Ava's Christian Adventures
Christian chapter books for kids ages 6 to 9, to read aloud or read alone. Three adventures so far, each one a story that stands on its own, with more stories on the way.
Ava's Wonderfully Made
Ava needs a science fair topic. What she finds is herself: fingerprints that belong to no one else, a heartbeat that never stops and a hundred small proofs that she was made on purpose. A story about knowing who you are, and who made you.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14
A word search, a maze, coloring pages, and more for every chapter, plus conversation questions for parents.
Coming soon on Amazon
Ava's Stellar Adventure
Grandpa Theo has an old brass telescope, and there is a meteor shower on the way. Then something precious breaks, and Ava has to decide what to do with the truth. A story about honesty, forgiveness, and a sky full of light.
"He also made the stars." Genesis 1:16
Word searches, mazes, coloring pages, and the days of creation to explore.
Coming soon on Amazon
Ava's Quiet Courage
A new girl arrives in Ava's class, and school quietly stops feeling like hers. Then Grandpa Theo brings out an old shield and an even older story, about a farmer who had to decide whether to stand firm or not. A story about courage that doesn't shout.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13
Word searches, coloring pages, a map to follow, and a bravery meter to fill in.
Coming soon on AmazonA quiet kind of wonder, for readers just starting to notice the world.
An early chapter book
Ten short chapters for readers 6 to 9, roughly grades 1 to 4. A big step up from picture books, without losing an ounce of warmth.
Faith, woven in gently
No lecture, no tidy moral dropped in at the end. Just Ava working out what it means to be made.
Read aloud or read alone
A bedtime read-aloud at six and an independent read by nine. At home on homeschool shelves, in Sunday school libraries, and under the tree as a gift.
Questions parents ask
What age are the books for?
Ages 6 to 9. At six, they work best read aloud with a grown-up. By nine, most children can read them on their own.
Are these read-aloud books or books for independent readers?
Both. Each book has ten short chapters, so one chapter makes a good bedtime read-aloud. Confident readers of eight or nine can take them on alone.
Do the books need to be read in order?
No. Each book is a complete story, so you can start with whichever one your child reaches for. Read in order, they follow Ava as her world grows.
How is faith part of the stories?
Gently. Ava prays, wonders, and works things out the way a child does, and each book is built around one Bible verse that fits the story. There is no lecture and no moral tacked on at the end.
Which Bible translation do the books use?
Scripture in the books is quoted from the New International Version (NIV).
Are the books a good fit for homeschool or Sunday school?
Yes. Each story pairs an everyday adventure with a bit of science, nature, or history, and the free activities and printables on this site are made to go with them.
When and where can I buy the books?
The first three books are on their way to Amazon. Join the Wonder Club and you will be the first to know the day they arrive.
Coming soon on Amazon
The first three books are written and illustrated, and they are on their way to Amazon. We took the time every page deserved.
Subscribe to the Wonder Club below and you'll be the first to know the day they arrive. It only takes a few seconds.
Read Chapter One free
Meet Ava before the books arrive. This is how Book One begins.
Chapter One: Just Regular Old Ava
Ava woke up slowly, the way she usually did on school days, not all at once, but in small pieces. First the light came from behind her curtains, pale and gray. Then the smell of something warm drifted up from the kitchen. Then the sound of a bird outside her window, singing to itself in the early quiet.
She lay still under her covers and listened.
The bird could only manage three notes, and it got them all wrong every time. Tweet. Tweet. Tw... and then a squeak.
Ava smiled a little at the ceiling.
She knew how that felt.
"You and me both," she said.
Suddenly she felt something warm shifting against her feet. It was Sox, Ava's small white cat with one black paw, who had decided sometime in the night that Ava's bed belonged to her. She opened one eye, found nothing worth waking up to, and closed it again.
Ava sat up, yawned, and padded over to her standing mirror.
Today's Ava looked exactly like yesterday's Ava.
Same black hair, cut in a bob that brushed her cheeks. Same freckles across her face, scattered in no particular pattern, something she had never been able to make sense of. Same dark eyes looking back at her.
She looked at herself for a moment.
"Just regular old Ava," she said.
She pulled on her yellow dungarees over her red shirt, found one red sneaker under the bed and the other inside the closet, and went downstairs.
Red was clearly Ava's favorite color.
The kitchen smelled like toast and cinnamon. It was, Ava thought, just about the best smell in the world. It almost made up for the fact that today was a school day, a Friday. How she wished it were the weekend. But today was the day Mr. Ellis needed everyone's science fair topic, and Ava did not have one.
Not a single one.
"Morning, sleepyhead," said Mom, packing sandwiches.
At the table, Ava's little brother Sam was not eating his cereal. He was building with it, stacking the little rings into a tower, one by one, his tongue pressed to his lip in concentration.
"It's an experiment," he said, before anyone asked. "I want to see how tall it gets before it falls."
"It's going to fall when you..." Ava started.
The tower fell. Cereal scattered across the table. Sox appeared from nowhere and batted a piece across the floor.
"Now I know," Sam said cheerfully, surveying the wreckage.
Ava almost smiled. Then she remembered the science fair.
"Mom," she said, sitting down. "What am I good at?"
Mom set a plate of toast in front of her. "Lots of things."
"Name one."
Mom didn't hesitate. "You notice things. Things other people walk straight past."
Ava chewed her toast and thought about it. Noticing things did not sound like something you could put on a poster board. Lily was making a volcano that erupted with real lava, or at least red food coloring, but it looked real. Caleb was building a robot arm from cardboard. An actual robot arm that could pick up a marshmallow.
And I notice things? she thought.
"Watch this," said Sam, who had been quietly rebuilding while nobody was looking. "Tower Number Two. Bigger pieces on the bottom this time. For stability."
"Sam, please just eat."
Tower Number Two fell faster than the first one.
"Engineering is hard," Sam said sadly.
"It is," Ava agreed.
She bowed her head for a quick prayer.
Dear God, please help me think of something. Something good for the science fair. Amen.
She grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.
She had no idea, walking out into the cool morning air, that in the end the answer would be her.
❥
Hidden surprises!
Tucked into the final pages of every book there is a secret only readers get to find.
Read the book, and you'll find the hidden door.