For over four years, Jesse's father's addiction to alcohol and gambling deprives Jesse and his mom of basic necessities, overwhelming twelve-year-old Jesse Hall. He feels a need to help his family, but it causes him to neglect school so much that he is in danger of repeating the sixth grade. Jesse forges his mom's name on his grade card and makes other bad choices. He thinks a lie will cover up his misdeed and is sure his sin is redeemable.
Jesse blames all his problems on his father's drinking and gambling and yearns for him to reform. Then, at the County Fair Jesse sees the worst in his dad and learns more about his past.
The church finds a new pastor and his wife who offer Jesse a path to his own redemption. At the same time, Jesse's two-and-a-half-year-old sister is suspected of being a source of healing and is sought after by church members who are suffering. "Only God and medicine can heal," says the family doctor.
Can a newly formed AA group turn Jesse's dad around? Can a Confirmation retreat unbridle amazing talents of Jesse and his five close friends? How can a visit to a corpse on display in a nearby town right a wrong done to one of Jesse's friends? Does Jesse's dad get the help he needs? Does Jesse's sister truly have the power to heal people?
Jesse's Dream is the third and final book in Victor Hess' Searching for Family series and is the launching pad for the Wesley Club Adventures series soon to be released.
If you like Summer by the Woods by Steven K. Smith or Secret Lake by Karen Ingles, and the Red Rock Mystery series by Jerry B. Jenkins, you will like Jesse's Dream.