The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud (The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz, Book One) [Paperback]

Jenny L. Cote (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Winner of the 2009 Gold Award in the Readers Favorite Book Review and Awards!

Wit, Whimsy, Heartache, Tragedy, Triumph and Biblical Truth A magical adventure of animals traveling worldwide to Noah's ark Max, a Scottish terrier, takes his usual morning trot down to the loch where he hears a mysterious Voice humming in the reeds saying, "COME TO ME . . .
FOLLOW THE FIRE CLOUD." He embarks on an unknown journey from Scotland, meeting other animals along the way including Liz, a brilliant, petite black cat from France. Max and Liz become the brave leaders for their group, and eventually, for the entire ark. The mysterious journey, filled with danger, humor, trials, and triumphs, leads them across Europe to the Middle East.
The moment of arrival for these animals is spectacular as the ark is miraculously transformed into the animals' natural habitats.
Throughout the prior one hundred years, Noah and family have to endure ridicule from villagers while building the ark. Now this family must painfully witness the loss of lives and total destruction of the earth through the mighty flood.
After the journey to the ark, the voyage in the ark begins. Liz finds ways to keep the animals occupied, including daily exercise led by the flamingos and talent night where the animals entertain each other with their natural abilities. BUT a sinister plot develops. Someone is out to kill Noah and his family. Liz follows clues that lead her to discover a stowaway who has deceived them all. Max and Liz foil the plot, but at a high price. The end climaxes with unexpected twists and turns, taking the reader from despair to hope.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Award winning author Jenny L. Cote developed an early passion for God, history, and young people and beautifully blends these passions together in her two fantasy fiction series The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz and Epic Order of the Seven (September 2010). When not writing herself, she teaches the art of creative writing to students in schools and universities across the country with fun, highly interactive workshops. She lives in Roswell, Georgia, with her husband Casey, and son Alex.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: AMG Publishers (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899571980
• ISBN-13: 978-0899571980
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Children's Books > Religions > Christianity > Noah's Ark

More About the Author

Award winning author and speaker Jenny L. Cote developed an early passion for God, history, and young people, and beautifully blends these passions together in her two fantasy fiction series, The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz(tm) and Epic Order of the Seven. Jenny introduced readers to Max and Liz with her first book The Ark, the Reed, & the Fire Cloud (winner of the 2009 Readers Favorite Gold Award). Book two continues with the story of Joseph in Egypt in The Dreamer, the Schemer, and the Robe (winner of the 2010 Readers Favorite Gold Award). Jenny's new series that picks up where the prequels of Max and Liz left off: Epic Order of the Seven. Book one: The Prophet, the Shepherd, and the Star is the 2011 Readers Favorite Gold Award Winner for Christian Historical Fiction.

When not writing herself, Jenny teaches students about the art of creative writing through fun, highly interactive workshops at schools and universities across the country and abroad. Jenny lives in Roswell, Georgia, with her husband and son. Visit Jenny at www.epicorderoftheseven.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Fantasy Based on Biblical Concepts, October 30, 2008

By 

Richard R. Blake (Bridgman, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud (The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz, Book One) (Paperback)

Jenny L. Cote captures the imagination of the juvenile reader in "The Ark, the Reed, & the Fire Cloud." Fantasy and allegory reminiscent of C. S. Lewis help the young reader understand God's provision and preservation through this fresh interpretation of the Biblical story of Noah's Ark. Max a young Scott Terrier and Liz a petite black cat from France follow the call of the Maker to "Come to Me." During their journey across Europe to the Middle East they become leaders of a menagerie of worldwide animals, arriving on time to meet Noah and board his Ark before the rains came.

The story takes a unique twist after the landing of the ark. Cote comes through with an ominous plot to kill Noah, the discovery of a stowaway on the ark, and an encounter with Charlatan, the Evil One.

Cotes has created a winner in "The Ark, the Reed, & the Fire Cloud." I am sure we will hear more of the magical adventure tales of Max and Liz in the near future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story and a massive adventure of Biblical proportions, November 2, 2008

By 

Lori Robson "Robbsong" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud (The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz, Book One) (Paperback)

Even a non-religious person like myself can appreciate the beauty of this wonderful read.

Max, a Scottish terrier, and Liz, a beautiful black cat, are called from their individual homes to lead an ever-growing group of animals to Noah's recently-finished Ark. Along the way are many obstacles that, with a little help from the Maker and his trail-blazing fire cloud, the slew of furry creatures successfully cross. But once they board the ark and settle in, a controversy starts to brew. Are the reclusive wolves causing all the chaos that is slowly severing the friendly ties between the animals and the humans? If not them, who could be responsible for such a task? It's up to the brave and intelligent pairing of Max and Liz to find out before it's too late.

This book had me flipping through chapter after chapter, anxiously following the creatures from distant and nearby lands to the Ark. Each character, no matter how big a part, has their own personality that shines through, providing humorous relief or a jaw-dropping twist to the story. Cote flawlessly links the details of the trip with the recordings of the Bible. The closing of the adventure is beautiful and tear-inducing. An amazing literary work.

- T.C. Robson

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Ark the Reed and the Fire Cloud, October 19, 2008

By 

Christine M. Irvin (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud (The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz, Book One) (Paperback)

"The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud," is a clever and imaginative tale based on the Biblical story of Noah's Ark. The animals come to Noah from all parts of the world, thousands of them. These beasts and fowl are called by the "Maker" to follow the "fire cloud", a cloud in the sky that glows with the brightness of fire. The animals reach the ark safely, after many trials along the way, but things don't go smoothly while they are all aboard. There is "dissension among the troups". How things are resolved is both amusing and thought-provoking.

We start the story with Max, a Scottish Terrier, (Maximillan Braveheart the Bruce) traveling by himself. He soon meets up with Al, a cat. Then, they are joined by a pair of gulls, another cat, etc. Much of the first part of the story deals with their adventures and exploits, but as the story continues, we are introduced to other characters from other parts of the world. Max, and a cat named Liz, becomes the leaders of all the animals. The reed, which is carried by Max, plays an integral part in the story.

Many of the animals have some type of quirk - A dog afraid of water; a giraffe afraid of heights; a horse that "runs in his sleep"; a rhino with "anger management" issues; etc. And, of course, each animal has its own personality.

The animals come from many countries and speak many languages. Although the book is written in English, the characters manage to interject phrases from their respective countries into the dialogue. The reader is thus treated to snippets of Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, and Russian, among others. This enhances the storyline and educates the reader, as well. There is also a section in the back of the book that lists the names of all the different types of animals mentioned in the book, their character names (if they were used as specific characters), their country of origin, and any foreign phrases (along with English translations) used throughout the book.

There is much good to be said about this story, but alas, there are a few faults that I feel should be mentioned. First, there are a couple of discrepancies in the story line. At one point in the story, Al (one of the characters) takes off the seed bag he is carrying and lays it on the ground. Seconds later, he is sent crashing down a mountainside during an avalanche. There is no mention of his ever picking the bag back up, but somehow, the seed bag shows up later in the story without any explanation as to how it got there. There are also a few minor typos sprinkled throughout the text. And, there are places where the writing would benefit from a bit of editing.

But, all in all, this is a very good story, as it is laced with lessons about obeying God and doing what's right. It's also a story about friendship and forgiveness and tolerance. And, this is the first in a series of books by this author, featuring Max and Liz. The next book is called The Dreamer, the Schemer, and the Robe (a story about the Bible character Joseph). 4 stars.