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Christian books for young people – all the latest news!

Welcome to our February Newsletter!

How old were you when you became a Christian? I was 13. (I’m not telling you how many years ago that was, hehe!) In a recent survey, practising Christians were asked, ‘At what age did you become a Christian?’ An incredible 76% of Christians turned to the Lord before the age of 18! So we do need to reach out to our young people while they are young, and share the good news of Jesus as soon as we can. I’m not saying we shouldn’t reach out to older people (I’m taking an older lady to an Alpha course at the moment!), but think what heartaches could be avoided by walking in the Lord’s way from youth. Of course, not all young people will want to follow Jesus – but at least we can show the way. The rest is between them and the Lord. And he does wonderful things! 🙂

Let’s pray for the young people of the world, each one precious in the sight of God. Lent has already begun, but what about praying for young people from a different nation each day until Easter? Prayer is an amazing privilege – I’m sure we will all one day wish we had prayed more, because it really does change things. Oswald Chambers put it like this: “Prayer does not fit us for the better work; prayer is the better work.”

World Book Day – 1^st March

For many years World Book Day has been a wonderful celebration of books and reading, with parents having to come up with a new costume each year! With a voucher, school children have been able to buy a book for just £1.

This year CLC have set up a scheme so you can now buy a selection of Christian children’s books for £1, and we are delighted to be partnering with them to give away our Beech Bank Girls, A Time Remembered for just £1/copy:-) This is the link to see all the books on the CLC website. The offer is already up and running, so don’t miss out! You can also get your £1 books from your local Christian bookshop. Do support them if you can. Don’t know where your nearest bookshop is? Follow this link. 🙂 Who could you buy books for? And don’t forget to pass the links on to all your friends, and pray for all the children who will receive the books!

Like to Win a Prize?

Reviews of our books are in short supply, but I’m told that the number of reviews a book amasses makes a massive difference to its success. I’d love to get a bit of a buzz going, but I can’t do it on my own!

Sooooo…. to reach as many young people as possible, I’m looking for people who will write honest reviews of our books on websites such as Amazon, CLCbookshops.com and Eden.co.uk (and of course our own Dernier Publishing.com). Please will you help? I know it’s a pain, but it’s all in a good cause, honest!

In return for your time, you could win a prize! Just email me to let me know how many books you have reviewed on how many sites, and you will have one chance to win for each review. (So if you review five books on two different sites, you will have ten chances to win.)

One of each of our books is up for grabs, so there are 16 chances to win. Shall we say until the end of March? If a son or daughter or niece or whoever has read the book, do feel free to write a review on their behalf. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be as simple as ‘Theo loved this book’. (Assuming he did, of course!) And your time is hugely appreciated – thanks so much.

Do You Write Stories for Young People?

For several years now I’ve run Write for a Reason, to help serve Christians who write novels for young people. I send out free weekly writing tips and run an online course, but now for something completely different: a “Meet-Up” course! Please find all the details below and on the Write for a Reason website. Let me know if you have any further questions – and do feel free to pass it on to anyone you know who could do with a bit of encouragement. 🙂

Are Your Children Safe Online?

I know it’s nothing to do with books, but online safety is a huge issue for parents, and we all need to keep an eye out for the dangers.

This website is a useful resource from the NSPCC to help you talk to your youngsters about staying safe online.

Janet Wilson, Founder of Dernier Publishing

And that’s all for now! Every blessing to you all,

Janet

P.S. Don’t forget to let me know when you’ve done your reviews so I can put you in the prize draw! I look forward to hearing from you. 🙂

The City Kid goes to Uganda

Author Clive Lewis visited Uganda recently. He says: “I took over 30 copies of The City Kid with me on our recent trip to Uganda, distributing them to various people with an interest in youth work. Dickens Zziwa [CEO of SU Uganda] was very pleased to receive 12 copies as well as the modest proceeds from another dozen that I ‘sold’ for a donation to Scripture Union Uganda.”

