JourneyForth: Inspiration Through Every Page

The Mystery of Pelican Cove by Milly Howard is the sequel to her other Christian fiction book, The Treasure of Pelican Cove. In this adventure, Jimmy sights a strange water creature and gets the whole community in an uproar. A mystery book for kids, this novel keeps readers turning pages to see just where all the chaos will lead. And they will not see the ending coming. Any collection of mysteries for kids would be incomplete without this book.

The Next Fine Day is historical fiction by award-winning author Elizabeth Yates. Each spring for hundreds of years, the herons have returned to Chilham, England, but only now have they become important to Kent. Their departure this fall marks the beginning of a new life for his mother, who has closed her heart to love, and for Kent, who thinks of himself as Nobody. Kent’s life is changed forever when he meets an artist who has come to paint the herons of Chilham.

In George MacDonald’s classic fantasy, The Princess and the Goblin, Princess Irene discovers her beautiful great-great-grandmother spinning silver thread in the palace tower. But when no one will believe her tales of the secret tower, Irene’s confidence begins to waver. The Princess and the Goblin is a delightful, meaningful tale of love, bravery, and the importance of faith.

In the classic novel by E. Nesbit, The Railway Children, Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis suddenly find their lives turned upside down. One evening two strangers come to their beautiful villa and take their father away.

The Search for the Silver Eagle by Ed Dunlop is historical fiction that tells the exciting WWII story of twelve-year-old Hans, his father, and his younger sister as they are pursued by the Nazis from Switzerland to France. In this book Hans and Gretchen not only escape to safety, but also help the locals resist the Germans, rescue a downed American pilot, and recover the prototype weapon that must not fall into enemy hands during their harrowing chases and narrow escapes.

In Gloria Repp’s Christian fiction novel, The Secret of the Golden Cowrie, Connie Lawrence loves secrets, and when Aunt Laura shares one with her, it leads them both to a puzzle connected with a beautiful—and very valuable—golden cowrie shell that once belonged to Connie’s uncle. This mystery book from JourneyForth Books follows Connie as she plunges in to get the answers to the puzzling shell and a deeper understanding of her family.

In The Spelling Window, a picture book by Dawn. L. Watkins and illustrated by John Roberts, Shelly learns how to be a friend to her deaf neighbor Seth after an accident causes her to re-evaluate her actions.

Anita Williams’ The Treasure Keeper is a whimsical book for kids but with real take-away value. In this delightful fiction, spunky Marcos tries to find out how to prove he is big enough to work with his father and his uncle in the street market. Along the way he and his goats have a grand adventure in which Marcos finds many treasures and in the end makes the best discovery of all—about himself.

The Window in the Wall follows young Talia as she faces the fear and dangers of a strange army approaching her city, Jericho. The true story of Rahab and the fall of Jericho weaves together with this tale of Talia, Rahab’s niece, and her family. Will they accept Aunt Rahab’s strange new God before the army comes to destroy the city? This story gives 9–12 year olds a new perspective on a familiar event in the Bible.

The Wonderful Chair offers a collection of fairy tales within a fairy tale. Snowflower lives in an enchanted world full of fairies, amazing stories, kings and queens, and princes and princesses.

“There are many ways to use your head,” begins author and illustrator Jo Ann Stover in her rhyming picture book They Didn’t Use Their Heads. “Anything is possible, No matter what you choose, As long as you remember that your head is there to use!” The book centers on the misadventures of certain whimsical characters and at the same time makes an unforgettable case for good behavior. Originally published in 1960, this classic story has been restored for a new generation of readers.

In Gloria Repp’s Christian fiction novel, Trouble at Silver Pines Inn, treasure is what's on Nick’s mind. When he gets to Silver Pines Inn, his grandfather’s property, all he finds is trouble. He makes a bad beginning with his bedridden and bitter grandfather, he earns a scolding from an important guest, and he spoils his brother’s fishing—and all on just the first day.

In Two Sides to Everything, a Christian fiction by Deb Brammer, going to New Zealand while his mother recovers from an accident seems like a simple enough choice to Josh. After all, New Zealanders speak the same language he does. But after he arrives, Josh begins to have doubts even about that, and he is concerned about the exclusion, bullying, resentment, and fear he sees in his classmates.

In Understood Betsy, classic fiction by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Elizabeth Ann gets an unexpected, total-life change. When she goes to visit her Vermont relatives, the Putneys, they call her Betsy instead of Elizabeth Ann. But they don’t just change her name.

