Book picks similar to
a.k.a. Genius by Marilee Haynes


christian-fiction
for-the-kids
middle-grade
encouraging

Curse of the Spider King


Wayne Thomas Batson - 2009
    At least that's what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?

Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids


Sarah Young - 2010
    Devotions written as if Jesus is speaking directly to a child's heart.Based on her original JesusCalling, this version has been adapted in a language and fashion that kidsand tweens can relate to their everyday lives. After many years ofwriting in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to listen to Godwith pen in hand, writing down what she believed He was saying toher through Scripture. Others were blessed as she shared her writings, until people all overthe world were using her devotionals.  They are written from Jesus’ point ofview, thus the title Jesus Calling. It is Sarah’s fervent prayer that our Savior may bless readers, and now youngreaders, with His presence and His peace in ever deeper measure.Meets national education standards.

The Sleeping Witness


Fiorella De Maria - 2017
    A foreign artist and war hero seeking refuge from the world has been murdered. Marie Paige, the frail, sickly wife of the village doctor, lies beside him beaten into a coma.The police arrest Marie's husband, convinced that they are looking at a crime of passion. But Dr. Paige finds himself with an unlikely champion: Fr. Gabriel, a blundering but brilliant Benedictine priest who believes in his innocence and feels compelled to search for the truth.In a country struggling to come to terms with the devastation of the Second World War, even a secluded English village has its share of secrets and broken lives. It is not long before Fr. Gabriel and his companions find themselves embarking on a dangerous journey into the victims' troubled war histories and a chapter of Europe's bloodiest conflict that is almost too terrible to be acknowledged.

My School Is a Spy Factory


Steven Stickler - 2013
    But when a mysterious phone call lands him at a new school, he realizes that he doesn’t have a choice: his new school is a spy factory. He barely has time to learn his locker combination before his first mission plunges him into danger. A sinister organization is trying to destroy his school and take over the world, and Nate has only a few hours to stop the evil plot.With just a backpack full of spy gadgets, a bit of spy training, and their own cunning to guide them, Nate and his partner Lucy follow a trail of secret messages in pursuit of the one thing that can save their school from destruction. As they are chased through subway tunnels and across rooftops, Nate and Lucy must race to complete their mission before it is too late. Cracking secret codes, evading capture, and battling enemy agents—sixth grade wasn’t supposed to be like this!

The Girl Who Looked Beyond The Stars


L.B. Anne - 2019
    For 11-13-year-old readers that enjoy books such as A Wrinkle In Time.""What am I?"Sheena Meyer is the girl that brings an extra sandwich to school each day just in case someone doesn't have lunch. She's also the girl that questions and investigates everything, driving her parents and teachers nuts. She spends most days waiting for some grand event to happen and change her life. But this isn't what she had in mind. The Murk is coming for her because of a gift she doesn't know she has.Nine years ago an angel appeared in front of select kids all over the world. In Michigan, it appeared in a willow tree in front of a four-year-old little girl. She's the only child that saw it, the one with the gift. Sheena is now thirteen and has since forgotten what she saw. But things change when her father is in a terrible accident, and she witnesses a supernatural being save him."I saw what you did. Come back!" An elderly man, the arrival of a peculiar new kid at school, and mysterious text messages will change everything Sheena has ever believed in, sweeping her out of a humdrum, teenage existence, and setting in motion what one little girl's destiny can mean to the world.

Love You From Right Here: A Keepsake Book for Children in Foster Care


Jamie Sandefer - 2017
    It highlights the highs and lows, but most importantly, it emphasizes the stability and comfort that the child so desperately needs. It also serves as a keepsake book providing a section for journaling about the child’s time in the foster home. This gives foster families an opportunity to give the child a piece of their history when they leave.

Love and Muddy Puddles


Cecily Anne Paterson - 2014
    But then her dad decides to go all eco-feral-greenie-crazy-tree-change and moves the whole family to a remote farm so they can 'bond'. With social death looming and more than a few pairs of ballet flats ruined by mud, Coco's plan is to get herself back to Sydney and her clique at any cost. But it will take an Akubra-hat-and-flanny-shirt-wearing boy and a nervous horse called Cupcake to show her who her real friends are.

The Rising: A Novel


Robert Ovies - 2014
    Walker touches the arm of his mother's dead friend at her wake service and whispers the wish that she wouldn't be dead, he's just trying to do the right thing. But when the undertaker sees the woman's rosary sliding off her outstretched fingers and tumbling down her raised left arm, the firestorm can't be held in check. Frightened people near and far demand to know how many of their own loved ones might have been buried alive by the same undertaker, or by any undertaker. But proof that C.J. Walker can indeed raise the dead is secretly videoed, then publicly aired. In a single morning, C.J.'s mother, Lynn, watches their home becoming a fortress and her son becoming a target. Grieving individuals desperate to see death let go of their loved ones; representatives from news, medical, and scientific organizations; influential religious representatives; and powerful government agencies all move in to gain maximum positions of influence over the greatest power on earth. Through the ordeal, Lynn and her separated husband, Joe, struggle to find a way to escape with C.J., to keep him hidden from every pursuer, and somehow to make it possible for him to live a normal life again. But to do it all they must act quickly, before he's stolen away by authorities in high places.

