The Maiden & The Wall — Janet Surette

Growing up is hard, but nobody has to learn the hard way. Though we can't prevent all wounds in life, there are many that we can. What if there was a way to stay safe from the usual dangers of adolescence? What if there was a way to see the future of today's choices? Perhaps there is.Compelling and instructive for youth and parents alike, The Maiden & The Wall provides the images and language to start these important conversations.The tale follows a young maiden named Elise and her struggle to stay within the wall of protection her parents have built for her. As she grows and many events beyond the wall seem wildly appealing, it becomes difficult to be content within the wall. Representative of parental wisdom, a whimsical telescope is used by her father to show her the likely outcome of common choices young people make. There are those who were not afforded a wall of protection at all, those for whom the wall was too low to protect, and those who chose to leave the protection they had been given.Readers are invited into the struggle between Elise's heart and mind, and in the end, will be delighted by the portrayal of likely future outcomes when young people trust the wall built for their protection, until the time is right for them to move beyond it.