We are delighted that young people in Uganda will have access to this excellent book. Please pray for those who will read it! 🙂 The City Kid is a ‘prodigal’ style story about a young lad who gets involved in corruption and tries to end his own life. But he is spared, and finds Jesus. That’s a very short summary! Why not buy a copy, see if it might be suitable for the young people in your life?

N.B. It’s a gritty book, not for the faint-hearted. You can read the first chapter here. Click on the link, then scroll down!

Faith, Hope and Love

Book Launch

We had a wonderful time at the book launch of Rebecca and Jade: Choices last month. Thanks to all who prayed! Thanks also to author Eleanor and all at Bethesda Evangelical Church in Hay-on-Wye for hosting this lovely event. Lots of people came, ate cake, bought books (including Beech Bank Girls books) and talked!

The book was sold in the Hay Festival Bookshop. Please pray for the girls who will be reading this book, making choices of their own.

Rebecca and Jade: Choices in the Hay Festival Bookshop

Death and Grief, Life and Hope

News of so many tragedies involving young people have hit our screens recently, and have left us all reeling. The terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, the forest fire in Portugal. Grief, shock, pain, fear uncertainty, homelessness, lives that will never be the same again.

Even young people who don’t know anyone directly affected are shaken, and many don’t know where to turn. Most have never had to think about death and grief before; now many are thrown into a new reality.

We are trying to get as many books into young people’s hands as possible, to sow seeds of life and hope. I know you will be trying to do the same.

All our books hold out the seeds of faith, hope and love.

The first review I ever received via email, was about The Treasure Hunt, from a girl called Emily, and was just one short sentence: “This is the best book I ever read!” I knew then we were on to something. Not because The Treasure Hunt is the best written, most brilliant, most entertaining, thrilling book in the world, but it has a secret ingredient . . . it’s not just entertainment . . . it holds faith, hope and love. As do all our books. And there’s nothing greater than these three things.

Terence

We had our own individual tragedy, as the day after we returned from holiday our cat, Terence, was hit by a car in the road. We buried him in the garden, where he loved to play. Sweet, fun little kitty, full of mischief and adventure. I know many people not far away have lost loved ones, and he was only a cat, but we still miss him.

From a Children’s Worker:

“I gave them [books] to the children I work with on a Wednesday. Noah (9) said ‘Hey! This is a Christian book!’ with a big smile on his face.”

Delighted to hear stories like these. So many children, even from church families, don’t have the opportunity to enjoy books that will encourage them in their faith and feed them good things. Thanks to Wendy, who gave these books away. Who knows what the Lord might do through them?

Revenge of the Flying Carpet Cover

Drum roll, please! Fresh from the designer, here’s the front cover of Revenge of the Flying Carpet. Thanks to illustrator Lorraine and designer Gill!

Please pray we will have the finances to bring this book out as planned in the autumn. We give a lot of books away, but the costs involved in production generally include the cover illustrator, designer, editor, proofreader, typesetter, and the cost of actually printing the book. As we have low print runs, the cost per copy is high. It’s a dream to sell thousands of copies, so we can lower prices and reach more children (there are 1.9 billion children in the world – the dream is to reach as many as we can, as long as we can!). Please pray with us, because we know the Lord is able to do way more than we can ask for or even imagine. 🙂

Thanks for reaching the end of the newsletter! Bless you for putting up with me for this long. 🙂 Here’s a win/win offer . . . 10 books for £50, to help you with your clubs, camps, end of terms and parties. Any books you like . . . just contact me if you’d like to take up the offer!

May the Lord bless you,

Janet

Croatian Translations

Look what came in the post!

The Treasure Hunt (left) and Beech Bank Girls 3 (right) – both in Croatian.

Let’s pray they touch many young hearts!

Dernier Publishing Christmas Catalogue

Here’s our catalogue, with all our Christian books for children and teens. Please take a look and pass it on!

Dernier Publishing Online Catalogue, Winter 2016/17

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25 reasons to give Christian books to all the young people you know:

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 ‘real’ 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 God’s 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/teacher!
20. Christian books can sow seeds that will bear fruit in years to come.
21. Not all books out there are helpful – 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 – 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.

