Christian book suggestions

5 fantasy add to reading

While every season is a good time to read, there’s just something about sitting outside in the shade and feeling the summer breeze while you read. Below are five fantasy series to add to your summer reading list.

#1. The Weaver Trilogy by Lindsay A. Franklin

Selling stories is a deadly business

Tanwen doesn’t just tell stories–she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.

During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the king’s guard hunts her down…and they’re not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers she’s not the only outlaw in the empire. There’s a rebel group of weavers…and they’re after her too.

#2. Books of the Infinite by R. J. Larson

Judge (Books of the Infinite Book #2) by [R. J. Larson] The last thing Kien Lantec expects on his first day of military leave is to receive marching orders from his Creator, the Infinite. Orders that don’t involve destroyer-racing or courting the love of his life, Ela. Adding to Kien’s frustration, his Infinite-ordained duties have little to do with his skills as a military judge-in-training. His mission? To warn the people of ToronSea against turning their backs to the Infinite to worship a new goddess.

But why Kien? Isn’t this the role of a true prophet, such as Ela of Parne?

Seeking answers, Kien visits Ela and finds her stricken by a devastating vision of her own. Her birthplace, Parne, has been corrupted by her enemies and will soon suffer judgment. Pulled in separate ways, each must seek to follow the Infinite’s leading and hope He will reunite them again soon.

#3. The Dancing Realm by Sharon Hinck

The dancers of the Order direct their floating world of Meriel with their movements, but are they steering it toward destruction?

Calara spent her life learning dance patterns and seeking to become the perfect servant to her people. When she discovers the work of the Order is built on lies, she flees with a rough-edged herder, Brantley of Windswell. Pursued by soldiers, her journey through the suffering villages of the rim leads her to a forgotten truth that sends ripples through her world-and through her soul.

Calara seeks clues to her forgotten family and discovers newfound courage in the face of danger, while her quest awakens a growing but forbidden affection for Brantley. Yet even his support can’t fully be trusted, since he’d rather destroy the Order than bring reform.

She is a lone woman facing opposition from rim villages and treachery from the all-powerful Order. Can she restore the dance to its true purpose and bring freedom and hope to her people?

#4. The Tethered World Chronicles by Heather L.L. FitzGerald

“Normal” means different things to different people.

For sixteen-year-old Sadie Larcen, family dynamics look a little different than most. Parents with oddball occupations? Normal. Five homeschooled siblings—one with autism? Normal.

Police knocking on the door and parents gone missing? Definitely not normal!

When Sadie uncovers the reasons behind her parents’ disappearance and the truth about her heritage, she despairs of ever feeling normal again. Especially when she learns that her mother’s interest in Bigfoot, Dwarves, and other lore extends beyond her popular blog. Sadie’s family has been entrusted with keeping the secrets of the Tethered World—home to creatures that once roamed the Garden of Eden.

Sadie and her siblings must venture into this land to rescue their parents. Stepping out of reality and into a world she never knew existed is a journey Sadie fears and resents. But she chooses to risk all to save her family.

She’s just not sure she will survive in the process.

#5. Realm Walkers by Donita K. Paul

Cantor D’Ahma waited his whole life for this day. Born with a gift to jump between worlds, the young realm walker is finally ready to leave his elderly mentor and accept his role as protector and defender of the realms.

But mere hours after he steps through his first portal, Cantor discovers that his job will be more dangerous and difficult than he ever imagined. The realms are plagued with crime and cruelty, and even members of the once-noble Realm Walkers Guild can no longer be trusted. To make matters worse, his first assignment—finding a dragon to assist him on his quest—has led him to Bridger, who is clearly inept and won’t leave him alone.

With the help of his new friends Bixby and Dukmee, Cantor must uncover the secrets of the corrupt guild before they become too powerful to be stopped. But his skills aren’t progressing as fast as he would like, and as he finds himself deeper and deeper in the guild’s layers of deceit, Cantor struggles to determine where his true allegiance lies.

What books are on your summer reading list? Aside from rereading these wonderful suggestions, I plan to reread (for probably the seventh time) Samara’s Peril by Jaye L. Knight, Orphan’s Song by Gillian Bronte Adams, and Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse.

Happy summer, and happy reading!

reading suggestions

*The comments for this post have been turned off due to the amount of spam I was receiving. If you have a question about any of the listed books, please feel free to contact me.

No matter the age, wholesome books are hard to come by, and Christian books are even harder to find. Below is a list of books for each age category beginning at elementary age. Every book on this list is either Christian or a wholesome classic.

Parents of younger readers, you know your child best. Keep in mind that, while the age determined suitable for each book is listed, there are more tender readers whom may not be ready for some of the books.

Elementary:

The Double Dabble Surprise (Cul-de-Sac Kids Book #1) by [Lewis, Beverly] — *The Double Dabble Surprise,* Book One in *The Cul-de-sac Kids*

1. The Cul-de-sac Kids by Beverly Lewis – fun books filled with mysteries and lessons about faith, friendship, and forgiveness.

2. The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope – a classic series about two sets of twins who solve mysteries around the U.S.

