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A Note from the Editor: SYLVIA STOPFORTH Locating Quality Fiction For a few years now, headlines have trumpeted the news that Christian fiction is “finally coming into its own.” Numerous articles have described the great surge in the publication of this brand of fiction. Even public librarians are sitting up and taking notice as patrons demand fiction titles at all levels that clearly demonstrate a Christian worldview. All these high-quality materials flooding the market should make collection development a snap, right? All across North America, YA librarians are rejoicing as they file their well-thumbed review journals in the nearest recycling bins. But hold on. Did someone say “quality?” Unfortunately, right on the heels of pieces expounding the boom in Christian fiction, are articles calling into question the literary merit of some of these materials. Yes, Christian fiction offers solid values, moral standards, and a redemptive, faith-centered perspective—a welcome change from the dark and despondent “problem“ novel often aimed at our youth—but “the consensus is that despite the moral message of most YA Christian Fiction, the books are often poorly written and overly preachy..” 1 It appears that not everyone can be a C.S. Lewis or a Catherine Marshall. The challenge is, as always, to separate the wheat from the chaff, to discover and acquire the best and the brightest, and then to make these titles accessible to our users. But where do we start? In the recycling bin, I fear. For while it’s sometimes hard to find time in our busy schedules to peruse all those review journals, these publications are still among the best selection tools available to us. Here are a few that deserve a closer look: • Church Libraries, a quarterly publication of the Evangelical Church Library Association, provides short, signed reviews, articles and a bestsellers list. • Make Way for Books, an independent bimonthly, provides annotated reviews in the area of childrens’ literature. • The Library Journal now publishes a column on Christian fiction on a regular basis. It deals primarily with adult fiction, but many of these would also interest our YA readers. • And let’s not forget the Christian Library Journal! Nancy Hesch, with her troupe of dedicated volunteer reviewers, does her best to make your job easier! See their website at www.christianlibraryj.org. For a comprehensive, annotated list of these and other relevant selection tools, as well as subscription and contact information, see the following website: www.redeemermclean.org/libres.html This website also provides links to associations such as the Association of Christian Librarians and the Evangelical Church Library Association. Involvement in these organizations offers many benefits, including collection development information for librarians serving in a variety of settings. The formal—and informal—sharing of ideas that takes place at conferences, regional meetings, or on list-servs, is often an excellent resource, particularly for those who work in isolated circumstances. The following two titles might also prove useful: Developing Christian Fiction Collections for Children and Adults: Selection Criteria and a Core Collection, by Barbara J. Walker, offers an overview and history of Christian fiction, practical advice on the development of a core collection, and annotated bibliographies of recommended titles. (Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1998) For an introduction to some of the best that contemporary Christian fiction has to offer, check out The Storyteller’s Collection, edited by Melody Carlson. This sampling of short stories by gifted Christian fiction writers is geared for adult readers, but will also be enjoyed by YA’s interested in something new. (Multnomah, 2000) Finally—don’t underestimate the readers themselves. Start a book club, or ask young library users to recommend books for library reading lists, or to write brief reviews to be posted in the library. Some of the wonderful people we serve are also our best resource. 1 Beall, Carol, “Beyond Christy: New Demands for YA Christian Fiction,” School Library Journal (September 1995) v. 41, n. 9, p 130. S P R I N G 2 0 0 1 3 2 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L
MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION Off-line life begins to crumble when Dad and Mom need Morgan to help run the family restaurant during spring break, instead of accompanying them to New York City. Morgan causes her mother and sister to miss important phone calls, upsets co-workers, and finds herself the cause of a friend’s injury. Online, Anna becomes seriously ill after following Morgan’s advice. And last_wish turns out to be a phony, a cancerless classmate, who has conned her into raising money for him. When Morgan’s parents return from NYC, she begins to see the difference between real friends and family, and those online, who may or may not be what they seem. Chat Freak, by Kristi Holl and Terry K. Brown, is part of the TodaysGirls.com series. A “Character Reference” section includes a short biography for each character. The book also includes lists of web abbreviations and definitions. The style is similar to Scholastic’s Ann M. Martin Baby-sitters Club series. Message and language are both accessible, and help to promote a light, familiar story of a young teen finding her place. Kim Harris, Librarian, Newman Riga Library, Churchville, New York Drawn by a China moon : Lottie Moon, by Dave & Neta Jackson; story illustrations by Anne Gavitt. (Trailblazer books.) LCCN 00010471. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2000. ISBN 0764222678, PAP, $5.99. F. Moon, Lottie, 1840-1912--Fiction; Pen pals-- Fiction; Best friends--Fiction; Friendship--Fiction; Missionaries--Fiction; China--History--1862-1912-- Fiction. 158 p. Middle school. Separated by an ocean, best friends Ida and Mollie attempt to stay in touch through letters— letters that often take months for each of them to receive. Never in their wildest dreams, as they saved money to purchase look-alike dresses in their native Virginia, did either of them imagine that Ida and her family would make the decision to go off to China, “that pagan nation,” and become missionaries. As the years go by, Ida’s letters are not only filled with exciting tales like sea worms for supper and wearing men’s trousers, but also of war, disease, and rebellion. Molly knows her friend’s health is fragile and she becomes more and more concerned for her. But how can she help her, and what will be the cost to Molly? This well-written story for eight-to-twelve-yearolds follows the events of missionary Lottie Moon’s life through the fictional eyes of two young friends at the turn of the century. Although their lives are conceived in the minds of the authors, Dave and Neta Jackson, the sacrifices and work of missionaries are very real indeed and this book demonstrates that in a clear manner to its readers. Drawn by a China Moon is part of the Trailblazers Series, adventure stories that introduce young readers to Christian heroes of the past. Ceil Carey, Young Adult Librarian, Plano, Illinois The girl who chased away sorrow : the diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo girl, by Ann Turner. (Dear America.) LCCN 98048826. New York: Scholastic, 1999. ISBN 0590972162, HBB, $10.95. F. Navajo girls--Social conditions--Fiction. 200 p. Middle school. Sarah Nita and Kaibah are members of the Navajo tribe. They are on the mesa herding their family’s sheep when their family is taken by the men in blue. The girls walk for eight days north to Tseyi to find their relatives. The Navajo tribe has a clan system. Navajo are born to their mother’s clan for their father’s clan. Sarah Nita and Kaibah are fortunate to find members of their father’s clan who take them in. Life continues in Tseyi, however the soldiers eventually come and take the family to the fort. While at the fort, the family, along with other Navajo families, struggles to learn how to eat the strange food given them by the soldiers. The Navajo soon start on their long walk to Fort Sumner. Many die along the trail—some because they are weak and ill, others because the soldiers shoot them when they don’t keep up. Most of the soldiers are hateful toward the Navajo. While at Fort Sumner, Sarah Nita and Kaibah are reunited with their family. In The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow, Ann Turner has written a story of a girl who lived during one of the saddest times in Navajo history. The time of the Long Walk was a time when the white man terribly mistreated the Navajo. Not much fiction has been written about the Navajo, so this book fills a definite gap. However, there are a few minor problems with the book that do not affect the plot but may offend Navajo readers. First, in a picture caption, Chinle is said to be in New Mexico; it is actually in Arizona. Second, Sarah Nita is married to a member of her father’s clan. Traditionally, Navajo do not marry members of either their mother’s or father’s clans. Jane Mouttet, Librarian, Hilltop Christian School, Window Rock, Arizona (capital of the Navajo Nation) The great railroad race : the diary of Libby West, by Kristiana Gregory. (Dear America.) LCCN 98021816. New York: Scholastic, 1999. ISBN 059010991X, HBB, $10.95. F. Frontier and pioneer life--West (U.S.)--Fiction; West (U.S.)