This is an excellent follow-up by Coles to earlier works of his, such as The Moral Life of Children and The Political Life of Children. In all three books, this Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who is a child psychiatrist and teacher at Harvard, makes it clear that kids do not deserve to be treated as if they were second-class citizens when it comes to discussion of important issues such as values, politics, or religion. Coles states that children are "young pilgrims well aware that life is a finite journey and as anxious to make sense of it as those of us who are farther along in the time allotted to us." As a master in the art of listening, the author is able to get boys and girls to express their thoughts and feelings about God, the devil, heaven and hell, faith and doubt, belief and unbelief, the meaning of life, suffering, and death. Coles demonstrates an ecumenical touch with chapters on "Christian Salvation," "Islamic Surrender," and "Jewish Righteousness." After reading this book, you will understand why it is folly for parents, educators, or religious leaders to disparage or ignore the spiritual life of children.