Hi, Janet Wilson here, founder of Dernier Publishing. On Sunday I have the privilege of speaking to the Hillsong London Kids’ 7-11s about Christian books! I have a little talk planned, and aim to encourage them to be brave, because children are as important to God as adults. Please pray for a good response! I’ll try to remember to take some photos to show you next week. π
We are absolutely delighted to let you know that our first audio book is now for sale on Audible and iTunes! So now, if your child doesn’t love reading, or you want to listen together on a journey, you can still enjoy this story!
This is a great book to bring up themes of justice and mercy, judgement and forgiveness. The Bible teaches us we need to talk to our children about the Lord in our everyday lives – when we sit and walk, and wherever we go. Now you can listen to this book in your home or car, and join in with the discussion questions afterwards!
Here’s a bit about the book: Paul hates his sister – she has been awful to him ever since he can remember, and when he finds a flying carpet in his gran’s loft he seeks revenge… but gets a lot more than he bargained for. Justice, judgement, forgiveness, mercy… Paul sees them all as he and Trinity travel through time and space. But then comes something completely unexpected… You can find the book here.
We love it when readers take the time to send in their reviews. Thank you, Mary, for sending us your lovely reviews of Beech Bank Girls, Making a Difference, and Beech Bank Girls, Christmas is Coming!. We are so glad you enjoyed the stories, and hope other people will enjoy reading your reviews. π
“I really like Beech Bank Girls. It is about six teenage friends, Annie, Willow, Rachel, Amber, and Chloe. Holly is on holiday!
In this book, a new girl, Madalina comes to school. She is a Roma gypsy and will only stay for a while, and so she does not have to wear school uniform.
The Beech Bank Girls make friends with Madalina, and give her their spare school uniforms. Madalina tells them that she will have to go home, but in the end the headmaster gives her something that means she will go back to her parents but will come back to school again!
Also there is a fun night at Beech Bank. There is a film on at Beech Bank, and lots of the girls cry during it. Willow meets one of the presenters called Jay, and she likes him. After the film the girls came up with the idea to give Madalina school uniform. The other girls all join in with it.
Another thing that happens in this book is that Amber’s sister, Kim comes home from university and says that she won’t go back. She had met a boy on the internet and he wanted her to show him round her university. In the end she decides not to meet up with him. He sends loads of emails, and says he will try to find her. Amber tells Kim about God, and she decides to believe in Him and is generally much happier.
I really like all that happens in this book especially how they are kind to Madalina. I think you should read it, and I think that you will enjoy it too!
I really like Beech Bank Girls. It is about six teenage friends, Annie, Willow, Rachel, Holly, Amber, and Chloe.
In this book, Holly comes back from holiday and her father’s business goes bankrupt. Amber is rather mean to Holly and says, βWelcome to the new world.β Because Holly has always been rather rich. In the end they both say sorry. (At the same time!)
Rachel’s sister, Ruth, thinks that she is too fat. So Ruth goes on a diet and does not eat really anything. She faints at Beech Bank after missing lunch, and is taken to hospital. Rachel talks with Ruth, and Ruth says she did not enjoy her diet, and goes back to normal eating.
Annie has an accident on a sledge, and hurts her foot. The sky gets dark and the girls can’t find their way back. All of the girls’ fathers come and find them.
I really like all that happens in this book especially how they all work together. I think you should read it, and I think that you will enjoy it too!” – Mary
We would like to take this opportunity, as we take a few days’ break to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, to thank everyone who has supported and prayed for Dernier. We appreciate you all.
We would like to wish you a very Happy Easter. May you experience the love of God in a deeper way than ever before.
All this week we will be working on our audio books… please pray with us as we seek to serve our children/young people in this way. Thank you! Here are some more of the covers:
If you’d like to be kept informed about the progress of the audio books, please contact us and we’ll let you know when they are up and running. π
Please pray! After months of hard work and lots of hiccups we have uploaded our first audio book (Revenge of the Flying Carpet) to audible and itunes… it’s awaiting approval (which could be up to fourteen days). Once this one has been sorted (and there may be some further technical tweaks to be made) we will start work on uploading all our other books, one by one. It’s been a learning curve – but will be so worth it, because children who don’t enjoy reading will still be able to enjoy our books!
