Honorable mentions for children of all ages

Fiction

The Unlikely Intrusion of Adams Klein

John Greco
Moody

In Transom City, circa 2196, cranial downloads have replaced old-fashioned learning. Adams Klein, 14, longs for relics of a bygone world: music by the Beatles, books with real pages, and food with more flavor than standard-issue protein bars.

The Marshal, a tyrannical overlord, uses an abundance of information to suppress the masses. But when Adams gets in the way of the Marshal’s plans for world domination, the Marshal sends out minions to hunt the boy down so they can assassinate him. Adams’ only hope of survival is to travel back in time, but he must avoid interacting with anyone, otherwise he will change the future. Even in the sleepy town of Indigo, Ohio, though, Adams can’t stay incognito for long.

Of all the books I read this year, I have probably thought about this one the most. The plot offers complex characters like Emma Bloom, a girl who puts forward a cutesy veneer to mask the pain of her parents’ divorce. And then there’s introverted Clay Danvers, who learns to push far beyond the bounds of his comfort zone.

Deftly wielding the time travel element, author John Greco develops a plot filled with themes of self-sacrifice and bravery. Greco doesn’t gloss over the emotional turmoil of divorce, and there are a few instances of mildly rude humor. The book’s only annoying element: a major cliff-hanger ending.

The Unlikely Intrusion of Adams Klein is also a timely story. AI might not be on the same level as cranial downloads, but thoughtful readers may notice parallels between Transom City and our own technological era. With warnings against totalitarianism and suppression by abundance, it also introduces young readers to the dystopian genre in the style of an age-appropriate Brave New World. —Bekah McCallum

Fiction

The Teacher of Nomad Land

Daniel Nayeri
Levine Querido

Iran, 1941, was a crossroads of Allied and Axis intrigue. Determined to secure Iranian oil reserves, British and Soviet troops have occupied Iran. But Hitler has his spies on the ground as well, some of them eager to round up Jewish children headed for refuge in Tehran. Meanwhile, village life hews to normality as much as it can while nomadic tribes dodge the crossfire.

Crossfire has claimed the life of Mohammed Noori, shot by mistake. That leaves his son Babak, 13, and daughter Sana, 8, in the care of a resentful relative. Fearing they will be separated, Babak makes a desperate plan to follow in his father’s profession as teacher to the Bakhtiari nomads. If he can make himself valuable enough, the tribe may allow him and his spunky little sister to tag along for the duration of the war in relative safety.

Author Daniel Nayeri sketches this neglected World War II setting with understated emotional power, drawing readers into suspense, survival, danger, and touches of humor as Babak stumbles toward his place in a confusing world. His questions and doubts about God contribute to his growth. Given the setting, the God he ponders is probably Allah. But Nayeri, a Christian, makes the deity as generic as possible, with hints of grace and redemption.

For example, while debating whether to accept help from a sympathetic British soldier, Babak “realizes that to God, we are all beggars, praying for blessings we could never repay or gain in trade.” One blessing is to recognize one’s calling, and by the end Babak knows he will follow in his father’s footsteps as a teacher. For “a teacher is one who gives. Everybody has good work to do”—and with God’s help everybody has something to give. —Janie Cheaney

Nonfiction

Eric’s Greatest Race

Tim Challies
Harvest Kids

When author Tim Challies began pondering historical figures whose stories he thought would be worth telling to a new generation, he says, the life of Eric Liddell immediately came to mind. While many families may be familiar with Liddell’s story from watching the classic film Chariots of Fire, Challies’ book explores the arc of Liddell’s whole life, from childhood to his final days as a POW.

Challies’ desire to engage a wider readership inspired him to present Liddell’s story in a graphic novel format that intermingles the text with black-and-white art panels by Paul Mignard. While that genre of literature is often written with children and teens in mind, even an adult will read a graphic novel, Challies notes, which allows children and parents to enjoy the story together.

