Prince of Dreams is an historical account of the life of the biblical prophet Daniel from his days as a member of the royal family in Jerusalem to his early days as a captive in Babylon.  He learns the ways of the Babylonian court and is promoted to be an adviser to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  The Bible covers this time period in Daniel 1-2.  In Daniel 2, the Lord raised up Daniel to produce an interpretation of a troublesome dream of King Nebuchadnezzar’s.  This is where the author gets his title, Prince of Dreams.  According to the publisher’s statement on the back of the book, this work should be listed under the category of Children’s Books/Middle Elementary (Ages 10-14).  The price for this paperback is $10.99.
 
A couple of profitable ways of using this resource could be either as a family read-aloud or as an assigned reading for students.  Discussion questions could be brought out from the reading to answer in group discussion or in an assigned writing project.
 
In our home, my boys (ages 12 and 13) read it on their own, and I read it on my own.  I encouraged them to take notes, and we discussed the book intermittently as we read.  We had been talking about the character trait of loyalty and also about James 1:2-4 where James encourages Christians to count it all joy when we encounter various trials and tribulations knowing that the testing of our faith works patience and perfection in maturity.  Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishahel, and Azariah, are presented as wonderful examples of young men who were loyal to God even while living in a foreign country among heathen people.  They trusted God to protect them and be with them as they served Him throughout their various trials and tribulations.  Their faith was strengthened and God was glorified, particularly to King Nebuchadnezzar.

My boys and I enjoyed reading this book, and we found it did generate some good discussion.  The only problem I had with the book was with some taking of liberties in presenting Daniel’s early life story.  I am not a Biblical or historical scholar, so questionable aspects of the story may be actually true or at least a possibility.  The author didn’t claim to be sharing an actual account; he seems to be attempting to develop the story of Daniel 1-2 so that a young person reading the story could have a better understanding of the historical context of the story and the person of Daniel.  Daniel, as presented in this account, is definitely shown as a wonderful role-model for our children to learn from and emulate.  In conclusion, I give this book a good recommendation.

Product review by Becky Voytek, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2008