All the news from the last month, condensed into one handy place! π Enjoy and be encouraged… and thanks for all your support and prayers. x
Easter… If Jesus hadn’t died for us, if he hadn’t been raised from the dead, we would be lost forever, with no hope. It’s hard to express, for those of us who are children of God, how much that means to us. Words can not convey the gratitude, however much we try. This story, of all stories, is so full of joy after sorrow, hope after despair, light after darkness, truth after deception, life after death, undeserved forgiveness. Once again at this time of year, our hearts overflow with awe at the amazing grace of God β his sacrifice for us, because he loved us.
It’s a story we have to share. Please continue to pray for the children who read our books, which convey something of the good news of Jesus, wherever they are in the world β orphans and refugees in Nigeria, desperately poor children in Kenya, children of prisoners in the UK, and so many others.
Children who go to church, and children who donβtβ¦ all need encouragement to walk with Jesus.
If your church has an Easter outreach event, A New Me for 10-12s would be a great book for the children to take home. The story features Jess, whose dad has left home because he drinks. Forced to move home as they are behind with the rent, Jess, her mum and brother start a new life in a new village. Jess joins the church youth club and meets Christian young people for the first time in her life. She learns about Jesus, forgiveness, and what a new start really means. As in all our newer books, A New Me has a dyslexia friendly design.
Rebecca, in Rebecca and Jade: Choices (for teens) opens her heart to Jesus at an Easter church service. Do you have a teenage girl you could share this book with?
Mystery in the Snow is also set at Easter, although it does snow (not unknown in the UK!).
If you were looking for a book on forgiveness/grace/justice/mercy, Revenge of the Flying Carpet (for 10-14s) would be a good option. Good for young people living with difficult people/situations they feel powerless to change.
Please contact us for quantity discounts. We want your young people to have our books, and will do what we can to help you.
Reviews like this brighten our day! A girl called Mary kindly took the time to write to us via our website contact form:
βI wrote a book review for my school work, and I was wondering if you would like to use it:
‘I really like Beech Bank Girls. It is about six teenage friends, Annie, Willow, Rachel, Holly, Amber, and Chloe.
In this book, there is a miracle with Chloeβs brother. He has been unwell with depression, he reads Christian books, becomes a Christian, and is much better.
Another thing that happens is that Amberβs dog dies, and her parents try to make her happier by getting another dog. They wanted her to name it. It makes Amber sadder, but after a cat fights the dog (who she names Hamlet in the end) she becomes friends with him.
Holly has a date with a boy, he
kisses her, and she does not like it, so she cancels the date.
Annie
joins the group of friends. Also, Willow gets to know God better.
It
is a really interesting book. I think you should read it, and I think
that you will enjoy it too!‘β
Thank you, Mary, for your encouragement!
We are building up our list of books that have Discussion Questions. If you want to discuss the book with your children, run a book club, or use the book as a class reader, you may find these questions helpful. You can find the list of books that already have questions here.
Because our books go to schools and are used in all sorts of different contexts, we have tried to keep the questions simple and non-threatening, but we hope they will help readers get the most from the stories. To give you an idea, here are the questions for Deepest Darkness (feel free to skip on!):
1. Everyone is afraid of something. Do you have the same kinds of fears as Abi, or are yours different? Abiβs anxieties are all-consuming and affect what she is able to do. Are your fears like that?
2. Abiβs family is supportive of her fears, but other people donβt understand. Do people understand how you feel?
3. Abi felt safe in the cabin. Do you have a safe place, a place where you can be yourself, and relax?
4. What things do you miss out on (if any) because of your fears? Do you want to be able to overcome your anxiety, or are you happy the way you are?
