When young mystery lovers plow through Ladd Family Adventure
Series and the Boxcar Children, it becomes harder to find appealing books in
the genre without a dark mix of violence, sex and the occult.
Some Christian authors, however, are striving to fill that
void through mysteries that delicately weave biblical principles into the plot.
Among them is Virginia Ann Work, author of the Jodi Fisher Mysteries, and Robert
Elmer, author of The Adventures Down Under series.
Work’s book, The
Mystery of the Missing Message, is the tale of Jodi Fischer and her friend
Lexie Marshal, who find a missing wallet and baby’s sock while riding their
horses. They also discover a mysterious cabin they would have thought was
deserted -- if not for the sound of a footstep inside.
Jodi’s mom and dad are missionaries to the Indians in
Canada, which lends itself easily to sharing biblical principles.
Work also has written The
Secret in the Silver Box, another story about the adventures of Jodi and
her friend Lexie, this one involving an old prospector and his silver box in
Central British Columbia.
Elmer kicks off his series about Australia with Escape to Murray River, a gripping tale
targeting middle-grade readers. It’s appeal is wider. I’m the parent of a teen and I could hardly put
it down! Although the main character, Patrick, is 12, readers easily can
identify with his mom or older sister Becky, 14.
In this book, Patrick’s father is framed for a crime he did
not commit and sentenced to 10 years in an Australian prison. Unbeknownst to
him, his family follows, only to learn he has escaped to elude the man
responsible for his imprisonment. The book is captivating to the very last
page. I didn’t want it to end yet!
Two more series Christian teens may find interesting are the
Jenny McGrady Mystery series by Patricia Rushford and the Casey and the Classifieds
series by Tracy Groot.
The Jenny McGrady series starts with Too Many Secrets, a tale about the disappearance of Jenny’s
grandmother along with a million dollars worth of stolen diamonds.
Casey and the Classifieds for 10 to 14 year olds includes The Mystery of the Stolen Statue and The Mystery of the Forgotten Fortune.
The Swipe Series, by Evan Angler, is a dystopian series that looks at Christian beliefs about getting "the mark". Set in a future North America, every person is required the mark at 13 and you must swipe the mark for everything, from getting food to transportation. But what happens if you refuse to get the mark?
As the mother of a 14-year-old boy, I’ve begun writing a series
aimed at preteens and teens called Bible Camp Mysteries. The series, in digital
format, is about a community church and its youths’ adventures in the Florida
backwoods.
The first book in the series, Lost in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery is about 13-year-old Zack,
who disappears in the middle of the night during the group’s back-to-nature
retreat.
In the story, the group of inexperienced campers experience
no-see-ums at dusk, an illness that strikes more than half of the campers and
an impending hurricane that takes an unexpected turn in their direction.
Readers learn along with Zack how important it is to be
obedient and do what God says. More importantly, they learn through Zack’s
example the biblical path of salvation.
About the writer: A
former newspaper reporter who came to know the Lord as an adult, Cheryl Rogers
publishes the New
Christian Books Online Magazine,
which includes new book announcements and excerpts. She writes both fiction and
nonfiction for varying age groups. For the teen market, she has written Lost in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery, Just
Like Jonah Wail Tales, a short story
collection featuring modern Jonahs, and Fast Track to Victory, A Christian Guidebook, a book with 40 devotions teaching how to truly love and forgive
others, why it’s important to set aside pride, how to deal with tragedy and
death and more.
Contact her at:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=51864408&trk=tab_pro
Thank you for posting this. In library school, we are so often trained to take a stand against censorship, particularly when it's religiously driven, that we forget one thing: our observantly religious patrons are patrons too. I like the idea of having materials for them that they can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. stay blessed
ReplyDelete