Eight Series I Loved In My Childhood

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Welcome! This week's topic is Books I Wish I Had Read As A Child, but there's enough sadness in the world right now. Let's focus on books I loved, and ones I'd recommend if you have young readers of your own!

The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Ingalls family knew about love and perseverance through hard times. Laura's adventures will educate and entertain readers of all ages.

The Kingdom Tales Trilogy by David and Karen Mains
These Christian fantasy/allegory stories are written with vivid imagery and are great discussion prompts for parents or teachers.

The Grandma's Attic series by Arleta Richardson
Follow Mable from young childhood through school and into adulthood with these charming, laugh-out-loud anecdotes.

The Nathan T. Riggins Adventures by Stephen Bly
Young Nathan came west to meet his parents, but he must rely on faith and new friends when he arrives on the stagecoach and no one is there to meet him.

The Lewis & Clark Squad Adventures by Stephen Bly
This six-book series features a summer 3-on-3 basketball team who seem to stumble into mysteries and misadventures everywhere they go.

The Trailblazer Books by Dave and Neta Jackson
These biographies of well-known Christians from the past are a great way to introduce kids to missionaries, evangelists, etc.

Abridged Classic Literature
Although as an adult I'm a stickler for unabridged (unless we're talking Les Miserables—once unabridged was enough for me!), my parents did a great job getting a variety of classics in front of me at a young age through these simplified versions.

  Animal Friends by Janette Oke
These are middle grade novels about a variety of animals that are meant to teach children about character, listening to parents, making good choices, etc.

Find more Top Ten Tuesday posts at That Artsy Reader Girl.

"The Joy of Falling" by Lindsay Harrel

Young widows Eva and Angela are both struggling with the weight of grief a year after their husbands, who were brothers, passed away in an accident. These two women could not be more different. Eva is artistic and impetuous, but she feels like her creativity died with her husband. Angela struggles with raising three children on her own and feeling like every dream she's ever had has crashed and burned, so it is easier to completely turn off her emotions than deal with them.

One day Eva receives a phone call that changes everything. Their husbands had signed up to run a 7-day ultramarathon in New Zealand, and the date of the final payment for the adventure is only days away. An idea sprouts in Eva's mind. Is it possible for the sisters-in-law to run in honor of their husbands? She manages to convince Angela to agree, even though they only have six months to train for the 155-mile race.

Angela hates training and hates the fact that it takes her away from her children even more. When Eva proposes an outlandish solution, it sets their whole family on a life-changing adventure.

I had anticipated that this book would be emotional, but I didn't expect to be glued to the pages and for the emotional journey to be so inspiring. This is more than a story about two women dealing with grief. It's about learning to live when life has tried to cripple you. This book felt like it could be transformational in the hands of the right reader.

"Life is about dreaming, even if those dreams never come to fruition. God is the planter of dreams, and in His timing, He will make those dreams grow. But we have to keep watering them, keep hoping, even when life throws things at us we don't expect."

As the sisters-in-law deal with training, childrearing, accidents, and even the flicker of hope that life could be better and brighter beyond the ultramarathon, you'll come to feel the pulse of their hearts. Their stumbles will cause your gut to clench and their determination will make you want to carry on yourself. This book made me stay up too late, brought me to tears, and will live in my heart for a long time. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.

"Progress is not measured by feet and inches, but by how much closer we come to understanding ourselves. And God."

"Is it possible to allow all the pain and the beauty of life to inspire you? To allow God to inspire you—not just to create, but to live?"

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.