Christmas is an excellent opportunity to reach out with books with eternal value to children/families on your prayer list.
Your gift could change the course of a life!
To make your search for the perfect book easy, please find below a little bit about each of the books. Then click on the link to order your books.
Easy Readers (6-9 years-ish!)
Oliver’s Secret
Who is the book for? This is a fun story for new readers who love cats, and an excellent family bedtime story. Perfect for refugee children/new arrivals to England.
Clare has moved house with her family, from China to England, and doesn’t know anyone. At first she is lonely, and is nervous about making friends. She prays for a cat, and Oliver turns up, but whose cat is he? Fun, easy reader, with ten chapters. Christian content: Clare and her family go to church and they pray together at meal times.
Themes: New home/country, loneliness, friendship, prayer
Nobody’s Dog
Who is the book for? For new readers who love practicing their newfound skills, and an excellent family bedtime story.
Themes: trust, prayer, faithfulness, caring.
A gentle message of good news – this is the perfect book to give to families on the edge of church life. Readers will be longing for everything to turn out right for Bushy! Luke learns to trust that God knows best, even when things seem to be going badly wrong – just as Bushy learns to trust him.
For Readers 8-11
The Dove Stone
Who is the book for? This is an exciting story for family reading or for a bookworm who loves historical fiction. Great to give to a family on the fringes of church life.
Join Doran, Nico, Rhiannon and Wolf on this action-packed adventure about friendship, hatred, facing fears and finding faith, set in post-Roman Britain. Christian content: Elements of the good news of Jesus are woven gently into the story, which also covers many other issues children face.
Themes: prayer, faith, friendship, bullying.
Click here to Order
Deepest Darkness
Who is the book for? Perfect for sensitive children, those who enjoy thoughtful books and those who struggle with anxiety. A wonderful bedtime story for Christian families.
Facing her fears one by one, Abi opens her life to the light and finds a freedom she never thought possible. A beautiful story, full of hope. Christian content: Abi has no church or religious background, but wants to pray when her dad fails to come home from a walk in the forest. Her eyes are gradually opened to a new spiritual reality, when talking to a friend who understands that true light shines, even in the deepest darkness. We see at the end of the story that Jesus is the light.
Themes: anxiety, fear, panic attacks, night terrors, peace, safety, taking risks, friendship, family, prayer, hope.
I Want to Be an Airline Pilot
Who is this book for? Perfect for children who love reading about other cultures, fatherless children, and every child who needs to know that they have a father in heaven who cares for them. Dyslexia friendly layout.
Through a series of exciting and scary adventures, Shema, an eight-year-old Rwandan goatherd from a child-led family discovers that he has a Father in heaven who cares for him. Order this book here. Christian content: A victorious, heart-warming story of the grace of God in difficult circumstances. Overt Christian message.
Themes: education, inequality, opportunity, fear, child-led families, hope, prayer.
Living in Hope
Who is this book for? Sunday Schools, gifts for church kids, to give away at church events, and for Christian family reading.
The thrilling sequel to I want to be an Airline Pilot, but also stands alone. Shema and his friends have many more exciting and dangerous challenges to face. A gentle introduction to the issue of child domestic slavery. Christian content: Excellent, clear Christian content, woven through the pages of this exciting book. Order this book here.
Themes: new start, coercion, deception, lies, honesty, domestic slavery, caring, celebration.
Under the Tamarind Tree
Who is this book for? Perfect for children struggling with a change in their life, and for any child who loves a fun story! Brilliant for teaching about diversity, racial harmony, and caring for each other.
The third book in the “Rwanda” series. Timo and Joshua don’t want to go and live in rural Rwanda, soon make new friends and learn that God knows best. Christian content: Doctors from a medical mission start a clinic – the children are from all different races and culutures, but learn they are all God’s children. You can read more here.
Themes: racial harmony, equity, caring, prayer, health.
The Treasure Hunt
Who is this book for? Great for kids who love exciting whodunnits and detective stories. This is a short book, so great for reluctant readers. Dyslexia friendly layout.
Four Christian friends from a church youth club go on a treasure hunt, but while looking for clues they fall into an adventure. A gentle introduction to people trafficking, and shows what it means to be a Christian. Christian content: The children are Christians, and when they get into tight spots, they pray together. You can read more here.
Themes: adventure, safety, trafficking, working together, prayer, action.
The Birthday Shoes
Who is this book for? For girls who love shoes, friends, and adventure stories!
Emily Jane goes on a series of adventures in Africa wearing her magic shoes, making friends and some exciting discoveries about God and crocodiles along the way! Christian content: Emily Jane realises by the end of the book that, although her parents are Christian, she needs to ask Jesus into her own life, and does this as part of the story. Girls have come to faith after reading this book. You can read more here.
Themes: African adventure, school work, disability, equality, gratitude, faith.
