Christian Teaching and Fiction for reading aloud or reading by themselves. For Christmas, Easter and other Bible stories look in Children: Seasonal or Children: Bible Stories. For the older children, look in Young Peoples Books too.

Runaway Train

- Mallenford Mysteries

by Kathy Lee

Luke has a problem that he can’t talk about with anybody for fear of sounding selfish, but it does get him down at times. His Dad has left home to live with a new partner leaving his Mum to cope with a very ill daughter and Luke. Amy has cancer and so needs a lot of his Mum’s attention and he does understand, but just sometimes he longs for his needs to come first, for his Mum to give him her full attention.
When the opportunity comes for Amy to have potentially life saving treatment in America, Luke goes to stay at the home of his new friend Dylan who is in the care of foster parents June and Vince, an older Christian couple who do all they can to make both boys feel at home.
Dylan seems obsessed with ghost hunting and spends time on the internet looking for ‘facts’ and locations to explore. Luke is not sure about this at all but gets drawn into several adventures culminating in a really serious one and the solution to the puzzle of the ghost train so many people have heard and been frightened by.
Kathy Lee cleverly brings into her stories many ethical issues which youngsters need to think about while creating a very enjoyable tale.

Review by Mary Bartholomew (24/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £4.99
Publisher: Scripture Union (SU)
Published: 16 February 2011
ISBN: 978-1-844-27505-2

View this book on its own page >>

Read this book?

Review it! >>

Never Give Up On Your Dreams

- Faith Finders

by Mary Weeks Millard

Mary Weeks Millard has been amazingly courageous to take on such topics as disability, failure, discussing faith with children, and family politics all within the same book: topics that most people find easier to just avoid. However, Millard not only addresses these topics, but wraps them all up together within the major discussion point of the year - Olympic & Paralympic sport. Because the story addresses such intense issues, it is advised that the book be read with parents of primary aged children, and used as an opportunity to discuss the story as it unfolds and where God fits into it. Children are keen to learn and understand the world around them. This story gives a platform for parents to explore the aspects of failure and how to respond well, how life can be unfair, but how we can respond to it, and most important of all how we are able to find God in the midst of it all. This story can help a parent prepare their child for disappointment with life, with themselves and even with God and see an example of how to grow stronger in response to these experiences.

Review by Barry Mason (11/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £5.00
Publisher: Day One Publications
Published: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-846-25271-6

View this book on its own page >>

Read this book?

Review it! >>

Veggietales: Happy Together!

Created by Phil Vischer & Mike Nawrocki

The ‘ISBN’ is purely for our data base, to order from TMD quote code 820669 Three short stories for the price of one, linked together by Larry the Cucumber and Bob Tomato with the usual talk and silly songs.
A Story of Friendship – Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler, with Bob Tomato as the unappreciated Dr Watson
A Story of Family – The Grapes of Wrath about forgiving and being forgiven
A Story of Faith – Esther: The Girl Who Became Queen, the Bible story as you have never seen it before!
I agree with what it says on the cover,’ Over 80 Minutes of Happiness’ which could easily be broken into ‘short bites’ for younger children.

Review by Mary Bartholomew (02/12/11)

DVD
Price: £9.99 (incl VAT)
Publisher: VeggieTales distributed by Authentic Media
Published: 2011
ISBN: 9-990-00050-6

View this book on its own page >>

Read this book?

Review it! >>

The Barber Who Wanted to Pray

by R.C.Sproul, paintings by T. Lively Fluharty

This is a retelling of a story of something that happened 500 years ago. A story about a barber, Master Peter and his famous customer Dr Martin Luther.’
As R.C.Sproul tells it, Mr McFarland is leading his family devotions one evening when one of his daughters asks him how she should pray. This gives him the opportunity to tell this tale from long ago. How a barber asked Dr Martin Luther, to teach him to pray. Dr Luther responded by writing a letter that has become the book A Simple Way to PrayDr Luther then takes this back to the barber shop and goes through what he has written explaining it carefully to Master Peter. The story within a story helps Mr McFarland’s children and ours to understand more fully what is required of us, adults and children alike.
At the end of the book, The Ten Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer and The Apostles Creed are clearly set out.
The words alone of this book would have been worth reading, but what makes it really lovely is the art work of T. Lively Fluharty. Using a well known portrait of Dr Luther as a guide he has painted him into scenes of the book as he surely appeared at the time. A gift book to be treasured by all the family.

Review by Mary Bartholomew (02/12/11)

Hardback
Price: £10.99
Publisher: Crossway Books from IVP
Published: 16 September 2011
ISBN: 978-1-433-52703-6

View this book on its own page >>

Read this book?

Review it! >>

Veggietales: Live! – Sing Yourself Silly

Created by Phil Vischer & Mike Nawrocki

Code for ordering from Trust Media Distribution is 820679. The ISBN shown is purely for TGBS data use.