5. Abiβs dad is very different to Abi. He likes challenges, whereas she doesnβt. What are the differences between you and your family and friends?
6. Nic only takes Abi one step at a time with her fears. She wouldnβt have been able to walk in the forest at night if she hadnβt first slept without a light at night, then walked in the forest during the daytime. Is there anything in your life you would like to change, if you could do it a little at a time?
7. Abi and her family have never thought about God before. Do you think God cares about us, and answers our prayers, even if we donβt really know what to do or say?
8. Abiβs family didnβt know much about praying, but they were willing to give it a try. Would you be willing to pray for someone else who needs to see light in their situation, like Abiβs dad needed to see the light in the forest?
9. Nic talks about Jesus being the true light that shines in the darkness. What do you think of that idea? Do you think you could carry the light of Jesus with you in your life? If you did, could that help you do something you couldnβt do before?
10. Did Abiβs story inspire you? In what ways?
This is the link to our online catalogue. All our books are there for you to browse.
Please pass the link on to schools, teachers, youth workers, homeschoolers, people who work with Boys and Girls Brigades, and anyone you know who might be interested in Christian books for the children on their heart.
Feel free to browse then buy from your local Christian bookshop β they need your support to keep going.
Every new order is exciting! You never know where the books will end up. Will they go to a girl like Mary, who enjoyed the story? Who will read them? Will they change lives? These five books (below) were ordered from our website by a lady in Chatham, Kent. May they be much used and loved! Don’t let your young people miss out. Not every child enjoys reading, but if you know one who does, don’t miss the opportunity to be a blessing.
Do you have a story about a book that touched you as a child? We’d love to hear from you. π
Right, that’s all for now! May the grace of the Lord remain with you always.
Janet
P.S. We very much appreciate your feedback. With this in mind, what one thing could we do to make it easier for you to buy our books?
Have you visited the Dernier Publishing facebook page? If you are looking for Christian books for the young people on your heart, we hope to inspire you with book reviews, snippets of information, news, events and special offers that may be of interest. Love to see you over there! π Check out the video of Janet Wilson talking about our latest book – A New Me (above). If there’s anything you’d like to know, please ask. We’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can. π
Did you know we have Discussion Questions for some of our books? You can find the questions here. They could be useful if you run a book group, want to discuss the book with your children, or use the group for as a class reader. To give you an idea, here are the questions for Deepest Darkness (for 8-11s-ish):
1. Everyone is afraid of something. Do you have the same kinds of fears as Abi, or are yours different? Abiβs anxieties are all-consuming and affect what she is able to do. Are your fears like that?
2. Abiβs family is supportive of her fears, but other people donβt understand. Do people understand how you feel?
3. Abi felt safe in the cabin. Do you have a safe place, a place where you can be yourself, and relax?
4. What things do you miss out on (if any) because of your fears? Do you want to be able to overcome your anxiety, or are you happy the way you are?
5. Abiβs dad is very different to Abi. He likes challenges, whereas she doesnβt. What are the differences between you and your family and friends?
6. Nic only takes Abi one step at a time with her fears. She wouldnβt have been able to walk in the forest at night if she hadnβt first slept without a light at night, then walked in the forest during the daytime. Is there anything in your life you would like to change, if you could do it a little at a time?
7. Abi and her family have never thought about God before. Do you think God cares about us, and answers our prayers, even if we donβt really know what to do or say?
8. Abiβs family didnβt know much about praying, but they were willing to give it a try. Would you be willing to pray for someone else who needs to see light in their situation, like Abiβs dad needed to see the light in the forest?
9. Nic talks about Jesus being the true light that shines in the darkness. What do you think of that idea? Do you think you could carry the light of Jesus with you in your life? If you did, could that help you do something you couldnβt do before?
10. Did Abiβs story inspire you? In what ways?
We hope these questions will help you engage with your children, and help to build them up in their walk with God. Let us know in the comments below if you use them, or if you have any further ideas for questions!
