This unusual biography of Abraham Lincoln frames his life as a series of ten decisions, in which the reader is invited to participate. It’s Up to You, Abe Lincoln by Tom and Leila Hirschfeld.  Crown, 2018, 287 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Say you’ve just been elected President of the United States, and the southern half of the nation is threatening to pull away and become independent.  The rebels have even trained their guns on a U.S. fort in Charleston harbor and say they’ll blow it out of the water if the commander doesn’t surrender.  What do you do? 1) order a surrender, 2)…

Did you know that Redeemed Reader’s 8th birthday is this week? We’re throwing ourselves a birthday party over on Facebook tomorrow night (Tuesday, 2/12)–and you’re all invited! You bring the cake, we’re giving the presents. We’ve got books to give away, a special announcement, lots of fun trivia, and some flip-throughs of the Faith, Fiction, & Fellowship Read Along books! You can invite your friends, too! The post Celebrate Our Birthday With Us! (Hint: there will be giveaways!) appeared first on Redeemed Reader.

The Young Man’s Guide to Awesomeness is a well-organized, humorous, straight-talking guide for young men as they mature into godly adults. *The Young Man’s Guide to Awesomeness: How to Guard Your Heart, Get the Girl, and Save the World by Barrett Johnson. INFO For Families, 2017. 158 pages. Reading Level: Teen, ages 12 and up Recommended For: Upper middle grades and up (ages 10+) Growing up is never easy. There are physical changes, emotional changes, social changes, intellectual changes…. And our American culture is increasingly confusing the issues: screens make porn a mere click away. Magazines in the checkout lines at the grocery store are lurid enough to make ME seek out the “Family Friendly” aisle where it’s only candy, word searches, and impulse buys like tiny flashlights. Increasingly, the messages against “toxic masculinity” and the encouragement to boys to be delicate, effeminate, and wear skinny jeans are only confusing the issue further. What’s a guy to do?…

At the Well is a short book urging singles (teens and up) to wait on the Lord for marriage and for his timing. At the Well: Discovering God’s Plan for Finding True Love by Kristen Tiber. Kristen Summers LLC, 2018. 146 pages. Reading Level: Teen, ages 12 and up Recommended For: Teens, ages 15 and up The story of Eliezer meeting Rebecca at the well is a familiar one: Abraham had sent Eliezer to find a bride for his son Isaac. Eliezer prayed that a girl would offer him water at a well and water his camels, too. Kristen Tiber uses this story to unpack principles for those waiting–and hoping–to get married in this short, easy-to-read book. She examines heart preparation and walking with the Lord while waiting on his timing. She zeroes in…

We’re taking some time and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the Redeemed Reader team. Today, Hayley (RR’s executive assistant) interviews our Editorial Advisor and Senior Staff writer, Janie B. Cheaney. What is your first reading memory? Are there some books you remember a parent reading aloud to you?I know my parents read to me —my mother, certainly— but the only thing I remember her reading specifically is the Bible.  I started first grade in 1956 with Dick & Jane readers but don’t remember being especially excited about it because, well, Dick & Jane were NOT exciting.  (Dr. Seuss was still just a few years in the future, hard as…