I know little ones will enjoy this! They were there in the audience at this live show, dancing and jigging about in the aisles and down at the front of the theatre: Mums, Dads and children were all singing along to the songs, quite a sight. The excitement was caused by seeing their favourite Veggie characters up on the stage leading the songs, accompanied by dancers who many of the children were endeavouring to copy. Great fun, great entertainment, and as usual a message in there as well, this time about sharing.

Review by Mary Bartholomew (04/10/11)

DVD
Price: £9.99 (incl VAT)
Publisher: VeggieTales distributed by Authentic Media
Published: September 2011
ISBN: 9-990-00048-4

View this book on its own page >>

Read this book?

Review it! >>

The Good News Must Go Out

- Stories of God at Work in the Central African Republic - Hidden Heroes

by Rebecca Davis

Back in Finland Margaret Nicholl Laird’s mother had wanted to be a missionary. She travelled to America intending to go to Bible college but instead she married and raised a family. As she and her family got older she prayed that one of her children would answer the call in her stead. When Margaret tentatively told her mother what she wanted to to do she expected resistance, instead her mother greeted the news with delight and enthusiasm. After training Margaret was sent out to the Central African Republic and this book is stories of her life out there.
She met and married another missionary and together they brought the word of God to a people who had previously lived as cannibals, and who lived in fear. Her nursing training meant that she was able to help many people, but it was the couples teaching about our Lord which won the love of the people who came to them. Some of these people taught their fellow villagers and so the word spread.
When Mr Laird died, his wife thought that would be an end to her work in Africa but God had other ideas, and back home in America Margaret Nicholl Laird spoke about the work they had been doing and told her listeners that God had laid on her heart the need for a hospital for her beloved people of Ippy.... and the money came rolling in.
This is a book about hardship, about strange people and places, but above all about wonderful faith. Well worth reading.

Review by Mary Bartholomew (30/09/11)

Paperback
Price: £5.99
Publisher: CF4Kids imprint of Christian Focus
Published: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-845-50628-5

View this book on its own page >>

Read this book?

Review it! >>

Living in Hope by Mary Weeks Millard
ISBN: 978-0-956-90430-0 Price: £5.99	Published: September 2011
More Information about this book >>

True Gold - An Olympic Adventure by An Olympic Adventure
ISBN: 978-1-845-50655-1 Price: £5.99	Published: 2011
More Information about this book >>

John Calvin: After Darkness Light - Trail Blazers series by Catherine Mackenzie
ISBN: 978-1-845-50084-9 Price: £5.99	Published: 2011
More Information about this book >>

Ignatius of Antioch – The Man Who Faced Lions - Heroes of the Faith series by Sinclair B Ferguson illustrated by Alison Brown
ISBN: 978-1-848-71094-8 Price: £8.00	Published: December 2010
More Information about this book >>

The Mystery of the Deserted House by Mary Weeks Millard
ISBN: 978-1-846-25272-3 Price: £5.00	Published: June 2011
More Information about this book >>

Zoo Girl by Rebecca Elliott
ISBN: 978-0-745-96270-2 Price: £5.99	Published: 17 June 2011
More Information about this book >>

Friends and Heroes - Episode Three plus exciting extras Created by Brian D. Brown & Eric J. Danenberg
ISBN: 505-1-347-11002-5 Price: £15.00	Published: 2007
More Information about this book >>

Friends and Heroes - Episodes 1 and 2 plus exciting extras Episode 1 story by Brian D. Brown & Eric J. Danenberg, Episode 2 by Eric J. Danenberg
ISBN: 505-1-347-11001-8 Price: £15.00	Published: 2007
More Information about this book >>

Eleanor the Hippo - Learns to tell the Truth Written and illustrated by Andy McGuire
ISBN: 978-0-736-92665-2 Price: £8.99	Published: January 2011
More Information about this book >>

VeggieTales: Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed Created by Phil Vischer & Mike Nawrocki
ISBN: 506-0-256-82027-7 Price: £7.99 (incl VAT)	Published: 2001
More Information about this book >>

Josh Stays in Hospital - Held in Hope series by Victoria Beech and the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network, illustrated by Rhiannon Mollart
ISBN: 978-1-905-89321-8 Price: £5.99	Published: Spring 2011
More Information about this book >>

Maya Goes To Hospital - Held in Hope series by Victoria Beech and the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network, illustrated by Rhiannon Mollart
ISBN: 978-1-905-89320-1 Price: £5.99	Published: Spring 2011
More Information about this book >>

Sam and His Special Book: About a Child Who Is Life Limited - Held in Hope series by Victoria Beech and the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network, illustrated by Rhiannon Mollart
ISBN: 978-1-905-89322-5 Price: £5.99	Published: Spring 2011
More Information about this book >>

The Birthday Shoes by Mary Weeks Millard
ISBN: 978-0-953-69638-3 Price: £5.99	Published: Spring 2011
More Information about this book >>

Browse the archive:-

All books reviewed in this section, indexed by title:-
A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T V W Y Z 3