Remembrance

If your girls were touched this weekend by Remembrance Day events and services, they might like Beech Bank Girls, A Time Remembered. Willow finds a 100-year-old diary, written by a girl their own age. Sensitively written and fascinating . . . plus the girls have lots of fun as usual!

Click here to see more details.

Halloween and Christmas in one post!

So, Halloween and Christmas in one newsletter – I didn’t intend it that way, but actually, isn’t that pretty much what we face daily, as Christians? Alongside the wonderful good news of Jesus there is much evil.

I was talking to a teenage lad from a Christian family recently – he told me about the pumpkin he carved, which will now be lit in the garden every night until it disintegrates. Does this worry you? It worries me. He seemed surprised that I have never carved a pumpkin, or did this with my children because of what lies behind the festival. Apparently it’s just harmless fun, carving pumpkins . . .

It reminds me that our own church children need Christian books as much as children from non-church backgrounds. Satan doesn’t come in devil costume, he comes dressed in fun clothes. We need to fight for those who can not fight for themselves.

Write for a Reason
The latest seven week online writing course I run is just finishing – please pray for students as they continue their writing journey, and others who now belong to the Membership Programme. If you know anyone who writes Christian stories for children, do send them our way! Click here to read more. One student said about the last module: “I’m feeling quite sad and a little reluctant to start this module as it’s the last one! It’s a bit like keeping the last sweet in the packet!”

New Developments
We are still working on getting our books out to other countries, but things are running frustratingly slowly . . . please pray for a breakthrough! Thank you, you have no idea how much your prayers are appreciated. We are also planning to get The City Kid into paperback next year . . .
Books into Schools
I’d also very much like to get more of our books into schools. I’m meeting up with our Diocesan Youth Adviser later this month, to get some ideas how we can make our books useful for RE lessons. If you have any advice or help, please do send it my way! One local school is once again using some of our books for their Book Club (children in years 5 and 6). Please pray for them!

And Finally, Christmas is Coming!
Yep, it’s that time again, folks! Time to start making Christmas present lists – such an excellent time of year to reach out to neighbours and friends with the good news in the guise of a non-threatening book. To help you along the way, here are all our books – you can get all these from your local Christian bookshops as well as from our website. You can get some of the books as bundles, too. My prayer is that as you reach out to the children on your heart with these books, lives will be changed. Who knows what mighty oaks might grow from the seeds you sow?
So here are all our books! Click on each of the pictures for more information (at least, I hope so, if I have correctly worked out the technology!).

Beech Bank Girls, A Time Remembered
Teenage friends Chloe, Willow, Annie, Rachel, Holly and Amber become absorbed in a diary from the First World War, and discover that the choices they make have consequences, just as they did for fourteen-year-old Grace one hundred years ago.

The girls continue to live, love and laugh together through all the trials and joys of life, and discover that even when everything seems to be going wrong, God is still at work.

ISBN: 9780956904379 / £5.99 / 192pp

Beech Bank Girls, Christmas is Coming!
Perfect for Christmas! Also great for girls struggling with body image, money worries at home and grandparents’ failing health.
Holly faces the reality of financial crisis at home; Rachel is worried about her sister; a sledging incident shakes the girls and a different nativity play brings home the true meaning of Christmas.
ISBN: 9780956904317 / £5.99 / 176pp

Beech Bank Girls, Every Girl Has a Story
Great for girls who are growing up fast, to encourage them to walk with God. Tackles issues of bullying, illness, step-families and temptations. Miracle and party included!

This popular book was shortlisted for the Christian Resources Awards 2011.

ISBN: 9780953696345 / £5.99 / 160pp

Beech Bank Girls, Making a Difference
Perfect for girls who want to make a difference in the world!
The Beech Bank Girls discover that they don’t have to wait until their gap year to start helping people in need. A new culture on their doorstep, an emotional night out – the girls learn that they can make a difference right where they are.

