The Guardian by Joyce Sweeney

Genre: Young Adult

At age thirteen, Hunter has already been placed in four foster homes. Despite the fact that Hunter has a pretty bad life, he does not complain about it. He just takes it. His foster mother is verbally abusive (and sometimes physically, as well), his sisters are mentally abusive, and a bully at school is physically abusive. It doesn't help that his foster father Mike, the only person who truly appreciated him, is dead. After experiencing all these misfortunes and abuse, it's a wonder how Hunter stays sane and good at heart.

When mysterious miracles start happening and Hunter's prayers begin to come true, Hunter can't help but wonder if it is the work of his guardian angel or if he's finally cracking down from all the abuse he has taken. It's not until his guardian angel is revealed to him does Hunter realize he has to make an important, life-altering choice. Joyce Sweeney's The Guardian is a splendid novel about family, hope, and faith.

Hunter truly is the real angel of this novel. Although he has his own problems to deal with, he still worries about others, namely his youngest foster sister. He also does his best to support the family through doing yard work for others, earning the most income out of all the children in his family. Not to mention, he is intelligent for his age.

Hunter's situation makes readers desperately wish that his guardian angel was truly real despite the other characters' skepticism. Hunter may not live in a heavenly place, but he sure does try to make the best of his situation. Although I wish the ending could have been different, I thought this was a superb and unique novel that is absolutely worth reading.

Delightful and divine, The Guardian is a powerful novel that will captivate readers.