Christian Fiction Retellings, Revisitings, and Nods

Beyond Ivy Walls (historical fiction)... This Beauty and the Beast retelling is set in 1903 Iowa. I generally like this author and I liked this book pretty well though its not what I generally gravitate towards. 

Dear Mr Knightley (Contemporary, epistolary)... This was such a cute book and it's a retelling of a classic I still have yet to read (but do intend to!), Daddy Long Legs.

Dust (YA, Contemporary, fantasy)... I wasn't sure I should include this as a YA but some of you won't mind. This is a Peter Pan/Nederland revisiting. It's an adventure but as far as I recall it was very light if not fully lacking on the Christian content.

Eli (Contemporary)... The premise of the one really fascinated me- what if Jesus hadn't come back until modern times? It's borderline historical now, since it was published in 2000. 

A Game Most Foul (YA, mystery)... Sherlock Holmes fans, this one is for you! In this contemporary YA mystery, Sherlock and Watson happen to still be alive and solving mysteries today. 

In Search of a Prince (Contemporary)... This one is for fans of The Princess Diaries- remember that one? We have a young woman casually living her typical American life and then, bam, she's hit with the news that she's actually an African princess and needs to go take over the throne, like, now. Oh, and she needs to marry. 😉

Ladies of the Lake (historical fiction, time slip)... I really loved this book and it was such a delightful nod to Anne of Green Gables. Our main character lives a similar orphan life and identifies a lot with Anne... but she also strikes up a pen pal friendship / mentorship either the Anne author LM Montgomery!
* If you're an Anne fan, I also recommend the clean secular fiction Marilla of Green Gables.

Laura's Shadow (historical fiction, time slip)... This time slip is partially about Cap Garland and another girl in his time period, partially about a writer of a Laura Ingalls Wilder comic strip and her family history/secrets, some regarding Laura herself. Little House fans will likely enjoy this one.

Long Way Gone... (Contemporary) This one was a gritty, modern day retelling of The Prodigal Son. I'm a bit sensitive and struggled through a few parts of this one but boy, does this author know what he's doing!

Once Upon a Dickens Christmas (historical)... I'm sure you can guess from the title but this collection has three Christmas novellas all about Charles Dickens and his works. My mom and I read all three as Christmas buddy reads and we both enjoyed all of them.

Once Upon a Wardrobe (historical)... This one is for my Narnia fans! A college student befriends professor CS Lewis and learns more about the Narnia world he's created.

Tacos for Two (Contemporary)... This one is a more modern nod to You've Got Mail and I really enjoyed it! We are working with taco trucks instead of bookstores and an anonymous dating app instead of AOL emails. Fun, for sure.

To Love a Beast (historical)... Another Beauty and the Beast retelling- this one was set in late-1800s Texas. I enjoyed this one in preparation for a Texas trip last September and thought it was cute. The author has a whole slew of Texas-set fairy-tale retellings if that sounds fun to you.

To Love a Lady (historical)... I really loved My Fair Lady in middle school and high school so I enjoyed this My Fair Lady retelling. My mom and I buddy read this one, too, and she was also happy with it.

Under the Texas Mistletoe (historical)... Okay, this was a Mom buddy read, too. We liked all of the Christmas stories in this collection but it's on the list specifically for A Texas Christmas Carol, which is of course a Texas-set retelling of A Christmas Carol.

I'll also tell you about YA author Melanie Dickerson who has many fairytale retellings. I tried two and didn't love them but they were both buddy reads with my cousin who devoured them and then read all the others in the series and I only ever hear great things so they're still worth a try if you love fairytale retellings. 

Happy reading! And friendly reminder that Jesus knows every tiny thing you've ever been ashamed of but thinks you're precious anyway and can't wait to hug you and say "Well done." 💙

All Things Narnia

I read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was about 11 years old and immediately fell in love. I wrote my own version and forever carried a fondness for all things Narnia! Now my children love Narnia, too. We've discovered all kinds of fun Narnia books over the years so I thought I'd finally share them here.

First, of course, the seven-book series itself. There are so many lovely editions but this is the kind I had as a kid. We think this, this, and this set are beautiful.

Board book of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe... We recently received this for our youngest. This is what gave me the idea to finally share this post!

Picture book of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe... I have so many fond memories of this one! It was so very, very long, but delighted each of my older children to no end. I do hope to get another copy someday.

Now, for the books we love outside of the series itself!

CS Lewis: Master Storyteller  (middle grade... I have enjoyed several of these Benge biographies and really enjoyed this one all about CS Lewis' life, faith, and of course work.

Finding Narnia: The Story of CS Lewis and His Brother (picture book)... This one covered plenty but especially focused on the author's relationship with his brother.

Through the Wardrobe: How CS Lewis Created Narnia (picture book)... Some of my children are budding fantasy writers who very much enjoyed this one.

The Mythmakers (YA, graphic novel)... John Hendrix does it again! This gorgeous graphic novel explores a lot but especially CS Lewis's time in the war and his friendship with JRR Tolkien.

Once Upon a Wardrobe (adult, Christian fiction,  great for teens)... I really enjoyed this fiction story, about a young college girl taking a class from CS Lewis and her chronically ill little brother who loves Narnia. I'll definitely pass this one onto my teens.

Painting Wonder (picture book)... we loved this picture book biography about the woman who illustrated the original Narnia books!


Extra Narnia fun- Cookbook // so many awesome offerings from A Fine Quotation and Carrot Top Paper Shop // this print // this mug // Narnia wardrobe reading nook // You can actually enter the children's section through a wardrobe at Fabled Books in Waco, Texas. 

What I read in February

I tried to be really intentional about my first month of postpartum healing this time around and I feel like I did a good job! I napped or rested in bed reading during a lot of baby's naps plus I employed the same trick with this baby that I used to use during nighttime (early morning) feedings- read on the Kindle so I don't engage/stimulate baby during sleep hours yet don't fall asleep! But I didn't do much audio book listening since I wasn't doing the workouts, driving, or chores that normally make sense as audio book time.

First, grown-up reads...

📖 Bible study: Proverbs! Still focused on a very slow bible study- quality, not quantity.

📖 All That Really Matters (Christian, fiction)... I am really fascinated by the overall idea of influencers (it's such a strange byproduct of an internet-heavy world, isn't it?) and really enjoyed this novel about a popular makeup influencer and her time mentoring young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. I'm not at all interested in book 2 but I am really loving Nicole Deese lately so I'll be reading it anyway!

📖 Bitter and Sweet (Christian, fiction)... Yet another book exploring family dynamics and character development. I am forever drawn to deep, rich stories like these. This one is set in South Carolina and focuses on a toxic adult sister relationship + some ties to their great grandmother's past.

📖 Boost Your Breast Milk (secular, nonfiction. Parenting? Health?)... Good, short and to the point, helpful!

📖 The Brain's Way of Healing (secular, nonfiction, health)... I didn't read the whole super long book, just parts that matched up with a loved one's condition. So fascinating!

📖 Formula of Deception (Christian, fiction, suspense)... I was really into this Alaska suspense book but there was a point right near the end that kinda pulled me out of the story. I will try more Carrie Stuart Parks in the future.

📖 Habits of the Household (Christian, nonfiction)... I adored this book! But I do think you won't get much out of it if you aren't actively parenting young children.

📖 Meet Me in the Margins (Christian [but not really], fiction)... I read this because Janssen said it was a good clean read for teens + I'm a sucker for a good book about books/writing. I am not a sucker for romance but they're growing on me IF they're done right. I loved this one! 

📖 A Time to Stand (Christian, fiction)... I was so curious to see how this one would go- a black lawyer who feels called to defend the white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager. I have liked the other Robert Whitlow books I've read and I liked this one, too. 

📖 Plus the designated chapters of my ongoing baby reads this year, What to Expect: The First Year // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding // The Wonder Weeks 

And for my kids' shelves...

📖 All of Creation (Christian, upper middle grade, nonfiction)... I've always thought it so strange that an environmental sustainability focus is so often seen as almost anti-Christian. The environment was hand-created by God, we live here, it's the thief who came to destroy, and besides, God is pretty clear in Genesis that we're supposed to take care of our world. This book did a good job of laying out practical things we can do to protect specific plants/creatures/habitats in a very Biblical, faith-focused way. #Christianhippie 🤷🏼

📖 The Blind Girl's Song (Christian, middle grade, fictionalized biography)... This was a well-done, engaging biography about the author of many famous hymns. I enjoyed this one and think a lot of music-minded kids will enjoy it, too. 

📖 Can You Survive: an Alien Invasion (secular, middle grade, fiction, choose-your-own-adventure)... Something that interested my son... Fluff of course, overall fine. Like most of these kinds of books, some adventure paths were better than others.

📖 DNA by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Short and informative with fun tidbits thrown in.

📖 Flight of the Eagles (Christian, middle grade, fantasy)... I was curious to see if this 90s story would be too old and outdated for my oldest but it wasn't! He definitely plans to continue the series.

📖 Heroes: Incredible True Stories of Courageous Animals (secular, nonfiction)... These are all stories about animals helping during wars. Some stories end sadly but it's a good read for kids who can handle that.

📖 Kate and the Spies (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... This Revolutionary war novel is the third Sisters in Time book I've read and it's going to be a definite hit with one of my kids.

📖 Lena in the Spotlight series- Hello Stars // Daydreams and Movie Screens // Shining Night (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this Faithgirlz series about a young lady becoming a movie star overnight. Lots of good faith content in these.

📖 The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Really liked this one and know my kids will love it so already planning to use it as our next read-aloud! 

📖 The Mythmakers (secular, YA, nonfiction, graphic novel)... This is a great look at the lives + relationship of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis which I'll definitely hand to my kids as high schoolers. I also loved this author's Bonhoeffer graphic novel in a similar style.

📖 Nicholas Quick and the Man from the Chaos Dimension (secular, middle grade, fiction, fantasy)... Fantasy is never my favorite but this one was fun and then was a hit with my oldest.

📖 Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... I don't love every book in this series but I did really enjoy this one!

📖 Winning the War in Your Mind for Teens (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... Wow, what a powerful read period but especially for supporting teens through those hard angsty times. 

Picture books we enjoyed this month: The Book Bus // Buzzing With Questions // Captain Cat // I Will Rejoice // I've Loved You Since Forever // The King Without a Shadow // Pa, Me, and the Sidewalk Pantry // The Prince and the Porker // Race to Kindness // Take Heart My Child // What's Inside a Flower // The Wonderful Things You Will Be // You Are My Happy  

Christian Middle Grade Fantasy Favorites

Fantasy seems to be so hot right now. My kids are all loving it and we've been noticing that a ton of family friends feel the same way! If you've been here a while you know it isn't my favorite but I've made an effort for the sake of my loves and to say they appreciate it is an understatement.

📚 The Aedyn Chronicles...  This is a trilogy about siblings who travel to a fantasy world. This one is fast-moving and action-packed.

📚 The Chronicles of Narnia... I adore this high fantasy classic series of seven. This one is an allegory and is full of character and adventure. We don't really do Disney movies but their Narnia movies have been an exception. The battle-filled movies may be too scary for younger kids. 

📚 The Dreamkeeper Saga... There are four in this series, at least for now. In this creative series, a girl travels through the dream realm, a land where dreams (and nightmares!) are real.

📚 The Green Ember series + accompanying series... With the accompanying series (Tales of Old Natalia and The Last Archer), there are ten of these exciting yet beautiful rabbit stories... But SD Smith recently sent out a poll asking which characters we'd like to read more about so there will likely be more soon! This one is also allegorical in nature and is a definite favorite with my family.

📚 The Inkwell Chronicles... This UK trilogy is so fun, about magic ink that's behind all kinds of famous written works. There's a lot of author name-dropping, which I love, and we hope there will be more in this series.

📚 Jack Zulu books... There are only books in this series so far and we hope to see many more! These are set in 1980s West Virginia and involve Jack and some friends in a battle for good versus evil. 

📚 Landon Snow... These are fun, about talking books and more, with a definite good vs evil theme. 

📚 The Prince Warriors... There are four in this series and my kids have all loved it. In this series, a group of children (boys and girls) travel to the world of Ahoratos. There is a lot of spiritual imagery in these.

📚 The Restorationists... There are two of these so far and they're so fun! We have two cousins (a boy and a girl) who are able to travel into paintings. There are good guys, bad guys, and internal struggles, action, adventure... And bonus, homeschool moms- these are an excellent way to share art history with a reluctant kiddo. One of my kids truly despises learning art and art history, yet knows more than the rest of us thanks to these books!

📚 Son of Angels... This four book series about nephilim and good vs evil is so exciting! This one brought up so much great discussion!

📚 Wingfeather Saga series... This one is about a boy-and-girl sibling group who live in a fantastical world and embark on a quest together. My oldest plowed through the four-book series + two accompanying books and we are now watching the show together.