Shortlisted for the Christian Resources Awards 2012.
ISBN: 9780953696376 / £5.99 / 192pp

London’s Gone
Great for young people wondering how faith can make a difference; also perfect to encourage Christian youngsters to reach out to their friends.
London has been bombed by terrorists and three teens have to make their way to safety. Only one of them is a Christian – will it make a difference to the way he reacts to the situation?

ISBN: 9780953696321 / £6.99 / 224pp

PS I lent this book to a 16-year-old bookworm from our church youth group (not a Christian girl, but on the fringes), and she absolutely loved it – she couldn’t put it down, totally identified with the characters and loved the plot and the suspense. Please pray for her!
The Only Way
A brilliant introduction to faith in God.
Perfect for anyone who loves a well-written, gripping story.

When a mysterious, disaffected teenager meets the beautiful and mysterious Lily, he discovers a new way to live, the only way.
ISBN: 9780953696390 / £5.99 / 142pp
A Pennyworth of Peppermints
Perfect for schools, presentations and prizes.
A spy story, set in the First World War. This delightful story captures a little of what life was like for families living through the Great War, and how faith in God can make a difference.

ISBN: 9780956904331 / £5.99 / 160p

I Want to Be an Airline Pilot
Perfect for children who love reading about other cultures, and those who need to know that they have a father in heaven who cares for them. Through a series of adventures, Shema discovers that he has a Father in heaven who cares for him.

ISBN: 9780953696352 / £5.99 / 112pp

Living in Hope
The thrilling sequel to I want to be an Airline Pilot. Shema and his friends still have many exciting and dangerous challenges to face; will their new faith survive?
Perfect for children new to faith; also a gentle introduction to the issue of child slavery.
ISBN: 9780956904300 / £5.99 / 128pp

Under the Tamarind Tree
Perfect for children struggling with a change in their life, and to learn about living in a new culture from a child’s perspective. The third book in the “Rwanda” series. Timo and Joshua don’t want to go and live in rural Rwanda, but learn that God knows best.

ISBN: 9780956904324 / £5.99 / 128pp

Deepest Darkness
Perfect for sensitive children, those who enjoy thoughtful books and those who struggle with anxiety. Facing her fears one by one, Abi opens here life to the light and finds a freedom she never thought possible.

PS If you’ve had children worried about things that happened at Halloween, or want to give a Christian take on ‘Divali’, this is the book for you, because it’s all about finding light, even in the darkness.

ISBN: 9780953696369 / £5.99 / 112pp

The Treasure Hunt
Great for kids who love exciting mystery stories. Four Christian friends go on a treasure hunt with the church youth club, but while looking for clues they fall into another adventure. Will they find out what is going on and find the real treasure?

ISBN: 9780953696314 / £4.99 / 96pp

Mystery in the Snow
Perfect for children who enjoy mystery stories. Great for outreach.
Not long after solving their first mystery (The Treasure Hunt), Debbie, Ravi, Lance and Joel find themselves with another problem; Ravi’s shed has been burgled. Join the Christian friends as they find answers in unexpected places.

ISBN: 9780953696338 / £5.99 / 112pp

The Birthday Shoes
Great for girls who love shoes, friends and magical adventures!
Join Emily Jane as she goes on a series of adventures in Africa wearing her magic shoes, making friends and some exciting discoveries about God along the way.

ISBN: 9780953696383 / £5.99 / 128pp
Hope that helps you choose! Let me know if I can help you at all – otherwise, I’ll be back in touch next month, or see you on our facebook page!
Janet

Need any help choosing your books?

I made this video to review all our Dernier titles. I hope it helps you find what you want!

July extra news!

Yay! Book Bundles!

I just had to tell you about this new development . . . I’m getting the hang of updating the new Dernier website, which is a learning curve (I sometimes I go home with my brain well and truly aching!).

BUT I can now reveal *DRUM ROLL* I have made a new category: Book Bundles! https://dernierpublishing.com/product-category/book-bundles/

These come in at a lower cost than you’d pay for the books if you bought them separately. £19.99 for the four wonderful Beech Bank Girls books (including the brand new book)

£9.99 for The Treasure Hunt and Mystery in the Snow

and £14.99 for the three books in the ‘Rwanda’ series.