A Soldier Surrenders: The Conversion of Saint Camillus de Lellis


Susan Peek - 2007
    . . A Saint for Stugglers! Soldiering, gambling, brawling, drinking. As a young man, Saint Camillus excelled at them all. Add to that his fiery temper and innate knack for getting in trouble, and Camillus de Lellis seems the last person who could ever achieve holiness1 But God had plans for the stubborn young soldier, whether Camillus liked it or not . . .Back in print by popular demand, this fast-paced and inspiring story of the wayward soldier-of-fortune who became an intrepid Soldier of Christ will appeal even to those who do not normally like to read! A favorite with homeschoolers for over a decade, don't miss this brand new edition! Slightly revised."This novel for adults and young adult readers will introduce them to a great saint -- a physical giant who had to contend with many personal struggles, much weakness, and repeated failures before he could become a moral giant. The story of Camillus de Lellis' conversion will leave no reader unmoved, and those that feel hopeless about themselves will find new hope, a hero, and a friend in Christ." (Michael O'Brien, Bestselling Catholic Author)

Give Yourself Goosebumps Boxed Set, #1 (Give Yourself Goosebumps, #1 - 4)


R.L. Stine - 1997
    Eeek

Love Discovered: A Christian Romance (Faith in Love Book 1)


Michelle Stimpson - 2019
    Having packed very little makeup and no hair extensions, she wasn't quite ready to meet the man of her dreams on the ship. But what good does is it to meet an awesome guy when you'll only know him for a few days? Life has taught Faith that more often than not, you just can't depend on people. Why would this person be any different?Blaise Hawthorne is a well-paid musician whose talents keep him traveling the globe. The cruise is an opportunity for him to reconnect with his loving, boisterous family. But then he meets the snappy, naturally beautiful woman who makes him think twice about his jet-setting future.This is the first book in the Faith in Love series, a collaboration by multi-published, award-winning author Michelle Stimpson and newcomer Gina Johnson. If you're a fan of clean, Christian, and/or billionaire romance, this one will do your heart good!

The Little Girl Who Was Forgotten by Absolutely Everyone (Even the Postman)


Katy Towell - 2005
    Yes, even the postman. She has everything a child could want, but not the one thing every child - and every grownup, too - needs. Love. Desperate for a friend, Emmeline makes a wish upon a magical star. It is a wish that will change the lives of everyone she knows forever.

London Art Chase


Natalie Grant - 2016
    All the girls are smart, sassy, and unique in their own way, each with a special little something that adds to great family adventures.There is pure excitement in the family as the group heads to London for the first time to watch mom, famous singer Gloria Glimmer, perform. But on a day trip to the National Gallery, Maddie witnesses what she believes to be an art theft and takes her sisters and their beloved and wacky nanny Miss Julia, on a wild and crazy adventure as they follow the supposed thief to his lair. Will the Glimmer Girls save the day? And will Maddie find what makes her shine?

Secret Sisters: Volume One


Sandra Byrd - 1998
    Then the exclusive Coronado Club invites her to join. She thinks she'll do anything to belong--until she finds out just what "anything" means. How far is too far to keep a friend? When does belonging cost more than you should pay? Book 2, Twenty-One Ponies: Tess Thomas is an expert at getting into trouble. First, she secretly “borrows” her mother’s diamond wedding earrings to wear to a party with Erin and Erin's cute brother, Tom. But when the earrings get lost, Tess has to confess to her mom what she’s done. Determined to make things right, Tess decides to do one nice thing every day to get back on her mom’s good side. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse when Tess makes another big mistake! How will she ever get her mom to forgive her now?Each volume includes: fun, friends, family, gentle Christian faith, and a fast-paced read. "Byrd's debut moves along at a swift pace, spurring young readers on ... in Tess she has created a truly likable protagonist who has her share of every day worries but is learning to face them with more and more confidence." Publisher's Weekly (review of first book in series)If you enjoy the Secret Sisters series, be sure to check out Sandra's Hidden Diary series, also on Kindle, as well as these Kindle titles: Chopsticks, Red Velvet, and Daisy Chains.

Cold-Case Christianity for Kids: Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective


J. Warner Wallace - 2016
    In Cold-Case Christianity for Kids, detective J. Warner Wallace draws readers into the thrill of high-stakes investigation by showing them how to think rather than telling them what to think. In this children's companion to the bestselling Cold-Case Christianity, detective Wallace gets kids excited about testing witnesses, examining the evidence, and investigating the case for Christianity. Includes author illustrations and links to a website (coldcasechristianityforkids.com) where kids can download activities, fill in case notes, and earn a certificate of merit. Detective Wallace gets kids excited about testing witnesses, examining the evidence, and investigating the case for Christianity.