If your church has an Easter outreach event for 10-12s, A New Me would be a great book to take home. The story features Jess, whose dad has left home because he drinks. Forced to move home as they are behind with the rent, Jess, her mum and brother start a new life in a new village.
Jess joins a church youth club and meets Christian young people for the first time in her life. She learns about Jesus, forgiveness, and what a new start really means…
As in all our newer books, A New Me has a dyslexia friendly design. Contact us for quantity discounts. π
Reviews like this brighten our day! This message is from a girl called Mary, who kindly took the time to write to us:
I wrote a book review for my school work, and I was wondering if you would like to use it:
“I really like Beech Bank Girls. It is about six teenage friends, Annie, Willow, Rachel, Holly, Amber, and Chloe.
In this book, there is a miracle with Chloeβs brother. He has been
unwell with depression, he reads Christian books, becomes a Christian,
and is much better.
Another thing that happens is that Amberβs dog
dies, and her parents try to make her happier by getting another dog.
They wanted her to name it. It makes Amber sadder, but after a cat
fights the dog (who she names Hamlet in the end) she becomes friends
with him.
Holly has a date with a boy, he kisses her, and she does not like it, so she cancels the date.
Annie joins the group of friends. Also, Willow gets to know God better.
It is a really interesting book. I think you should read it, and I think that you will enjoy it too!”
A Pennyworth of Peppermints in set in the Great War. This is a lovely story for children studying the two world wars at school. There’s even a glossary at the end, and some recipes! Ben and his friends Sidney and Vera foil a spy plot, and learn about faith, evil, and who the enemy really is. For 8-11s, it’s a lovely book with lots of detail on what life would have been like for families living through this terrible war, and we walk with Ben as he takes the decision to trust in God. Educational and faith-building!
Beech Bank Girls, A Time Remembered, is a book for girls 10+. The story is set in current times, but Willow finds a diary written 100 years ago, which gives a fascinating insight to the war from one girl’s viewpoint. The Beech Bank Girls discover that although many things change, God remains as faithful now as He was when Grace was alive. If you want to encourage your girls in their faith, or give a girl you love the opportunity to find out what it means to be a Christian, this is the book for you. π
Hello, thanks for dropping by! Janet here today with just a quick news update: I will be visiting Hillsong kids’ Sunday School group in May! (In London.) Lovely talking to one of the children’s workers, Gabi, yesterday. I’m looking forward to showing the children our books!
Children who go to church, and children who don’t… both need encouragement to walk with Jesus.
If you’d like someone from Dernier to come and talk to your children, please do get in touch. π
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength.
These commandments should be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home when you walk along the road when you lie down when you get up… “
Take this seriously. The way you live your life, and the conversations you share about your faith can mean so much.
Christian books can be a natural way in to help you talk about your faith. If we can help, please let us know!
Hi, Janet Wilson here, from Dernier Publishing. Every month I write a round-up of news, so you can be informed, inspired, buy books and pray for us! You can read the latest newsletter by clicking here.
I hope you find it helpful and interesting!
Good morning everyone!
We’ve never given our kindle books a lot of publicity, so we thought we would give a little promotion to I Want to Be an Airline Pilot on kindle, and see how it goes. We have reduced the price to 99p ($1.29), for a limited time.
Having a kindle book just isn’t the same as having a paperback in your hands, but there are advantages: the story is instantly downloadable, so you can have it for a car journey or a rainy day without waiting for it to arrive, it’s cheaper than a paperback and you can order it wherever you are in the world. Plus it takes less space in your luggage, if you’re off on holiday. π
Did you know You can read kindle books on any electronic device with the free kindle app? So you don’t need a kindle to read a kindle book!
You can also buy a kindle book as a gift for someone else’s kindle/tablet/phone/device, which is brilliant β OK, you can’t unwrap it, but it’s instant, and there’s no shipping!
Why not give it a try?
