Geared toward pre-teen girls. The story follows shoe model Riley Mae on an African trip. Besides posing for photo-shoots, Riley learns a lot about life and her faith. For life, she discovers some of the challenges faced by people in Africa, including clean water issues, safety in the face of wild animals, orphans, education, and hardship. For faith, Riley learns she can pray for others, listen to God’s voice, and share the gospel. Though at the beginning of the story, Riley is very reluctant to be in Africa away from her dad, brother, friends, and comforts of home, she comes to appreciate the strong sense of faith and community she discovers in the African village. More importantly, she realizes she can be a missionary right now, no matter where she lives.

What I Like: This book is a good, clean read for pre-teen girls. Riley is spunky and athletic, which I love. She also often turns to God in prayer, which is a great behavior model for this particular age group. I also appreciated seeing the change in attitude Riley underwent.  In addition, there was a wonderful scene where Riley reaches out to an orphan and helps her accept Christ into her heart. Reading this may help kids realize that they too can plant seeds of faith.

Finally, I enjoyed the glimpse into African life. From the strange-sounding food to running miles to get to school to avoiding elephants, the accurate details helped paint a picture of the village.

What I Dislike: There were numerous references to events and characters in the previous two books. I strongly recommend readers read the previous two books in order to understand the relationship between the characters (or who are even some of the people they are hiding from) and ultimate dangers they face. Without that background knowledge, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book as much as I did.

There was also a point early in the book that bothered me a little, where Riley lies to and tricks her mom in order to run in a race. In the midst of her scheming, she tries to witness to another person about her Christian faith. While I understand that’s part of the adventure and excitement, I would have preferred a different approach.

Overall Rating: Very Good (as a stand alone-- Excellent as a series)

Age Appeal: 8-12 years.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN: 978-0310742838; Paperback and Kindle, 256 pgs., $7.99.

There was also a point early in the book that bothered me a little, where Riley lies to and tricks her mom in order to run in a race. In the midst of her scheming, she tries to witness to another about her Christian faith. While I understand that’s part of the adventure and excitement, I would have preferred a different approach.
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Special Info: Click here to read other CCBR reviews of Riley Mae books. Purchase the first two books in the series too: Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek and Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids.