Summertime Christian Fiction

Are you a seasonal reader? I discovered recently that I am NOT. I like to read autumn and winter books in the autumn and winter... but then also in the summer to escape my hot reality 😅 But maybe you love to read summer stories in the summer and if so, this list is for you! 

🌞 All That Fills Us (contemporary, general fiction)... This one is heavily focused on an eating disorder so beware if that will not be good for you. We have a young woman walking her way across the country and you'll get to see quite a bit of nature along with quite a bit of personal reflection and development.

🌞 All That Really Matters (contemporary, general fiction)... I am generally fascinated by the concept of influencers-- the psychology of being one, the psychology of following one, the aftermath, the parasocial relationship aspect, all of it. I really enjoyed this Nicole Deese story about an influencers finding meaning and value in a charitable summer project.

🌞 Chasing the Horizon (historical fiction)... This Oregon Trail story is about a mother and daughter on the run. It's not in my normal wheelhouse but I did enjoy it.

🌞 In Search of a Prince (contemporary, general fiction)... This book is such a fun nod to The Princess Diaries- a young woman who suddenly learns she's an African princess and has to take over the throne... and also find a prince to marry!

🌞 The Key to Everything (historical fiction)... This post-WWII story is about a teenage boy traveling biking from one end of Florida to the other. I liked it, and I felt that it would be a good read for my kids as teenagers too. This one is on our high school lists.

🌞 I Really Do Miss Your Smile and Take a Chance on Me (contemporary,  general fiction, romantic fiction)... I love the Christiansens and these two, the prequel and book 1, take place firmly in the summertime by a lake in Minnesota.

🌞 Pocketful of Pinecones (historical fiction, fictionalized homeschool how-to)... This one, which actually covers each season, will likely only appeal to homeschool moms or nature lovers. This is a fictionalized example of how to do nature study with your children, but it's also about marriage and motherhood in the 1930s. I have the next book on my shelf and look forward to reading it, too. This was written as diary entries.

🌞 Summer of Yes (contemporary, general fiction)... I judged this book by its cover and expected it to be light-hearted fluff (which I don't really like) but I ended up loving some depth and richness I hadn't expected. This one feels extra summery to me since it's a road trip story.

🌞 Tacos for Two (contemporary, general  fiction, romance)... This Texas taco truck story had major You've Got Mail vibes and I really liked it. I feel like I've recommended this book Way too many times but oh, well. I loved it!

🌞 What Happens Next (contemporary, general fiction,  mystery)... Christina Suzann Nelson books hold my attention so well. I love her writing! This one is about a popular podcaster, so kinda fits into my influencer fascination, but it's also about a Missing child from the 80s. That part makes this book a hard one to stomach at times, at least for my sensitive mama heart, but I did finish it and I did love it. 

Bookish links- June 2026

June New releases I'm excited about: Parable Port #2: The Captain's Clue // The Girl from Tomorrow's Town // Twenty Something Else (so, so excited for these last two... a circus book and a kind of amnesia trope?! Yes, please!!!) 

10 Spiritual warfare novels  

How to write books kids can't put down 

Kate's 2025 nonfiction reads 

Lovely watercolor bookmark tutorial 

American Girl has collaborated with Tea Collection, a brand we know for lots of 100% cotton dresses for girls.  

6 exciting reads for the summer // Must-read novels by 12 experts in their fields 

I LOVE this Green Ember party! 

10 faith-filled books that will shape and sustain the class of 2026 

I couldn't spend this much but this cute little felted mouse reader makes my heart squeal with awwww! 

Cute (free) summer reading log downloads from The Good and the Beautiful 

One of the books I read last month took me down a rabbit trail learning about a real literary crisis happening in America right now, so many of our kids and teens are unable to read or write. This is terrifying! These are our future nurses, for example. We've got to do better! Please, read to/with the children in your life 💙 

This Peanuts storybook corner is so cute, Snoopy fans! 

Amy's sister coffee date posts always make me wish I had a sister. And liked coffee 😆 

2026 summer reading programs 

7 Christian books and Bible studies for this summer 

Recently I had a great prayer time where I feel that God revealed to me that I am still very much a writer, just not publishing in this season. So I was thinking a lot about my Christian books and wanted to take a moment to share them (in a no pressure way) if you are interested. For the Love of Marriage // Blessed by Birth 

Non-book favorites last month: This song // flowy dresses // playing quick rounds of GUESS WHO with my younger children // Long walks while the weather is still tolerable // working on YouTube videos along with my physical creative projects // building a non-addictive Android phone using this tutorial // savoring. Remembering that I don't have to get it all done and just savoring peaceful moments with the people I love // this Christian version of a show like Laguna Beach / The Hills, brought a smile to my millennial heart but in a much more edifying way :)

Bookish weekend fun

This was quite a fun, bookish weekend for my family!

