Ask-a-Librarian: 30 Great “New” Books

Ask-a-Librarian is an occasional feature in which we answer a reader’s email query.

circusHere at Redeemed Reader, we love children’s books from all eras and all genres. We cherish the books we grew up reading–many of them the tried and true children’s classics–and we cherish many recent reads as well. Our hope and prayer is to shine a gospel light on children’s literature regardless of its publication date.

My post a couple of months ago on the risks of submerging yourself in old books struck a nerve. If you missed the original, I offered some reasons against reading only old books, specifically in terms of assigned school reading. Rather, I encouraged readers to balance their reading diets and read both old and new.

Many of our Redeemed Reader staff are also on the World magazine children’s books of the year committees. Our 2016 lists are out; they include the 2016 Children’s Book of the Year, the 2016 Nonfiction Book of the Year, and the 2016 Picture Book of the Year (plus runners up in each category)! They are great sources of some of the best new books.

Additionally, here are some of the newer titles that we’ve given starred reviews to over the years on Redeemed Reader: 15 picture books and 15 longer works. (Our “starred reviews” category which includes more titles than I’ve listed here.)

Picture Books–alpha by titlewater is water

Chapter Books and Middle Grades–alpha by titlemikis

What are some of YOUR favorite recent/newer titles for kids? 

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Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

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Betsy Farquhar

Betsy is the Managing Editor at Redeemed Reader. When she reads ahead for you, she uses sticky notes instead of book darts and willfully dog ears pages even in library books. Betsy is a fan of George MacDonald, robust book discussions, and the Oxford comma. She lives with her husband and their three children in the beautiful Southeast.

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6 Comments

  1. Pamela on May 9, 2016 at 10:39 am

    “Seeking Jesus, Finding Allah” should be “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus,” a distinction worth noting, I think. =)

    • Kelly on August 21, 2018 at 1:58 am

      Just like Tashlan in the Last Battle.

  2. Ginny Hardin on May 9, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    Is the name of the book by Nabeel Qureshi listed incorrectly in the list?

  3. Betsy Farquhar on May 9, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    YES!! WE have the best, most faithful readers! THANK YOU, ladies, for pointing out that title correction.

  4. […] out “A Tale of Two Cities” when your child is in high school. Start off with a mix of old and new from the very […]

  5. […] a nutshell, we critique books from a Christian worldview: recently published gems that are worth reading, the occasional “retro read,” and contemporary “buzz books” (such as potential Newbery […]

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