Matthew Moves Ahead - Matthew in the Middle Series, Book 3 (Mathes)

After three long years of waiting, Matthew Vos is finally going to the Cadet International Camporee! He’s earning money to buy supplies, but the lawnmower slips from his grip and cuts through a customer’s garden. Matthew’s hopes wither like the sheared-off plant tops. What more could possibly go wrong? And will the Camporee turn out to be all he’s imagined?

“Matthew Moves Ahead is the third book in a three-volume series that realistically portrays a specific religious and ethnic community (Dutch Reformed) as it existed in 1996 and continues to flourish within small geographical pockets in the United States and Canada. Although worship services and family devotions have changed in many places, the practices as depicted in this story are still observed by many churches and families.

The setting and characters are fictional, but truthful to real-life experience. These books transport the reader into the life of an ordinary, but imaginative boy – a Preacher’s Kid – surrounded by complex people and person problems that help him grow in many ways.

The novels are aimed at middle grade boys, but anyone can enjoy them. Within the context of an engaging story, readers learn about handling problems, valuing others, overcoming fears, and trusting God.” – From the Author

Author

Glenda Mathes is an author and editor who lives with her husband near Pella, Iowa. They have four adult children, two of whom are married, and five grandsons. 

Endorsements

"I love this kid. Of course, I love Matt’s fondness for The Accidental Detectives books, but I also love his humorous voice, active imagination, and fledgling faith. Glenda Faye Mathes crafts vivid scenes and authentic dialogue that draw me into the story and into Matt’s head. Because Matthew Moves Ahead in realistic ways that reflect universal childhood disappointments and joys, readers will love Matthew, too." —Sigmund Brouwer, best-selling author of over 40 novels, including many series for young readers and Thief of Glory, Book of the Year Christy Award 2015 

“'He leaned over the table and contorted his face like speckled Silly Putty.' This playful line (one of so many) from Matthew Moves Ahead aptly demonstrates how well the author pegs fun, insightful, and altogether natural word pictures. Reading through a brief period of Matt’s everyday life is much like living a brief period of your own. The young boy in the heart of Glenda Faye Mathes is us—and he comes to life with rich and believable detail, warmly testifying to God’s love in real time." —Norm Bomer, God’s World News, Senior Editor (retired) and author of Sons of the River: A Nebraska Memoir 

"What an adventure! Matthew Moves Ahead is a delightful story and a great addition to the library of any young boy, especially a Cadet who has actually participated in an International Camporee. Glenda Faye Mathes has obviously done a lot of research and accurately portrays Kamp Kananaskis details, even down to menus and devotions. The characters develop well as the story progresses, and the reader will see Matthew’s cadre grow into a unit of close friends by the week’s end. All in all, it’s a tale well told." —G. Richard Broene, Executive Director, Calvinist Cadet Corps