I Want to Be an Airline Pilot is the first in a series of three books set in Rwanda. The story is moving, inspirational and fun. It features an eight-year-old goatherd from a child-led family, who discovers through a series of adventures that he has a father in heaven who cares for him.
It’s a lovely book to share answers to prayer, God’s love, the church as family, God’s provision and grace β and lots of hope! Lovely for family reading, to share together. Equally good for bookworms who love to hide themselves away with a good book. π
Here’s the link to buy I Want to Be an Airline Pilot on Amazon UK
Here’s the link to buy I Want to Be an Airline Pilot on Amazon.com
You can also order the book from any of the other Amazon stores β Japan, Canada, India etc.
Here are some comments from readers:
βI just wanted to tell you how much Joe and I are enjoying reading I want to be an airline pilot!! I’m reading it to Joe at bedtime and he’s really enjoying it β it’s his favourite book so far!! And he’s read lots of books! He loves the bits about Rwanda that he’s learning and his bedtime prayers are full of thanks for all his blessings. We’ve had some really good chats following on from each chapter too. Each chapter he tried to persuade me to read on so he can find out what happens next β and not just delaying bedtime, he’s genuinely wanting to keep going!!!β
βBased on the authorβs experience of living in Rwanda, yet sensitively written for younger readers, this book and itsβ sequels are great little stories with plot lines that really draw you in and make for a good read. They also help children to realise how different life can be for children in other cultures. The Christian content is appropriate for the setting. I highly recommend them.β
βThis was an intriguing and delightful tale of an orphaned family which was written with great compassion. The hero, Shema, and the lady that rescued him, Mama Grace, and their fears and emotions were very well portrayed. The story was fast-moving and full of local interest.β
Any questions about the book, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Do you write novels for young people from a Christian perspective, or would you like to give it a go? Janet Wilson runs ‘Write for a Reason’, which is a resource for anyone who’d like a bit of help and encouragement with their writing. You can find more here.
If you know a family who is struggling financially, why not buy them a book or two for their children? Parents might love to have a selection of Christian books, but not be able to afford to buy them. Your gift could bring life! If you’re worried they might think it a bit weird, how about saying, “I saw this and thought of you,” or just put the books anonymously through the door? Or buy them for Easter, a birthday, or find another excuse? π You never know what blessings your gift could bring.
It’s half term (in case you needed reminding!). Reading together is really cheap entertainment, for hours of pleasure! You can take your children to foreign places, meet amazing people, be encouraged and inspired together… all from the comfort of your settee! Oh, and perhaps the most important thing of all… build up your faith… grab this opportunity before it’s gone.
We are influenced by what we put into our minds – good or bad. Christian books help us think about spiritual and moral issues in a positive way. Christian characters can inspire us in the way they win through in different situations… and ideas that come up in stories help us to evaluate our own lives.
Long live Christian fiction for young people!
It won’t be too long before Lent begins (Tuesday 5th March is Shrove Tuesday). What about reading a Christian book with your child (or as a family) – a bit every day through Lent this year? Be a great opportunity to draw closer to God together, maybe? Just a thought!
Perhaps you could keep a 40 day journal of what you learn together? It could be a precious keepsake.
If you need a recommendation of a book for a specific issue, let us know. Otherwise, why not start with I Want to Be an Airline Pilot (lovely family story) or A Pennyworth of Peppermints (set in WWI). If your child struggles with anxiety, Deepest Darkness would be a great choice. If you have girls, The Birthday Shoes is a fun book for 7-10s, or if you have older girls, the Beech Bank Girls are fab for 10+. Boys love The Treasure Hunt and Mystery in the Snow. If you have any recommendations of your own, please leave them in the comments below!
The two boxes of books we sent to Archbishop Ben Kwashi in Plateau State in Nigeria have arrived! We are delighted to hear this wonderful news, and are grateful to all who donated.