Eric’s Greatest Race follows Liddell as his love for running blossoms into opportunities for him to share his faith ahead of his record-setting performance in the 400-meter race at the 1924 Olympics. Challies devotes the last third of the book to Liddell’s missionary service in China and his faithful witness in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. The epilogue reminds readers that although Liddell’s death was tragic, he fought the good fight, kept the faith, and ultimately won the race that mattered most.

“I very much hope the book will cause young readers to see in Liddell a man who loved the Lord to such a degree that he was willing to give up the spotlight when at the peak of his fame and even deny himself the ability to escape suffering when given the opportunity,” Challies said. “He stands as an example of what a Christian can and ought to be.” —Kristin Chapman

Nonfiction

The Peddler and the President

Ann D. Koffsky
Apples & Honey Press

In this early-reader chapter book, Ann Koffsky introduces children to the longtime friendship between President Harry Truman and Eddie Jacobson. During World War I, the two men would serve alongside each other in the 129th Field Artillery, together running the army store at Camp Doniphan in Oklahoma. That experience inspired them after the war to open their own store until financial woes ended the partnership. Jacobson, who was Jewish, became a traveling salesman and Truman became a politician, but even as their paths parted, their friendship endured.

The strength of that relationship would eventually face its greatest test, though, as the world pondered the creation of a new Jewish state in Palestine. As president of the United States, Truman’s stance on the issue held great sway, but he remained ambivalent. Jacobson, who had never taken advantage of his friendship with the president for personal gain, decided to take a risk in urging Truman to reconsider. Ultimately, Truman did, and the state of Israel was born.

Koffsky notes in the book’s conclusion that Truman and Jacobson’s friendship was remarkable in many ways, from how it began with humble roots to how it persisted even as Truman became one of the most powerful people in the world. “What I find most inspiring about their friendship was their respect for each other,” Koffsky writes. “Their mutual love and respect led them to change the world.” —K.C.

Picture Book

The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep

Hannah Harrison
Zonderkidz

While Psalm 23 is perhaps one of the most recognized passages in the Bible, author Hannah Harrison’s humorous allegory helps give young children a fresh understanding of how God cares for His children like a good shepherd. Blending portions of Psalm 23 with the parable of the lost sheep, the story introduces children to George, an average, defenseless sheep who has a terrible sense of direction and can’t get up if he falls on his back. While George knows he needs the care of a shepherd, he is stubborn and wants his own way. So rather than get a much-needed haircut, George decides to run away.

Meanwhile George’s wool keeps growing until he can’t see well and he smells like moldy cheese. Eventually the foolish little sheep realizes he needs to return to his shepherd, but by this point he is terribly lost with a snarling wolf in hot pursuit. Just when George thinks there’s no hope, though, his good shepherd appears, using his rod to chase off the wolf before restoring the wayward sheep to the fold.

On the final page of the book, Harrison provides additional Scripture references, inviting parents and children to explore more deeply what the Bible says about shepherds and sheep. The book’s soothing illustrations and comforting message make it well suited as a bedtime read and a worthy addition to the family library. —K.C.

Picture Book

Don’t Trust Fish

Neil Sharpson
Dial Books

In Don’t Trust Fish, Neil Sharpson’s witty words combine with Dan Santat’s classic pencil and watercolor illustrations to create a humorous approach to the concept of animal classification. Initially, the book begins in a didactic manner, starkly explaining what makes something a mammal, reptile, or bird. However, it quickly digresses into an informative yet zany exposé about all the ways fish are rebels and outlaws who don’t follow the rules.

The fast-paced story at times borders on the absurd, but therein lies part of its appeal as Sharpson engages the reader by posing lots of fishy questions: “Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?” And, “A group of fish is called a ‘school.’ But what are they learning in these ‘schools’? We have a right to know.” The end result is a comical conspiracy theory propagated by an unseen narrator, whose identity is hinted at but not revealed until the book’s final page.

While Sharpson’s blending of fact with fiction may require some explanation for younger children, older children will be able to discern the differences and appreciate the humor for humor’s sake. Even though at times the bizarre nature of the plot might leave some parents scratching their heads, Don’t Trust Fish offers children a fantastical story combined with clever and detailed illustrations that will reel them in again and again. —K.C.