Books for Kids: Part 3 – Resources for Finding Great Stories

In previous posts, I explained why I’m cautious about purchasing mainstream novels. I also explained 4 benefits of providing Christian novels to our children.

But how do you go about finding children’s books with wholesome content; novels that will encourage your children in their faith, and provide positive role models?

Here are some Christian authors you may like for ages 9-18:

IMPORTANT Note: Please make sure that you always check the books for yourselves. Every parent has different convictions and boundaries.

For girls:

Sandra Byrd – She’s a best-selling author of multiple books for girls and women, and also a good friend who I met at a writer’s conference! Some of her series include London Confidential, Friends for a Season, Secret Sisters, and Friends Forever. Written mostly for 9-12 year olds, they all deal with current issues girls face, and how to make wise choices.

Melody Carlson – Also a best-selling author; some of her series include On the Runway (two college-age sisters and a fashion TV show), Diary of a Teenage Girl (real issues teens face), Faithgirlz (4 tweens who learn to work together to make the world a better place).

Nancy Rue – The series I’ve seen a lot of girls enjoying is about a sweet sixth-grader name Sophie who gets into a few tight spots, and has to learn a lesson to get out.

Heather Burch – This is a fairly new author who wrote a series for teens about half-angels, a concept I’d never heard before. It’s a fantasy story about an ordinary girl who is called on to save the world.

Bethany Hamilton – While her biography Soul Surfer is a great read for kids, she also has a couple devos for girls, as well as four fiction stories about herself.

For boys (girls will like many of these as well):

Bill Myers – He’s a very personable guy! Remember those ‘MeGee and Me’ videos from when we were kids? That was his project with Focus on the Family! He’s written tons of books for kids of all ages: My Life As … series for middle readers about a silly boy named Wally McDoogle and his multiple mishaps. His Forbidden Doors series deals with many current issues many teens face today, such as cults, hypnotism, reincarnation, and Ouija boards.

Wayne Thomas Batson – A middle school teacher by day, his books are more for the older crowd. He’s got a couple books about pirates, and a couple fantasy series: The Door Within, and Berinfell Prophecies.

Chuck Black – He writes fantasy books about various knights for tweens, simply titled: Kingdom.

Jerel Law – He wrote a series for tweens called Sons of Angels which has been compared to the Percy Jackson stories.

For both:

Ed Dunlop – He’s got a fantasy series for tweens with a Narnia-type feel called the Terrestria Chronicles.

Bryan Davis – Another author with multiple series for teens, he’s written Children of the Bard, Dragons in our Midst, Dragons of Starlight, and more.

So now that you have a ton of author names swirling about your brain, here are some specific resources to try:

1. The internet can provide plenty of options. When I Googled “Christian Books for Kids” I found several independent blogs with lists of recommended books.

2. Goodreads and Amazon also have lists for readers to utilize. Sometimes it takes a while to narrow down your search, but it can be done.

3. Christian Book Distributors sells pretty much every Christian book you can imagine, except some of the indie authors or titles from small publishers. You can sort by category.

4. Check out the publishers themselves. Most Christian publishers have an imprint for children’s novels, and a website showing their latest titles.

5. Find a Christian bookstore near you and peruse the selves! I’ve found a few titles for my kids this way, and they were quite pleased with the opportunity to browse.

Locating novels isn’t as difficult as making time to research which books will interest your child. I often search through titles with my kids beside me so they can choose for themselves. Even though I think I know what they’re interested in, they still surprise me, so I like to talk with them before I purchase anything.

If you know of a great resource I didn’t mention, please comment and share it with the rest of us!

Happy hunting!

Did you miss part one? Click here to read it!

Or part two? Click hear to read it!

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