Did you know that the vast majority of people who walk with Jesus first made that decision to follow Him in their youth?  That’s why I believe that books for young people are so vital.

But I find that not all Christian books for young people are equal.  Some use vocabulary that is too complicated for their age guidelines, or alternatively too simplistic.  Others are dotted with religious jargon.  Then there are some that may be very nice books, but they really don’t have much of a Christian message.  On the other hand, others are very ‘preachy’ and they seem to patronise and talk down to their readers.

What I look for when selecting a Christian story for young people is that the tale itself is a good one.  The story has to be well told, whether fiction or a Bible story.  It must have plenty of realistic interaction between the characters, and age appropriate dialogue.  But to be natural, there also needs to be interaction with adults or other age groups.  While it should portray life challenges relevant to the age group, there must also be plenty of good fun.  If not set in a bygone era, references to technology must be up to date.  Then a reader of the target age group can identify with the characters and enter into the adventure.  A realistic fiction will raise real life challenges, and then very naturally point to Jesus as the answer, not in a contrived way, but perhaps very subtly