The Banner’s Mixed Media Editor gives her top picks for best Christian living books of 2024.
Book
- READ MORE
Her Part to Play: A Novel
By Jenny ErlingssonREAD MOREAdanne accepts a job as a makeup artist for a movie filming in her Alabama hometown, but the money hardly seems worth facing the actor who got her fired from her last job in Hollywood.
Kailani's Gift
By Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young. Illustrated by Lynnor BontigaoREAD MOREThis picture-book celebration of family, Filipino heritage, and dance showcases the value of patience, perseverance, and blessing others with your gifts and talents.
- READ MORE
Drawing on research and experience, Raffety, an able-bodied Christian writing to able-bodied churches, confesses her struggle to repent from ableism in hopes of convincing others to do the same.
- READ MORE
The Black history you never knew: Uncovering unsung heroes in the struggle for racial justice.
Darkness Calls the Tiger
By Janyre TrompREAD MOREAfter the attack on Pearl Harbor, Imperial Japan devours the southern portion of Burma. Unaware of the coming darkness, Kailyn Moran drifts in her role as the only daughter of a widowed missionary.
Five Stories
By Ellen WeinsteinREAD MOREFive children, from five different cultures and in five different decades, grow up in the same building on the Lower East Side of New York City.
The Art of Living in Season: A Year of Reflections for Everyday Saints
By Sylvie VanhoozerREAD MORE"What can I give him?” French author Sylvie Vanhoozer takes her hometown tradition of Provençal crèches (nativity scenes peopled by “little saints”) and tries to expand it yearlong.
Why Everything that Doesn’t Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt
By Charlie Peacock and Andi AshworthREAD MOREA hopeful, practical model for what it means to be a Christian and a culture-maker in a world of hurt and wondrous possibility, from multi-Grammy winner Charlie Peacock and his wife and author, Andi Ashworth.
The Christmas Elephant: A Nativity Story
By Maria Antonia. Illustrated by Laura ZarrinREAD MOREEllie wants to be an elephant in the Christmas play but her know-it-all sister says she’ll ruin everything. When Baby Jesus goes missing, Ellie must find him, or the play will be ruined!
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!: Life Lessons from the Movie A Christmas Story
By Quentin SchultzeREAD MORETwenty life lessons from the holiday classic A Christmas Story.
We Are One
By Jackie Azua Kramer; illustrated by Raissa Figueroa and Nina MataREAD MOREFrom an award-winning trio, this celebration of community, friendship, and the natural world features poetic, lyrical text paired with a vibrant visual tale of two characters.
The Deliverer Has Come: A Christmas Story
By Sarah Shin. Illustrated by Shin MaengREAD MORETold from the perspective of a young girl living during the time of Jesus’ birth, this uniquely illustrated nativity story helps young readers understand the “what” and embrace the “why” of Christmas.
God's Little Astronomer
By Tina Cho. Illustrated by Marta Alvarez MiguensREAD MOREBlast off to space and discover how every part of the universe—the planets, the stars, asteroids, meteoroids, and more—display God’s glory, creativity, and, most important, his love for you and me!
- READ MORE
A Navajo grandmother shares an Indigenous retelling of the Christmas story with her granddaughter.
This Land Is a Lullaby
By Tonya Simpson. Illustrated by Delree DumontREAD MOREThis lush lullaby of the land honors the beauty of the prairies and the plains and the spiritual connection between Indigenous children.
12 Truths & A Lie (Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions)
By J.D GreearREAD MORELife is full of difficult questions, and many of them often seem impossible to answer. In 12 Truths &a Lie, author and pastor J.D. Greear confidently tackles some of the most perplexing questions that Christians face.
Blessed are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada
By Angela Reitsma Bick and Peter SchuurmanREAD MORECanadian Christians frustrated with the church have come “undone” and are leaving politely in what this book dubs a Quiet Deconstruction.
Fearless as a Honey Badger, Brave like a Wolverine: Living with Down Syndrome, Loving Animals, Learning Courage
By Andrew Olshine (with David Olshine)READ MOREThis journey of 50 days, written by a young man with Down Syndrome and his dad, will help you take steps to handle worry, anxiety, and fear. Perfect for family devotions.
- READ MORE
Your to-be-read pile just got a bit bigger with these three suggestions for reading during Native American Heritage Month, from a Native alternative to Little House on the Prairie to a YA thriller.
Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools
By Dan SaSuWeh JonesREAD MOREDan SaSuWeh Jones chronicles his family's time at Chilocco—starting with his grandmother Little Moon's arrival when the school first opened and ending with him working on the maintenance crew when the school shut down nearly 100 years later.
Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity
By Soo Jin Lee and Linda YoonREAD MOREAn essential resource that addresses the unique experiences of trauma, healing, and mental health in Asian and Asian American communities.
Being Home
By Traci Sorell. Illustrated by Michaela GoadeREAD MOREFrom Sibert Honor–winning author Traci Sorell and Caldecott Medal–winning artist Michaela Goade comes a heartwarming picture book about a Native American family moving back to their ancestral land.
Zion Learns to See
By Terence Lester and Zion Lester. Illustrated by Subi BosaREAD MOREJoin Zion as she learns about people experiencing homelessness, and see how she is moved to respond as she recognizes that all people matter to God.