These books will go to schools in and around Jos, where there are many orphans and refugees, due to the troubles. Please pray the books will be enjoyed by many readers, and bring light and life and hope where there is so much darkness. Thank you! And if you’d like to sponsor a box of books, let me know. Now we know the shipping works, we can send more.
π This is a brilliant way to help – actual physical help that will make a difference. What a wonderful privilege!
Reviews like this make all the hard work worthwhile:
A little boy said after reading Deepest Darkness, “It made me happy.” This little chap suffers from low self-esteem and anxieties.
His mum, who read the book with him, said, “I was able to use Abiβs experiences of overcoming her fears, to try to get him to see how he might overcome or build upon small steps like Abi did. Social stories are tools used in school to help him understand some of his emotions so this was a good book for him.”
Mum also said, “I liked the way the book was written, how it had a lovely story but also explored faith related issues. The description of the island made it very believable.”
Her son added, “I liked the way Abi conquered her fears.β
Mum and son both give the book 5*.
If you’d like a copy of the book, you can order here from our website, or any bookshop.
Thanks to all who pray!
I’ve posted this before, but some things are worth repeating π
1.
Stories stick in your mind (Jesus told stories for a reason!)
2.
Christian books are a great way to share the good news.
3. Young
people can reflect on subjects such as prayer, justice
and
forgiveness, for themselves.
4. Church kids find it thrilling
to find Christian characters in a βrealβ story!
5. Christian
fiction helps church children feel less marginalised.
6.
Books written from a Christian perspective can be an eye-opener for
non-church young people, and can bring hope.
7. Stories are
much more exciting to read than straight information!
8. We
are influenced by what we put into our minds; Christian books contain
Christian values.
9. Books help readers think about spiritual
and moral issues.
10. Christian characters can be inspiring
in the way they win through in different situations.
11. Ideas
that come up in stories help us to evaluate our own lives.
12.
Modern Christian fiction is culturally relevant (and exciting!).
13.
Young people can find out how Bible stories are applicable to
their own lives.
14. Books make non-threatening presents for
non-church families.
15. They aid literacy (they are books!);
Christian books have the added bonus of a spiritual dimension.
16.
Children desperate for an education can learn about Godβs love
while they read.
17. Christian books make non-threatening
gifts where spiritual input may otherwise be impossible.
18.
Reading a Christian novel with your children is great for
bonding.
19. You can discuss biblical issues that Christian
books bring up, helping you to fulfil your duties as a Christian
parent/grandparent/teacher!
20. Christian books can sow seeds
that will bear fruit in years to come.
21. Not all books out
there are helpful β Christian books are a fabulous alternative.
22.
Christian books bring up current issues, such as modern day slavery,
from a Christian perspective.
23. Christian fiction can
encourage and inspire young people to walk with God, even church kids
who are bored with Bible stories
24. We have received many
testimonies of how our books have touched lives β some children are
drawn to Christian books.
25. Every child is precious, and
should have a chance to hear the good news in a way that is relevant
to them.
We are currently working on larger versions of The Birthday Shoes and I Want to Be an Airline Pilot. All good fun! These are such lovely stories, and I think the larger, updated versions will be great for readers. Discussion questions have been added at the back, along with dyslexia friendly font and layout. What’s not to like?
π If you’d like first edition copies of either of these books, now’s the time to get one! Click on the links above for more info, or order from your local Christian bookshop!
Christian books are an encouragement and blessing. Don’t forget to buy them for your kids, too. They need blessing and encouragement every bit as much as we do. #christianbooksforkids
Happy New Year to you all, and thanks for being with us once again.
We can’t promise that any of our books will change lives. But it’s not our job to change lives β the only person who can do that is the Lord himself. Our job is to faithfully keep sharing the good news – and praying that the seeds will bear fruit.
Author Mary Weeks Millard told me with a heavy heart of a 19-year-old lad’s suicide, just before Christmas. It’s hard to think of the words to say when faced with such a terrible tragedy. Mental health issues among young people/children have hit the news recently. As Christians, we need to respond. This article in the Guardian regarding children’s mental health is an eye-opener.
