Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou

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LJR’s Thoughts for Beneath the Swirling Sky

What a wonderful surprise Beneath the Swirling Sky turned out to be! It has everything you want in a wholesome book for your middle-grade child. The characters are likable. The story is well-told. The themes that pop up in the story will lead to amazing discussions with your pre-teens. And the surprising thing is how much I wanted to go look up every single artist and piece of art that was mentioned.

If you or your kiddos love art, you will love this book. My pre-teen also got so excited when she noticed all the artists’ names we studied at CC.

Adoptive families will want to know that Vincent’s little sister, Lili, is adopted. I know this can be a delicate topic to approach in a book so you’ll want to know about that. The fact that Vincent’s cousin is homeschooled is mentioned a few times. It’s not a huge topic of conversation but it does come up a few times. You can see that there is a shift in how he feels about it from beginning to end.

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Christian Morals/Values: 5 out of 5

Story: 5 out of 5

Read-Aloud Value: 4 out of 5

Discussion Value: 5 out of 5

Recommended Post: The Red Door by Rachel Lulich

Content Considerations for Beneath the Swirling Sky

In our usual LJR fashion, we try to find anything that Christian families may want to know about ahead of time to address, skip, or dig deeper into. Take a look at what we found below. Our take on Discipleship Opportunities is at the bottom of the review.

• Positive Behavior: Vincent is loving and protective of his adopted sister, Lili.
  Vincent’s cousin, Georgia, tells him that she doesn’t care whether pottery is cool, she does it because she liked it and doesn’t worry about what other people think.
  When Vincent and Georgia get into a pickle about Lili, they immediately get a trusted adult involved. Overall, the family looks out for each other. Georgia’s grandpa is trustworthy.
  Vincent learns about the Monuments Men in World War 2 who helped save art.
  
• Negative Behavior: Families may be turned off by Vincent’s negative attitude toward his parents. They have a strong desire for him to love art again, which Vincent is reluctant about. He also displays a lack of compassion for others and stays singly focused on himself and his situation for most of the book.
  A character eavesdrops on an adult conversation.
  Vincent’s cousin admits she often sneaks into a room she isn’t aloud in because the art in that room makes her feel closer to God. She also asks Vincent not to tell her grandpa that she can pick locks. This skill is used later in the book for good purposes.
  A character finds out that his parents have kept a very important secret from him about their family. We see the fallout of this later in the book.
  When Vincent and Georgia get into arguments with each other, they often yell at each other and resort to name-calling (see below for insults used during these fights).
  Swastikas are found in a painting but not mention of what they are. It’s seen as a bad thing.
  A characters lies and it’s seen as a bad thing.
  
• Language: “Dumb”; “Worrywart”; “Booby (as in traps)” 4x; “stupid”; “cusswords” (none are mentioned); “Darn”
• Violence/Intense Scenes: One character tells a young child “if you don’t do as you’re told, you’ll vanish” because the boogeyman will get the child; however, the character immediately tells the child it’s a joke.
  A little girl goes missing and they can’t find her.
  The villains in the book are described as people who create art that turns others against each other and they’ve massacred many people. They destroy others’ art pieces. It mentions that the product of this results in shootings and other sad things. It doesn’t specifically mention school/mass shootings but it could be implied and lead to discussion.
  Many children have been “rescued” (according to the villains) but have been taken. The children are severely punished for disobeying rules – not fed, stay in a cell all day, and even beaten. These things are “off screen” but mentioned. The children also spar each other but generic descriptions are given.
• Religion/Spirituality: Vincent learns Van Gogh often felt closer to God through nature and “that’s why the sky is so alive but the church is dark.” This book glorifies God and there’s especially a scene near the end that is absolutely beautiful that does this. This line may be a sticking point for some but it’s definitely worth reading and using this as a discussion point.
  There’s mention of the house Vincent is staying in being “magic” and obviously, this book is fantastical in nature and has magic but Georgia tells Vincent there is no such thing as magic.
  In an amazingly profound scene where Vincent is caught up in a painting of Jesus on the boat during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Vincent sees things differently.
• Racism/Discrimination: None
• Romance/Sexuality: A story is told about a girl who is in a relationship her parents don’t approve of and the boy convinces her to do dangerous things and harm people.
  Vincent and Georgia enter a painting with nude people. Vincent feels uncomfortable with it and even calls it “gross.” Georgia says naked people are a part of art and “you get used to it. But maybe that’s not a good thing.”
• Substance Usage: None

Discipleship Opportunities

• A major theme throughout the book is Vincent searching for his gift as a Restorationist and wrestling with his identity. Discuss how everyone has different gifts and they are all useful and valuable within the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12
• Though not a recurring theme, one scene in the book talks about how evil doesn’t always look evil and it’s so quick but so profound. 2 Corinthians 11:14
• Vincent had learned that art is for self-expression but realizes that art has a purpose outside of satisfying himself. 1 Peter 4:10
• “A sudden wall” appears between two characters because of a secret. Luke 8:17, 12:3

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