*The Redeemed Reader Book by the RR Team

The Redeemed Reader team wrote a book! It’s about reading with your children and teens. But we couldn’t exactly review our own book. What follows is a lovely, unsolicited review by one of our early readers.* When Margaret Bond posted this on the Scholé Sisters forum, I noticed it and asked permission to repost it here. She did a lovely job of summing up what’s in the book. Thank you, Margaret for your kind words!

*It is true that early readers are encouraged to leave reviews in their various places, but it is definitely not a requirement, particularly a review of this breadth and depth.

The Redeemed Reader: Cultivating a Child’s Discernment and Imagination Through Truth and Story by Janie Cheaney, Betsy Farquhar, Hayley Morell, and Megan Saben. Moody Publishers, 2025. 320 pages.

• Reading Level: Adults
• Recommended For: Adults

Every week I get the Redeemed Reader email and quickly check my public library system for the books that they recommend, so I was excited to join the early reader team for their upcoming book. I felt a little trepidation since this was my first time agreeing to review a book in exchange for a free copy — what if it turned out not to be the greatest thing since sliced bread? I needn’t have worried. As I read the digital advance copy I became more and more excited and impressed.

I was hoping for lists of books approved by wise Christian women, but The Redeemed Reader is so much more. It starts by laying a foundation: what we are looking for in literature is God’s Truth wrapped in a quality Story. A solid biblical worldview informs every chapter of the book, yet the constant refrain is that we need to understand and engage our culture. Rather than censoring books, we teach our kids discernment. Rather than substituting titles, we expand our reading repertoire. 

Of course not all books are worth reading or appropriate for every child. The Redeemed Reader provides questions to ask yourself as you consider what books to put before your kids and discussion questions to talk over with them. I am definitely guilty of turning to classics as “safe” reads, but this book made me see that discernment is always necessary. Old books may include racism and misplaced nostalgia, contemporary books may contain unbiblical environmentalism, diversity gone awry, or a flood of dark topics. 

The four authors of this book write about how to evaluate Bibles and other Christian resources, picture books, early readers, graphic novels, and a slew of genres (poetry, humour, sci-fi, dystopian, romance, etc.). In the last section of the book they delve into the practical topic of loving your neighbour, including authors (Christian and secular), libraries, and the world. I’m sure many people will also appreciate their C.U.R.A.T.E. method for managing your home library.

I know it’s a tall order to read and discuss a wide variety of books with our kids and teens. Few of us have the time to keep up! Thankfully The Redeemed Reader also provides a list of starred reviews — the best of the best 21st century literature they’ve reviewed. We can feel confident that these books are worth handing to our kids. We can also remind ourselves, as the authors note, that our kids are bound to read some duds, but one book won’t undermine their whole worldview. Remember that stories don’t save us; Jesus does!

The Redeemed Reader will give you a framework to evaluate children’s literature, challenge your thinking about old and new issues, equip you to discuss all kinds of books, and provide many excellent suggestions across genres. I can’t wait to give this book to my friends and relatives. 

*indicates a starred review, the best of the best in its field. Naturally, we hope our book fits in this category!

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Reviews: Book reviews are what we do! We are reading ahead for you all the time, and we add new reviews weekly. Browse our book review categories and subjects here.
• Reviews: We stand on the shoulders of giants and have reviewed many excellent books about books. Find more recommendations in our Literary Nightstand series.
• Resource: We refer to Gladys Hunt and her work frequently; we are honored to house the late author’s blog posts right here on Redeemed Reader in “The Hive.” (And, of course, we recommend you read her Honey for a Child’s Heart.)

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You may purchase The Redeemed Reader on Amazon.

Even better: purchase our book from Westminster Books and support a Christian bookseller (as of this writing, they are beating Amazon’s price by a significant margin!).