Up first, Friday: my Bible study morning time as usual, a few homeschool electives, and then errands in a bigger city which included a Target run. We only bought the necessities but we of course enjoyed browsing! 

We later popped into a game store and I saw so many cute bookish/ perfect-for-homeschool games! 

Saturday: morning Bible study, posted a book review blog post, cleaned and took care of some chores, and all of us were feeling a bit funny so we relaxed with our respective books for a while before lunch. The rest of our day was typical and task-heavy, then I ended the night with a chapter of The Wings of Poppy Pendleton (this was my personal read but is now my book club read, too) and a chapter of To Love a Lady (my buddy read with my mom). 

Sunday: church (we studied church history in Sunday school and Romans 13 in the main service), lunch, and a cozy family day. At bedtime my husband and I watched a show while I skimmed (and approved) House of Sixty Fathers for my kids' older middle grade shelves.  

Three new books for parents

I have been given the opportunity to read and review some really great new books this month. I want to speak specifically to parents and other adults in child-supporting roles today, about a nonfiction for you and some picture books for the children you love.

Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me?... This sweet picture book, written by the president of Awana, is such a sweet look at the love of a father and the even greater love of our heavenly father. I found it very touching and enjoyed thr illustrations, too. This will make for a perfect Father's day read. 

-Every Heart... This rhyming picture book, a good follow-up to Every Neighbor, has such a lovely message. The takeaway is that God has put a unique heart into each of us and we all have a purpose, our own beautiful gifts to share. I look forward to reading this one to my youngest again and again 🥰 

This on releases August 4th. 

Raising Gen Alpha... This was such a fantastic read! I am Raising FOUR gen alphas and I think all the time about this very strange world that's become so foreign to me, about how to prepare them for things I don't even understand yet. This was a very helpful and very inspiring book I've been talking about and recommending to so many of the moms I know and love!

* I received a free copy of each of these books in exchange for an honest review. 

Christian books for 5th graders

How cute is this little garden trinket? I spotted it at a Dollar General last month. 

Amon's Adventures and Tabitha's Travels (Biblical fiction)... These are Biblical fiction stories about Jesus combined with devotionals. I learned about these from Read Aloud Revival and the recommendation was to just read the story portion so that's what I did.

Baxter Family series (fiction)... This is a five book set and my daughters wish there were more. These are focused on a big family, Told from the perspectives of two of the sisters (Kari and Ashley, for those who are familiar with the adult series).

Danger on the Flying Trapeze (fictionalized biography)... I always enjoy good Circus book so I liked this fictionalized story about DL Moody.

Devos for Brave Boys / Devos for Brave Girls (nonfiction, devotional)... I previously had a copy of each of these and found that my children enjoyed them quite a bit at this age.

Everybody Always for Kids (nonfiction)... My kids and I love these Bob Goff books and find the stories inspiring and motivating.

Flight of the Fugitives (fictionalized biography)... This is the Gladys Aylward story and we found it interesting and exciting.

Green Ember series (fantasy fiction)... This is a long-standing favorite series for my children, including the three accompanying series (Old Natalia, Archer, and Lost Tales). My younger kids got to start the series early and they love it, too. There's a new addition releasing May 25th and we pre-ordered it :)

Hero Tales (nonfiction)... This is a great collection of short biographies and stories about various Christian heroes and missionaries. I found that several of these caught my attention and led me to seek out a longer book on the person.

Imagine series (Speculative/Biblical fiction)... These are a fun kind of Time travel/Biblical fiction series that really captured my kids' attention.

Ivan series (fiction)... This communist Russia series was on the Good and the Beautiful Book list. I found it interesting but my oldest did not so you'll have to see what you think!

Landon Snow series (fantasy fiction)... This fun, light fantasy involves talking books!

Lena in the Spotlight series (fiction)... This trilogy, about a Girl who is suddenly thrown into the spotlight is a definite favorite for my girls.

Lizzie and the Redcoat (historical fiction)... We listened to the audio version of this one last summer and it really brought the Revolutionary War to life for my girls.

My Name is Tani (nonfiction, memoir)... We all love this memoir about a refugee who came to America and became a fantastic chess player. Some of my kids have read this one multiple times.

The Power of a Praying Kid (nonfiction)... I've read a few Stormie Omaritan books but this is the only kid book. Only one of my children has read this one so far but she was very inspired.

The Seed of Faith (fiction, Christmas)... This Christmas read, which I do think is a better personal read than read-aloud, is short but sweet.

The Shadow and the Promise (fiction)... This is fun... basically, Biblical fiction from the perspective of animals who were there. I think animal lovers will enjoy this one. It's a series but I've only read book 1 so far.

Soul Surfer series (fiction)... this is my girls' favorite of all the Faithgirlz books they've read do far. This is a series that talks about surfing and amputation, just like Bethany Hamilton's real story.