-- Fiction; Diaries--Fiction. 203 p. Middle school. Libby West receives a diary from her parents for her 14th birthday and begins recording events of life in Denver, Colorado, in 1868. She has her father’s skill for “gathering news,” but her mother hopes the diary will encourage her to curb her tongue, as a young lady should. When Libby’s father buys a hand press and decides to follow the progress of the race to lay track across the continental United States, her diary gets exciting. Libby’s mother insists the family stay together so Libby, her younger brother Joe, and her mother join Mr. West and his business partner, Pete, in Utah Territory. The family befriends others, and the group travels from camps to tent towns along the route of the transcontinental railroad. Libby is exposed to new words and unsavory characters, and sees Indians and Chinese immigrants for the first time. She also witnesses the danger and excitement of the unsettled west. The language is realistic for the time period, and as the voice of a candid and inquisitive girl of fourteen. The reader learns much about life in 1868 as author Kristiana Gregory eases facts into the entries spanning just over one year. For instance, Libby and her mother sew rocks into the hems of their dresses so the prairie winds won’t expose their bloomers; Libby and her friend, Ellie, practice manners at afternoon teas in which sand fouls both the butter and the sugar. Historic notes follow the story and add to the facts slipped into Libby’s “diary.” I especially like the “About the Author” section in this and other current Dear America books because it helps drive home the point that these books are fictionalized accounts of life in different time periods. Readers who enjoyed the American Girls collection and Little House on the Prairie series will appreciate The Great Railroad Race’s portrayal of this exciting time in history. Lisa Wroble, Freelance Writer/Library Aide, Plymouth, Michigan Hogsty Reef, by John Dowd. (A Caribbean Island adventure.) LCCN 98036411. Atlanta, Ga.: Peachtree Publishers, 1999. ISBN 1561451878, PAP, $5.95. F. Islands--Fiction; Coral reef ecology--Fiction; Refugees--Fiction; Drug traffic--Fiction. 188 p. Middle school (High school). A teenaged Harrison Ford, Hogsty Reef’s main character, Jim, lives the life every young man would dream of. Coming from British Columbia to the Caribbean Islands of Turks and Caicos is enough of an adventure, but this young man deals with shipwreck, Haitian refugees, drug runners, as he learns the ropes from a young female adventurer, Julia. All the best comes to those who conquer in the name of good and right. John Dowd is an Arthur Ellis Award winning novelist for his book, Abalone Summer. It’s not clear in Hogsty Reef if the Caribbean book is a sequel, but if the Turks and Caicos literary world offers an award for juvenile adventure novels this one could win; it is exciting and well written. There is one occurence of profanity when the young adventurer gets trapped. The book also refers to voodoo through the voice of a young Haitian boat person named Marcel, but this in no way dominates or detracts from the story. Teens and almost-teens will zoom through every exciting page. All the loose ends are tied up well by Dowd, who awakened the young boy in the heart of this fifty-two-year-old reader/reviewer from the northwest! Rev. Jim McKinney, Teacher, Port Orchard, Washington C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 3 S P R I N G 2 0 0 1
Page 1 and 2: Volume VI No.2 Christian SPRING 200
Page 3 and 4: The Christian Library Journal invit
Page 5 and 6: talking or writing books. He worked
Page 7 and 8: Children's Crown Award Reading Prog
Page 9 and 10: Celebrate the Triumph of Easter ...
Page 11 and 12: Lucado (Multnomah, 1994, ISBN 0-880
Page 13 and 14: PICTURE BOOKS tells him to catch up
Page 15 and 16: PICTURE BOOKS Ill.: Crossway Books,
Page 17 and 18: PICTURE BOOKS welcomed at a courtya
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Page 21 and 22: CHILDREN’S FICTION doing things h
Page 23 and 24: CHILDREN’S FICTION Michael J. Ros
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Page 61 and 62: ADULT FICTION In this sequel to The
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Page 67 and 68: ADULT FICTION Ten years later their
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REFERENCE (610-756). From essays su
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INDEX David Livingstone 41 Davidson
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INDEX Mohr, Joseph 28 Mollel, Tolol
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Book Systems, Inc. makes the most e
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