In Very Like A Star, Dawn L. Watkins wrote a read-aloud picture book about dependability with engaging illustrations by Dana Thompson. It seems to Rigel that being small is the worst thing in the world.

A young brother and sister navigate the dangers of WWII.

Alicia Petersen’s historical fiction book A Sparrow Alone is set in first century Jerusalem. The lives of two Jewish teens are changed forever by the malicious death of their parents at the hands of soldiers in Roman-occupied Jerusalem. Seventeen-year-old Mala sews for the wives of Roman aristocrats and seeks comfort in the hope of a coming Messiah; her older brother Abdon is consumed with anger and joins a renegade band committed to acts of treachery.

Avery’s Battlefield, by Deanna K. Klingel, is a historical fiction novel for young adults about a boy, a dog, and their search for peace in the first years of the Civil War. Avery and his dog, Gunner, have a good life in Kanawha Valley—a loving family, a prosperous farm, and a warm community of friends.

Avery’s skills as a doctor and his dog Gunner’s friendly personality make the pair a welcome sight to the soldiers in the Civil War hospitals. But mending wounds is not the only challenge Avery faces. Dwindling supplies, insufficient medical facilities, and local troublemakers add to the stress of the war.

Children of the Storm is an autobiography of Natasha Vins which reveals the struggles and triumphs of her faith in God amidst the persecution and hardships of growing up in the Soviet Union. In her teen years, Natasha begins to see doors close to those who remain faithful to Christ. Now she must count the cost and decide for herself whether she wants to pay the price.

Set in the world of international child slavery, Buying Samir is the second book in India’s Street Kid series by Kimberly Rae. Jasmina dreams of the day when her family will all be reunited. When missionaries Asha and Mark go on summer break, Jasmina leaves safety to search for Samir alone and discovers that her brother is now working for the men that once enslaved them.

Capturing Jasmina, fiction for young adult readers by Kimberly Rae, is the story of Jasmina, a young girl in India, and her brother, Samir. The children are sold by their father to a man promising them an education and good jobs. But, as Jasmina and Samir soon discover, the man is providing an education, not in a school, but as a slave in his sweatshop garment factory.

In Careful Enough?, a Christian fiction by Dillon Forbes, God calls Daniel’s parents to move to China, where missionaries are illegal, and establish a house church. Daniel has a choice: stay in America for his last year of high school or spend ten months in a country where he can say only the word "Christian" to trusted friends.

Children of the Storm is the autobiography of Natasha Vins whose father Georgi Vins was a leader in the underground church of the Soviet Union before the end of the Cold War. When Georgi is forced to spend time in hiding and in prison, Natasha looks to her beloved grandmother Babushka for guidance. In her teen years, Natasha begins to see that doors close to those who remain faithful to Christ.

Ellanor's Exchange by Linda Hayner is historical fiction set in the mid-1600s in England. When Ellanor Fitzhugh and her mentor, Lady Wilthrop, set out for London to accomplish Ellanor's debut into society, it would seem the young woman has the world at her command. But as the two join the music and gaiety of English court life, a dark shadow creeps across their plans.

False Coin, True Coin by Lois Hoadley Dick is a historical fiction novel set in seventeenth-century London. It is the story of John Bunyan, a prisoner in the jailhouse of Cissy Nidd’s father. His crime is preaching, but in Cissy’s mind this is hardly a crime worthy of imprisonment.

YA mysteries solved with logic and reasoning.

In Gratefully Yours, Rand Hummel asks one of life’s essential questions: What do you need to know to live and die happy and fulfilled? The first twelve chapters of the book of Romans give you the secret to a contented life. Romans 1–3 will shake you up—show you how wicked and miserable we humans really are. Chapters 4–11 are all about God’s grace and the deliverance He offers.

World War II is the setting for Gunner’s Run, a historical fiction novel for teens by Rick Barry. Nineteen-year-old Jim Yoder is an ocean away from his childhood home in Elkhart, Indiana, and his pretty friend, Margo Lace. He is serving in the United States Air Corps as a waist gunner flying on a B-24 high above the battlefield.

Hue and Cry by award-winning author Elizabeth Yates takes place in the 1830s in New Hampshire. Melody Austin can neither hear nor speak, but she takes great pleasure in the beauty she finds while exploring the woods near her parents' farm. One day she discovers that a young Irish boy is hiding nearby, and although she cannot talk to him, she befriends him, covertly taking him food and provisions for his horse.