A Pennyworth Of Peppermints
Who is this book for? Children who love reading about the world wars/history, who also love adventure/detective stories. Great family reading. Great-grandparents love this one, too, as it takes them back in time!
A spy story set in WW1. Two lads find a message in a bottle; what does it mean? With the help of Sidney’s sister, they go on an adventure to find out. Exciting story with fascinating background to what life was like for children in the Great War. Christian content: Ben’s family are Christian, and through all the troubles, their faith helps them through. You can read more here.
Themes: war, fear, poverty, working together, prayer, enemies.
For Readers 10-14
A New Me
Who is this book for? Readers who are on the fringe of church life, who have never made a commitment for themselves. Jess is from an underprivileged background, so suitable for any child from any walk of life. Dyslexia friendly layout.
Jess has many challenges in her life, but when she moves house and joins a church youth club, she begins to find a new way to live. Christian content: At the beginning of the story Jess has no notion of God, but finds Jesus at a youth camp. You can read more here.
Themes: alcohol abuse, new start, hope, bullying, family, care for animals.
The Beech Bank Girls Series
Who are these books for? All girls everywhere! They are fun, engaging, brilliantly written stories, all good for encouraging Christian girls in their faith, but showing non-church girls what they are missing!
Brilliant for helping girls make good life choices.
These four fun stories are written from the viewpoint of six friends who have lots of fun together, but also face all sorts of troubles and disasters! Christian content: The girls are all determined to follow God, although that goes up and down a bit! You can read more here.
Themes: friendship, church, belonging, body image, step-families, bereavement, caring, online safety.
The Only Way
Who is this book for? For tough kids who have no idea who Jesus is, or the church, or what relevance either might have to their own lives. Warning: this is a gritty story. Not for the faint-hearted.
When a mysterious, disaffected teenager meets the beautiful and mysterious Lily, he discovers a new way to live. A brilliantly written, fast-moving novel, with a gripping story. There are allegorical features in this novel on many levels, making it an excellent choice for a class reader for schools in tough areas. Christian content: There’s lots to tease out, but the message is subtle. You can read more here.
Themes: racial hatred, mystery, family, bullying, fostering, running away, meaning of life, spirituality.
London’s Gone
Who is this book for? Anyone who loves dystopian fiction.
A gripping drama. London has been bombed by terrorists and three teens have to make their way to safety – but is anywhere safe now? Christian content: Maria, the protagonist, is not a Christian, and the book is written from her point of view. Arthur is a Christian, which makes a difference to the way he looks at their situation. A good book for discussion of ethics. You can read more here.
Themes: terrorism, fear, flight, danger, prayer.
Revenge of the Flying Carpet
Who is this book for? An excellent choice for children who feel trapped and hopeless, or who balk at the unfairness in the world. Brilliant for giving to young people who need to know that there is a God of justice in the world, those at risk of falling into issues related to revenge, e.g. gangs/ knife crime and any reader who needs to know what faith really means.
Paul hates his sister, and when he finds a magic carpet in his gran’s loft, he plans revenge… but gets a lot more than he bargained for. Thrilling story. Christian content: Strong Christian message, with What Is a Christian? feature at the end of the book, including a prayer for readers to use if they wish. You can read more here.
Themes: revenge, faith, mercy, dysfunctional family, hope, forgiveness.
I haven’t read much Christian fiction since my youth when the C S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia reigned supreme. However, I would say that J M Evans’ Revenge of the Flying Carpet is in the same league as Lewis. Flying on a magic carpet, twins Paul and Trinity have lots of mini adventures. Along the way, they powerfully and beautifully grapple with the riches of God’s grace and consider how important their human relationships, image, and ability to forgive others are. Working as a school chaplain, I could easily see this being enjoyed by and helpful to teenagers exploring the Christian faith alongside those seeking to live for Christ.”
Revd George Beverly
Chaplain, History and Philosophy teacher at King’s Bruton
For Readers 13+
Year 0033
Who is this book for? Young adults who enjoy dystopian fiction, particularly church girls/university students.
Dsytopian fiction for teens. Chella has lived all her life in Area IF208. Religion is banned, so Chella is used to keeping her Christian faith a secret. But when her best friend disappears and her fiancé is arrested, a new chapter of her life begins. Christian content: Chella is a Christian living in a world where religion is persecuted.
Themes: coercive relationships, persecution, danger, choices, consequences, forgiveness, working together.
The City Kid
Who is this book for? Young adults on the fringes of church life, and those tempted to leave the church and live life their own way.
Gritty story for young adults. John wants to live the high life in the city, but when he gets involved in corruption and his life falls apart, he finds new life. Christian content: This is a ‘prodigal son’ style story, with John surrendering his life to Christ at the end of the book. You can read more here.
Themes: corruption, suicide ideation, finances, choices/decisions/consequences.
