mercredi 16 avril 2014

Finding Christian Books For Tweens

By Anita Ortega


Christian parents know the importance of selecting edifying literature, music, movies, and activities for their children. Although finding Christian books for tweens might seem difficult, it's really not that hard. Past generations wrote novels and non-fiction in abundance, and today many publishing houses specialize in family-friendly literature of all sorts. If you know where to look, you can find books, reviews, and even recommended reading lists provided by ministries.

Parents will have criteria for what they think acceptable. Some people feel that pre-teens are not ready for romance, while others think that this genre is OK if properly handled. If romantic novels are out, there are still many others to choose from. Horse stories are always popular with young girls, and authors find the plot of girl-meets-horse a great framework for character and plot development.

Several Christian publishers solicit three-novel series, which follow a main character through all three books. These are nice, in that growing-up has many transitional phases, each of which has its own challenges and lessons. Pre-teens often feel a lot of pressure to grow up too fast, and reading a fictional account of this and other real-life dilemmas can help parents and children enter into dialog relevant to their own challenges.

Of course, boys sometimes like adventure or sports stories better than animal stories, as do many girls. There are lots of novels, both old and new, that are exciting without depending on mythical characters, superheroes, and world-destroying villains. Some of them portray Christian principles while others show characters that are walking out their faith.

The Chronicles of Narnia is one series that uses allegory to teach the life of Christ. This sort of book demands parental involvement to draw out lessons and parallels. Although this story is not new, the fairly recent movie version has reawakened interest in it.

There are many books written on the lives of significant people - missionaries, nurses, doctors, pastors, or martyrs - to inspire children. These real-life profiles are often as exciting as fiction, especially when historical accounts are used to substantiate the story and explore the impact each famous person has had on our culture. Every child should recognize the name of Joan of Arc, for instance, and there are many more people worthy of remembrance.

There is a wealth of non-fiction, which is an acquired taste for many. It's never too soon to expose kids to momentous true tales, like how people got to the North Pole or to the moon. Again, this kind of reading can be a great family activity; tales that might be tedious to read alone can be great when Dad or Mom reads aloud and everyone talks about them afterwards.

The fact is that many great men and women, as well as imaginary characters, were and are Christians. Reading accounts that do not gloss over this fact often gives a more accurate view of history as it really happened or adds an extra dimension to fiction. There is much value in reinforcing what kids hear at church with both true and fictional stories.




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