Oh, and you can buy one of every one of our fourteen books for £69.99, which is the perfect gift for a family, school or library!

I hope this will help make the ordering process easier, help people find the books that go together in each of these series, and that as a result of this, more children and young people will find Jesus through our stories. 🙂

You can see all the book bundles here: See Book Bundles

Do buy some – maybe for prizes for summer holiday clubs and camps? You just never know what seeds might grow from your gifts . . . one day we will find out and won’t that be soooooooooooooo exciting! 🙂

P.S. Your local Christian bookshop might have an offer on, too, as we have been working with our distributor to give an extra summer discount to bookshops on our books. Why not pop in and see? (Booksellers, please contact your Hughes and Coleman rep if you haven’t heard!)

Advanced notice: The City Kid free promotion!

While I’m here, I have to admit that sales of The City Kid on kindle have been disappointingly slow, and to date nobody has left a review. Christian magazines charge hundreds of pounds for adverts – we don’t have that kind of money, but if we work together we could bring this excellent story to more people’s attention . . .

Here’s the plan . . . would you be kind enough to download the book next week (18th – 22nd) as part of a FREE promotion? Would you also tell your friends and share our posts about it on facebook? Dernier Publishing on facebook Your support would be hugely valued . . . and it won’t cost you anything!

If we all work together I know we can make a difference. The thing is, the more downloads and reviews, the more Amazon promote a book in searches. If a book is more visible, more people are likely to download it, so by having a free promotion we could be setting off an upward spiral.

This story is worth every effort – our enemy would be glad if nobody read it. The City Kid touched many lives in Uganda back in the 70s and now that it has been completely revised it has the potential to touch many more young lives.

Clive Lewis (author) says this: “It was way back in 1970 when I first got the idea of writing a sort of African ‘prodigal son’ story, while I was teaching in a Ugandan secondary school. I can’t recall how I settled on the name ‘John Ouma’. Maybe it was suggested by a colleague of mine named Moses Ochwo. Anway, the name Ouma is a genuine Ugandan name commonly found in certain regions of the country.

I didn’t want an unusual name because the hero (or is he an anti-hero? – you decide!) of the story was meant to be a sort of Everyman figure. He was intended to embody attitudes and experiences which were, and are, common to so many people – especially the young as they face the choices and challenges of growing up.

At the same time, John Ouma is also a very particular young man, and I hope the new edition of The City Kid, which has been extensively rewritten since the first version back in the ‘70s, has given the main character a bit more depth and individuality. Yes, he is typical in many ways, but he is also his own man in very particular circumstances.

I’ve tried to bring this ‘city kid’ into the 21^st century. His office (unlike the one where he worked in the first edition) now has computers. Mobile telephone networks cover most of the country, even the upcountry village of Mkandu where he has grown up. But his ambitions remain the same: to make it ‘big’ in the city, to enjoy the company of girlfriends, to drive a sporty car and to make a financial success of his life. And the same fault lines appear: his weakness when faced with temptation, his proneness to overspending and debt and his reluctance to admit his need of God.

So here he is, John Ouma, the city kid, who was dead but is now alive again. Even if you have never seen or even heard of the first edition, please download your copy from Amazon and discover why this young man from a small African village can speak to all of us, in any continent and from any background.”

If you don’t want to wait for the free promotion you can buy the book (for around £2/$3) and leave a review here:

The City Kid on Amazon

Thank you so much for everything.

Janet

P.S. The City Kid has a wonderful foreword by the Archbishop of York.

Dernier Publishing

Excellent, Relevant, Fun Christian Fiction for Young People

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Archive / Uncategorized

Christian books for young people – all the latest news!

The City Kid goes to Uganda

Faith, Hope and Love

Croatian Translations

Dernier Publishing Christmas Catalogue

25 reasons to give Christian books to all the young people you know:

Remembrance

Halloween and Christmas in one post!

Need any help choosing your books?

July extra news!

Yay! Book Bundles!

Advanced notice: The City Kid free promotion!