“My eleven-year-old granddaughter, Bailey, had her school picture taken holding a copy of The Blue Umbrella. That says it all. She reads everything she gets her hands on so for her to choose your book was a huge statement. She and her friends concur that it is on a par with Harry Potter but better because of the very clear spiritual message.” -Char Stucki (Bailey’s photograph is on the left)
“We have a wonderful heritage of fantasy writers for children who desire to capture the truths of the Christian faith in their books—George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, and now Mike Mason.” -D.S. Martin
“As a professional editor and aspiring novelist myself, I can only say that Mike Mason’s The Blue Umbrella is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read … It’s a great read for any adult or young adult as a fantasy story, but when you drill down and find layer upon layer of brilliant allegory woven in, you’ll want to read it again and experience the depths.” -John David Kudrick
“The Blue Umbrella speaks to all ages and carries themes that will enrapture its readers and fill them with hope.” -Amy Browning
“Mason’s book is certainly among the ‘best of the best.’ I couldn’t put it down and neither will you.” -Amy Lignor
“This fresh tale, reminiscent of Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis, has Classic written all over it.” -Violet Nesdoly
“For some time, Christian literature has lacked fairy tales in the Narnian tradition, tales which reveal truth about ourselves and the gospel. Thankfully, Mike Mason has debuted The Blue Umbrella.” -Gabe Knipp
“As a novelist, Mason has it all: vivid and convincing characterization; engaging dialogue; absorbing and unpredictable plotting with an underpinning of serious concerns; humour which entertains without distracting from the narrative; and above all, a fine writing style…. It’s no exaggeration, in my view, to call this book a classic for fantasy lovers of all ages.” -David F. Dawes
“I’ve loved all of Mike Mason’s writings—his imaginative short stories, his thoughtful essays on vital topics like marriage, children, and joy. Now, here’s another side of Mason: The Blue Umbrella begins a series of wild and wonderful novels where invention truly takes flight…. Reading this magical work makes me wish for my own blue umbrella, makes me hope that this series will join others in the minds of readers who loved Madeleine L’Engle’s sci-fi writings. As L’Engle herself insisted, this kind of fiction is not just for children. It’s for people. People like you!” -Luci Shaw, author of Breath for the Bones and The Angles of Light.
“I expect great things for The Blue Umbrella…. You can’t go wrong with this book!” -Becky Warkentin, House of James bookstore.
“Bravo! Fantastic! Beautifully done! … I’m so excited to read the next volume!” -Matt Erickson
“The three of us have read your book many times each and absolutely adore it! Our Grade 7/8 class does a monthly book report and we chose to make a video presentation of our favourite book, The Blue Umbrella!” -Faith, Kayly, & Sarah
“This book is an absolute treasure!” -Laura
“When I gave The Blue Umbrella to my son he was skeptical … but he stayed up ALL night reading it! Now that’s a compliment. He LOVES it!” -Carol-Ann Flanagan
“This is the BEST book I have ever read! You HAVE to read it too!” -Emma, nine years old
“My son Asher has been saying for weeks that he wants to meet Mike Mason! We have both thoroughly enjoyed your book…. I love your use of the English language. It is a long time since I have read such wonderful sentences.” -David Chapman (Photo: Asher with Mike Mason)
