Into the Crashing Waves

By Stephanie Cardel

Description:

Sixteen-year-old Dante Edmonds finally feels like his life is coming together. His foster dad wants to adopt him. He has an amazing girlfriend. He’s on track to get a scholarship to MIT because of his mad computer skills. Then his girlfriend’s ex frames him for possession, and his mom’s past comes back to haunt them both. Dante’s hope for a future comes to a screeching halt, along with his trust in God. He meets a guy in juvie with a plan to escape and lots of answers, but Dante doesn’t want a life on the run. He wants revenge.

Book Takeaway:

God is with me, even in the crashing waves of life.

Why the author wrote this book:

Into the Crashing Waves is a YA modern reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo with a forgiveness twist. The main character is a Christian and accepted Christ after hearing a sermon on Matthew 14:22-33. When his life falls apart, he can no longer keep his eyes fixed on Jesus. Like Peter, he starts to sink into the crashing waves. It takes his false identity being found out and the bad guys coming for him and his girlfriend for him to realize how he turned his back on God and how to get his eyes back on Jesus. I wrote this story to remind teens that God is with them, even in the crashing waves of life.