Could your young people’s group give The City Kid to a friend (John attempts suicide when life becomes too much for him, but finds new life in Jesus)? Might your church sponsor Deepest Darkness for pupils at your local school (Abi begins to find freedom from her acute anxiety)? Please get in touch if you think we can help. We are more than happy to give quantity discounts. Perhaps lives can be saved. Like George in that classic Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life, we may never know the evil we have prevented by small, faithful actions. One mum once said to me, after her son read The City Kid, βI actually feel quite choked after talking to Sam about the book, as it has really seemed to help him at what is a quite difficult time in his own life.β
If you want to set up a reading group for your young people, we have discussion questions, for both books (and several others).
Goals
This year, we have set some goals, to help us reach more readers (and listeners!). Your prayers for each of these would be so much appreciated (and you might even be able to help with some of them!):
1. Foreign translations
You may remember that a few years ago, some of our books were taken up by a Christian publisher in Croatia. Wouldn’t it be great for our books to reach more non-English speakers?
2. On-Demand Printing Worldwide
We’d love our books to be available worldwide without having to ship them. CLC are setting up a facility to be able to do this… The Birthday Shoes is the guinea pig book!
3. Audio Books
All our books are now recorded! When I have the edited files, we can start to make them available.
4. Old Covers Updated
Some of our book covers are looking dated. We need some new ones!
5. Young People’s Reviews
This year I’d love to get more photos of young people reading our books, more reviews and even videos… if you can help with this, we’d be hugely grateful β just send them in! π N.B. We don’t use real names with photos, or locations.
6. Book in Progress
Yay, we need to produce more books!
7. Social Media Following
We’d love to have a bigger presence online. Please join us on facebook and twitter, and share our posts and links and news with your friends. My twitter handle is @janetwilsonxxx. Love to see you there!
8. Write for a Reason
This is a resource I run for writers. Please pray whatever I do will be useful.
9. Influencers
If someone well-known recommends a book, customers are more likely to buy it. Sooooo, it would be great to have some well-known people recommend our books. If you know anyone, please do pass on the info!
I hope that hasn’t bored you too much, but if we’re going to get the good news out, we need to have a plan. I’ll let you know how things are progressing as we go through the year…
Some other quick snippets of news:
I am running a workshop at the Hand in Hand Conference Children’s Ministry Conference in Eastbourne (3-5th February), on the subject of sharing faith through books. Please pray for a good response.
The box of books we sent to the Star School in Kigali has still not arrived β please keep praying! These children don’t have a lot of reading books, so they will be well used.
I visited Manna Christian Bookshop in Streatham last week. It was great to see our books on the shelf! Please do support your local Christian bookshop, if you have one. Buying online is convenient, but along with all ‘real’ shops, they need our support to keep going.
I used the time between Christmas and the New Year to give our website a new look. Any comments appreciated. π
And I think that’s it for now!
May your life be filled with faith and fabulous fruit in 2019!.. and once more, thank you for sticking with us for another year. We couldn’t do it without you.
Janet
P.S. Some of our newsletters are filled with hope and joy. Having re-read this one, I feel more of a determination and readiness to fight. Please keep fighting with us. We can not fight alone.
Please pray that a parcel of books we sent to this school in Kigali, Rwanda, will arrive soon! These children don’t have many story books, so our books will make a difference, both to their education, and perhaps the Lord will touch them through the pages of the stories, too. That’s if the books arrive!
The school is The Star School, Kigali, Rwanda. Our link is through author Mary Weeks Millard. Mary was here when she had the inspiration for I Want to Be an Airline Pilot! You can read more about the book by clicking here.
