The Cloud
Mary Clark Dalton
(Deep River Books, 95 pages)
The Cloud is a lovely tale of the redemption of a high school boy whose life has fallen apart, and
in his anger and feeling of abandonment, decides to do something desperate.
The Cloud is perfect for high school youth groups. It opens with a church youth pastor giving
the kids an assignment to pray for a troubled classmate as a reflection on the parable of The
Prodigal Son.
Several of the teens pick the same boy. They focus their thoughts and prayers on him. This
focus opens their eyes to become more aware and attuned to his pain. They turn their Youth
Group exercise into opening their hearts and minds to the needs of someone who is right in
their midst, but their own concerns have made him almost invisible.
Mary Clark Dalton manages to portray the characters in this tidy book poignant and relatable.
She has granted depth to the teachers and fellow students of the troubled boy. The relationship
between the boy and his father is believable and relatable.
The Cloud is only 95 pages. The last two pages list discussion questions which should be a
wonderful opening for any youth group
(Authorlink Sponsored Review)