3. The Boxcar Kids by Gertrude Chandler Warner – another classic series about siblings solving mysteries around the U.S.

4. The Astrokids Series by Robert Elmer – a Christian series about kids in space.

5. Bible Kidventures by multiple authors – adventures in Bible times from kids’ point of views. Best for the older elementary ages.

6. Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder – a classic series based on the life of perhaps one of the most well-known pioneers of all times.

7. Knight of Arrethtrae Series by Chuck Black – allegorical stories about knights in the King’s service who embark on courageous quests and learn about faith, sacrifice, and hope. Readers beginning at the fifth grade level can read this series, which can be enjoyed by older readers of all ages.

*Kingdom’s Dawn*, Book One in *The Kingdom Series*

8. The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black – another allegorical series, this time featuring on the life of Christ, the End Times, and the Rapture. Suitable for readers fifth grade and up due to some of the intense scenes. There is nothing graphic, but evil is well-portrayed and may scare younger readers. Can also be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

9. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – an allegorical tale about Christ’s sacrifice. Suitable for readers fifth grade and up.

10. Adventures in Odyssey Passages by Paul McCusker – allegorical stories from the Bible. Suitable for readers fifth grade and up.

11. Hank the Cowdog Series by John R. Erickson – a cowdog and his less-than-astute fellow ranch dog find themselves in hilarious action-packed adventures. Suitable for third grade and up.

Jr. High:

1. The League and the Lantern (Book One) and The League and the Legend (Book Two) by Brian Wells – adventure meets middle-school aged kids with a knack of getting in trouble. Fun and filled with history. These books are still two of my high school-aged sister’s favorites.

2. The Young Underground Series by Robert Elmer – a series about World War II. Filled with history, faith, action, and adventure.

3. Mysteries of Middlefield by Kathleen Fuller – kids who are Amish detectives learn the importance of truth and honesty as they investigate mysteries around their community. This series is primarily written for girls.

4. Adventures Down Under by Robert Elmer – a series about a family’s adventures in Australia. Filled with history, faith, action, and adventure.

5. Hunter Brown Series by Christopher Miller – an allegorical trilogy best suited for seventh grade and up due to some of the spiritual warfare.

The Book of the King (The Wormling 1) by [Jenkins, Jerry B., Fabry, Chris] — *The Book of the King*, Book One in *The Wormling Series*

6. The Wormling Series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry – an allegorical series that readers sixth grade and up will enjoy.

7. Books by Grace Livingston Hill – clean, Christian romances written for girls that are light on romance and heavy on faith.

8. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – perhaps the most well-known epic fantasy tale of all time. Can be read by itself, but for easier understanding of the complex world-building and history, read The Silmarillion and The Hobbit before LOTR.

9. Dragon Keepers Chronicles by Donita K Paul – a series about dragons, adventure, and faith with a bit of romance mixed in.

10. The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson – yet another series that can be enjoyed by readers older than the junior high category. After all, who doesn’t enjoy epic tales of faith, adventure, awesome swords with cool names, dragons, sacrifice, and a fierce battle between good and evil?

High School and Older:

*Resistance,* Book One in the *Ilyon Chronicles*

1. The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L Knight – an intense and raw series with faith, action, hope, sacrifice, courage, and dragons. This series is technically written for new adults (ages 18 and up), but readers in high school can read it as well.

2. The Songkeeper Chronicles by Gillian Bronte Adams – takes place in a world where music can change the tide of war and characters ride griffins and lions. Few authors can weave words together the way this author does. Readers in upper junior high can read this series, but since it does feature some raw moments (not graphic but still intense), this series lands in the high school category.

3. The Ravenwood Saga by Morgan L. Busse – unique, action-packed, and filled with faith, but it does contain dark elements as one of the characters does, in a sense, engage in spiritual warfare.

4. Keeper of Shadows by Bridgett Powers – a cursed assassin finds himself helping his target, but at what price? This book is filled with faith and can also be read by those in junior high, but there are some intense scenes that feature evil and spiritual warfare.

5. Oath of the Outcast by C.M. Banschbach – another intense read that is the beginning of a promising series. Do keep in mind that characters do go through torture, though nothing is explicitly described. This book also deals heavily with good verses evil.

6. The Chronicles of Sarco by Joshua A. Johnston – a science fiction series with an intriguing plot.

7. The Weaver Trilogy by Lindsay A. Franklin – this is for YA readers, but older readers will also enjoy the witty characters and clever plot.

8. Beast by Chawna Schroeder – technically, this book could be in the junior high category, but older readers will better understand it’s incredible allegorical plot that takes the reader from despair and confusion to finally realizing their worth in Christ.

9. Wars of the Realm Series by Chuck Black – this is one of those series that completely blows you away. Focusing primarily on spiritual warfare and redemption, this is one of those read-again series that will keep you coming back to it no matter how large your TBR pile is.

10.The Staff and the Sword Series by Patrick W. Carr – perhaps one of the most well-written characters to ever grace the pages of a fantasy book is featured in this series full of action, romance, deception, and danger.