Me Playing Bookstore Clerk

I loved it when my city had a Christian bookstore. I spent hours there. I loved looking at the books, trying to decide which one would be God’s next adventure for me. I loved talking about the books with the clerks, hearing which they liked. They helped me consider books I may have otherwise missed.



But those days are gone. Or are they? The store is, but how about if I play bookstore clerk for you as you consider July reading for your pre-teen?











If your kids are feeling restless for adventure, how about Ireland in the days of the Vikings? Raiders from the Sea might be just what they need . And there’s adventure to be found in the islands off the Maryland coast for your horse-lovers in Misty of Chincoteague . Boys in particular will enjoy reading about D.J. and the bear cub he rescues in The City Bear’s Adventures , a novel about a boy, his new friend, and a bear who live in a small town in the woods of California’s Sierra Nevada.



Kids will learn about decision-making in Crossroads in Galilee , a choose “your own journey” that is set in first century Galilee. Pre-teen girls can explore life changes and find God’s presence in those experiences in Melanie on the Move .







Maybe your child likes to solve mysteries. Emily Jones and Matthew Parker are young detectives who solve everyday mysteries in Jones & Parker Case Files . The Great Cake Mystery is for young readers, the first book in a series set in Botswana. Or your child may want to solve a mystery in London with three sisters in London Art Chase .



Kids, ages 10-to 13-years can go north to Scotland and solve mysteries with Libby and her friends in Edinburgh: I Get a Clue and We All Get a Clue . (But get your umbrellas out of the closet and keep them handy. It rains in Scotland even in the summer. :)) And don’t let the kids miss making a trip through the wardrobe to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe .



Have your girls read Nerves of Steel or Hidden Figures , the youth editions? They are thrilling biographies. The first is about a woman pilot and the second is about African-American women who helped put the first guys in space.



Those are just a few suggestions. We have others. Check out Book Lists . This list is, in part, organized by age. Here you will also find book recommendations for YA and for College Age/Working People. Look for a book that you think is a match for that dear person and suggest it to them or buy it for them. Kids need encouragement. An uplifting book is a much better use of their time than a lot of experiences the popular culture offers them.  



Nancy Ellen Hird is a mom, a writer and a credentialed teacher. (She taught seventh grade and preschool.) I Get a Clue and We All Get a Clue are her most recent works. These novels are mysteries for kids, ages 10 to 13. For several years she was a freelance reviewer of children’s and teen’s literature for the Focus on the Family website.