We have been working hard to get discussion questions for our books here on our website. These questions can act as discussion starters for parents reading the book with a child, teachers with their pupils, church groups with their members… we hope they will be useful. π Feel free to share – they are completely free! Click on the links below to take you to the discussion questions for each of these books:
We pray for all of the children who read our books. We don’t know many of them by name, of course, but we know someone who does. π
This year we have sent books to orphans in Nigeria, several boxes to schools and a children’s home in Kenya, and to Scripture Union in Uganda. (We have also sent a box of books to Star School in Rwanda but it hasn’t made it yet β please pray it will find its way there, because it’s overdue!)
Not all our books go on long journeys to sunny places… many stay in the UK! We have no idea what happens to most of them, when they leave us for Christian bookshops, or are sold online. We do know that 500 children of prisoners will be receiving one of our Beech Bank Girls books (via Angel Tree/Prison Fellowship) this Christmas, and another thing we can be sure of β some of our readers will be going through tough times. Some may never have heard the good news of Jesus. Others may be struggling with family, friends, health, poverty… and all sorts of other issues. We can pray for them, because the Lord knows!
Over the last few weeks I’ve been helping out with three children who were taken into emergency care. Having found out I was a publisher, the two older ones asked if they could read the books. They chose A New Me and Revenge of the Flying Carpet.
If you have a minute, would you pray for all our readers? Thank you.
Dernier is one of the smaller publishers belonging to the Christian Suppliers Group. I had the privilege of attending a meeting at the HarperCollins offices in London last month. Wow, what a view! (If you can’t see the photos, perhaps because of your mailbox settings, come on over to our website to see them there.) It’s great to be part of a wider network of publishers, all working in the Christian trade.
A couple of weeks ago I popped into our local Christian bookshop to buy Christmas cards β Judith (on duty at the till) had been looking for a book for a niece with no church background and bought A New Me! Also good to see our books on the shelves. π Do you have a local bookshop? Most of them stock Dernier books!
Every so often we get a gem of an email. This is one of them:
“We had our Sunday Club presentations two weeks ago where the children can choose a book from the bookshop and the cost is met by a kind widow in the congregation in memory of her husband who loved seeing the children. It was good to see a number of Dernier books being chosen, including a Beech Bank one by a girl who had already read one and ‘The Only Way’ by a reluctant 12 year old.
May God continue to bless you in your exciting ministry.”
If you have an encouraging story, please do send it in β it’s always lovely to hear from you!
Details to be arranged, by I will be running a workshop at the Hand in Hand Children’s Ministry Conference in Eastbourne in February. More details to come.
If you are looking for a speaker for your church or writing group for next year (not long now, folks!), I love sharing the Dernier story, and/or running workshops. Kent/Essex/SE London preferred, but don’t mind travelling a little way!
Christmas is a fun time for most of us, but when the food and drink is gone, and the decorations back in their boxes, a Christian book can continue to bring light, life, hope, faith, peace and joy, long after the festivities.
Who will you buy yours for?
We will keep shipping Dernier books until the bitter end, but if you want to be sure of receiving yours by Christmas, NOW would be a good time to order!
Someone on your heart? Don’t miss out on this year’s opportunity to be a blessing.
Jesus, come to us – that’s good news to share! May this amazing truth fill your heart this Christmas.
With love to you all,
Janet
Christmas is a fun time for most of us, but when the food and drink is gone, the decorations are back in their boxes and all the festivities are over, a Christian book can continue to bring light, life, hope, faith, peace and joy.
To help you choose, pick the age group of the child you want to buy for in the categories above, then scroll through the books and pick the one youΒ think would best suit. You can read all the first chapters, so you get an idea of the content and writing style! If you need help choosing, please don’t hesitate to contact us. π
Sent off a box of books to Star School in Kigali, Rwanda, this morning! Our connection there is author Mary Weeks Millard, who was instrumental in setting up the school some years ago. The third picture is Mary (The Birthday Shoes, A Pennyworth of Peppermints, I Want to Be an Airline Pilot, Living in Hope and Under the Tamarind Tree) giving a gift of books to the Headmaster a couple of years ago. Please pray this new box will arrive safely!
