10 Reading Suggestions for Kids of All Ages

*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, 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:

The League and the Lantern

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, 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.

Beast

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.

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When Motivation Goes on Strike

Whether attempting to write an essay, blog, or a novel, we’ve all faced that moment when our minds go blank and we stare at the screen in confusion and bewilderment. It’s something every writer has experienced.

When motivation goes on strike, it sets off a chain reaction. It can initiate writer’s block, which erases any ideas we ever had, our mental energy drains, our eyes cross from staring at the screen, and we lose half our hair from pulling it out in frustration.

So, when our motivation decides to pack its bags and hightail it out of here, what can we do?

#1: Get Away

This might seem like an odd thing to do, but the one time you aren’t near the computer or laptop, inspiration will hit. Do chores. Do the dishes. Go to Walmart. Or mow the lawn or shovel snow. Your mind will go into creative overload, and you’ll likely lose what’s left of your sanity due to your inability to write it down at that precise moment. But what’s a little insanity when you can get that word count in, or get that scene written?

#2: Reread the Last Five Chapters

Sometimes, all you need is to go back and reread the last five chapters. Not only will this “refresh” your memory of what’s happening, but it also gets you back into the characters, and can stir your creative juices. Whatever situation your characters are in will be fresh in your mind, which makes it easier to cook up a solution – or even more problems for your characters.

#3: Watch a Movie

Watching a movie that is the same genre as your book will often spark ideas for your work-in-progress. Writing fantasy? Watch Lord of the Rings. Science Fiction? Rogue One. Just be sure that you don’t copy directly from whatever you watch. It’s fine to be inspired, but not to create the same scenario that can easily be identified as taken from a movie.

#4: Listen to Music

I have a theme song for each of my main characters, and other songs that apply to the book in general. Listening to “All of Me” by Ashes Remain helps me feel for and get in the mood to write my character who has a hard time believing God actually cares. Why? Because this song echoes what my character feels and experiences. “Stronger” by Mandisa and “I Can Wait” by Mikeschair are also songs critical in helping me write upcoming main characters.

Listening to music can also put you in the mood to write a particular scene. While “Lonely Are The Brave” by Two Steps From Hell inspires me for a particular scene, it reminds me of the series’ general feel: slowly shifting from troubled and turbulent to triumphal.

So, find that song that inspires you for your character or a particular scene, listen to it, and be ready for inspiration to strike once again.

#5: Step Away

While this might seem like #1 reworded, there’s a big difference between getting away from a project for a few hours, and actually stepping away from a project for a few days, weeks, or even months.

I worked on one  WIP for seven months before my motivation appeared to take a permanent leave. As in, I had nothing. Nothing. Right when I was crafting my proposal, too. Talk about timing. When none of the aforementioned solutions helped me regain my motivation, I put the manuscript aside for the entire month of January. It was tough, but necessary. When I finally returned, I was slowly able to integrate myself back into my characters’ lives, their problems, and their world, and resume perfecting the proposal and manuscript.

#6: Create

I’ve discovered that taking a few minutes to work on my potential author website designs, even though getting published is nowhere in my immediate future, really stirs the creative juices. While not everyone may know or be learning how to create websites, there are other ways to get creative as well. Draw a scene from your manuscript. Get out in nature and take pictures of places that would make good settings. Go on Pinterest and create a board for your book ideas. I have several, some of which are “Weapons”, “Situations Characters Find Themselves In”, and “Settings for Books”. These always give me some sort of inspiration or prod to go back to writing.

Writing is difficult. But don’t let lack of motivation hold you back. Find what works best for you for inspiration, and write!

When Motivation Goes on Strike

Whether attempting to write an essay, blog, or a novel, we’ve all faced that moment when our minds go blank and we stare at the screen in confusion and bewilderment. It’s something every writer has experienced.

When motivation goes on strike, it sets off a chain reaction. It can initiate writer’s block, which erases any ideas we ever had, our mental energy drains, our eyes cross from staring at the screen, and we lose half our hair from pulling it out in frustration.

So, when our motivation decides to pack its bags and hightail it out of here, what can we do?

#1: Get Away

This might seem like an odd thing to do, but the one time you aren’t near the computer or laptop, inspiration will hit. Do chores. Do the dishes. Go to Walmart. Or mow the lawn or shovel snow. Your mind will go into creative overload, and you’ll likely lose what’s left of your sanity due to your inability to write it down at that precise moment. But what’s a little insanity when you can get that word count in, or get that scene written?

#2: Reread the Last Five Chapters

Sometimes all you need is to go back and reread the last five chapters. Not only will this “refresh” your memory of what’s happening, but it also gets you back into the characters, and can stir your creative juices. Whatever situation your characters are in will be fresh in your mind, which makes it easier to cook up a solution – or even more problems for your characters.

#3: Watch a Movie

Watching a movie that is the same genre as your book will often spark ideas for your work-in-progress. Writing fantasy? Watch Lord of the Rings. Science Fiction? Rogue One. Just be sure that you don’t copy directly from whatever you watch. It’s fine to be inspired, but not to create the same scenario that can easily be identified as taken from a movie.

#4: Listen to Music

I have a theme song for each of my main characters. Listening to “All of Me” by Ashes Remain helps me feel for and get in the mood to write my character who has a hard time believing God actually cares. Why? Because this song echoes what my character feels and experiences. “Enemy” by Newsboys and “Faithful” by Hawk Nelson are also songs critical in helping me write upcoming main characters.

Listening to music can also put you in the mood to write a particular scene. While “Forces of Destiny” by Two Steps From Hell inspired me for my entire manuscript, it was specifically what helped me craft a battle scene.

So, find that song that inspires you for your character or a particular scene, listen to it, and be ready for inspiration to strike once again.

#5: Step Away

While this might seem like #1 reworded, there’s a big difference between getting away from a project for a few hours, and actually stepping away from a project for a few days, weeks, or even months.

I’ve been working on my current WIP for seven months. A few weeks ago, my motivation appeared to take a permanent leave. As in, I had nothing. Nothing. Right when I was crafting my proposal, too. Talk about timing. When none of the aforementioned solutions helped me regain my motivation, I put the manuscript aside for the entire month of January. It was tough, but necessary. When I finally returned, I was slowly able to integrate myself back into my characters’ lives, their problems, and their world, and resume perfecting the proposal and manuscript.

Writing is difficult. But don’t let lack of motivation hold you back. Find what works best for you for inspiration, and write!