Adventures From the Bookshelf

Archaeologist Cliff Adams leads his daughter Lori and a small crew on a secret expedition to find the Margaret L, a riverboat that sank in the Missouri River over a century ago. While facing dangerous rivals driven by legends of a million dollars in gold, the team discovers that the river’s channel has shifted over time, eventually locating the ship buried deep beneath dry land and proving that historical truth is the most enduring treasure.

An allegorical retelling of the Christian life through the eyes of children, the story follows Little Christian and later his friend Christiana as they flee the City of Destruction to reach the Celestial City. Along a narrow path fraught with giants, dark valleys, and tempting fairs, they learn that the King’s grace is sufficient for every trial and that the final crossing leads to an eternal home of light and peace.

While on a spring break trip to Israel, teenager Vicki Montgomery and her friend Diane find themselves at the center of an international intrigue after a mysterious camel driver entrusts Vicki with a single jade earring. As they are pursued through the ancient streets of Jerusalem by a shadowy figure named Jack, the girls must piece together the connection between the jewelry and a grieving woman to prevent a theft and reconcile a fractured family.

The Spartan family’s life is upended when their rebellious nephew Samuel arrives from Brazil and brings with him a friend, Carlos, who is caught in a dangerous narcotics ring. As Joy and Roy Spartan attempt a daring rescue at a local motel, the family must lean on their faith to navigate criminal threats and witness the transformative power of the Gospel on both the wayward and the weary.

The Spartan family’s long-awaited vacation to a mountain cabin is plagued by a series of mishaps—from an outbreak of the mumps and a broken arm to a dangerous nighttime search for a missing child. However, these “mix-ups” ultimately reveal themselves as divine appointments, as the family navigates their own frustrations to help a grieving, reclusive mother and her daughter find hope and salvation in Christ.

Reverend Peter Spartan and his family find their faith and integrity tested when a wealthy member of their congregation, Mrs. Sutton, prepares to leave her fortune to the church’s missionary work. When her greedy nephews arrive in town plotting to have her declared mentally incompetent to seize the inheritance, the Spartans must act to protect her legacy and witness to the transformative power of the Gospel on a hardened heart.

: Reverend Peter Spartan and his family move to a new congregation in Hemfield, where the twins, Joy and Roy, struggle with the expectations of being “preacher’s kids.” While attending summer camp, the twins navigate peer pressure and a dangerous crisis at a lake, leading to their personal decisions to accept Christ and sparking a vision for spiritual revival within their new, sophisticated church.

Part of the Janette Oke Saga. After a year-long absence, Clark and Marty Davis return home to find their family maturing and their community changing, forcing them to navigate the challenges of Clark’s physical disability, Marty’s unexpected late-in-life pregnancy, and the sudden loss of a dear friend.

Part of the Janette Oke Saga. Missy and Willie LeHay set out on a grueling wagon train journey to the Western frontier, where their faith is tested by physical exhaustion, the joyful discovery of Missy’s pregnancy, and the heartbreaking loss of a dear friend along the trail.

Part of the Janette Oke Saga. As the Davis family helps establish the community’s first schoolhouse, they are called to demonstrate the depth of their faith by taking in two neglected sisters following their mother’s death and their father’s abandonment, leading to a season of expansion and new beginnings for the entire household.

Part of the Janette Oke Saga. Clark and Marty Davis embark on a long-awaited journey west to visit their eldest daughter, Missy, and her family on their cattle ranch, a trip marked by joyful reunions and the deepening of spiritual bonds that is ultimately tested by a tragic mining accident in the local community.

Part of the Janette Oke Saga. After the sudden death of her husband on the western frontier, Marty enters a marriage of convenience with widower Clark Davis, leading to a journey of healing, faith, and the slow blooming of an unexpected love.

“God’s Perfect Will” follows the Scott family, particularly young Sarah Naomi Scott, known as the “Prairie Princess.” Set against a backdrop of rural prairie life, the story explores the complexities of “growing up” and surrendering to God’s plan. While Sarah and her brother Robbie navigate school with their beautiful new teacher, Miss Thomas, their older sister Kathy and her husband Herbie struggle with the pressures of new parenthood and their future on the mission field. The narrative reaches a poignant climax as the family learns of Miss Thomas’s terminal illness, forcing everyone to confront the reality of suffering and the peace found in trusting God’s perfect will, even when it is difficult to understand.

The Spartan family—Reverend Peter, Elaine, and their twins Roy and Joy—expands when they welcome Elaine’s nephew Samuel and his Brazilian friend Carlos into their home. While Samuel and Carlos settle into their new lives as young Christians, Joy faces a spiritual crisis fueled by intense competition with her best friend, Anna, over a school softball game. Tensions rise when Carlos is mysteriously attacked and hospitalized, leading to a “junior detective” investigation by the twins and an angry pursuit of justice by Samuel. Ultimately, the story explores the power of grace as Joy learns the consequences of her pride through a broken arm and the loss of her team spot, while Carlos provides a powerful example of the Gospel by choosing to forgive his attacker, Leo, rather than pressing charges.

Alfonso “Alfie” Palmer, a boy struggling with his weight and the bullying of his peers, finds a new passion in raising pigeons while recovering from a broken leg. After his baby pigeons (squabs) are stolen, Alfie’s attempt to retrieve them leads to a brush with the law and a life-changing encounter with the Gospel through his teacher, Mr. Wilson. As Alfie learns to forgive his enemies, he forms a “Pigeon Club” that brings his former bullies into a circle of friendship. The story culminates during a weekend campout where the boys face a broken leg and a dangerous escaped convict, ultimately finding safety and spiritual salvation through faith and the heroic flight of a carrier pigeon.

“Come The Day Come Away” tells the sweeping saga of Henrik and Betty Hansen, Swedish immigrants who leave their homeland in 1891 to build a new life in the American wilderness. After a difficult start in the crowded, disease-ridden tenements of New York, they travel to Duluth before eventually homesteading on the rugged Wisconsin shores of Lake Superior. The story chronicles their early struggles against the isolation of the forest, the dangers of the wild, and personal tragedies, including the loss of an infant daughter. Throughout their journey, Henrik’s steadfast faith drives him to establish a Christian community and build a church, while Betty transforms from a fearful young bride into a resilient pioneer woman. Ultimately, the family finds peace and security in the land they have tamed and the spiritual legacy they have established for their growing community.

The story follows 12-year-old Mark and his younger brother Joey, whose lives are upended when their father loses his job as a precision machinist and takes a temporary position as a driver for a traveling carnival. Transitioning from a stable suburban life to the transient, often misunderstood world of “carnies,” the boys struggle with feelings of shame and the difficulty of maintaining their Christian faith in a secular environment. Throughout their summer journey, they encounter a variety of colorful characters, face accusations of theft, and witness a spiritual transformation within the carnival community. Ultimately, the story highlights the importance of integrity, the power of prayer, and the realization that God’s presence can be found even in the most unexpected places.

Following the death of his mother, young Billy finds comfort in his mischievous puppy, Frisky. When his stern Aunt Kate arrives to help his traveling father, she initially views the dog as a nuisance and demands he be kept out of the house. Guided by his neighbor Uncle John and the biblical promise of Romans 8:28—that “all things work together for good”—Billy learns to train Frisky and pray for his family. The story follows Billy through childhood challenges like school cheating, a lost puppy, and a terrifying encounter with an escaped mental patient in a “haunted” house. Ultimately, Frisky proves to be a hero, Aunt Kate becomes a loving part of the family, and Billy sees firsthand how God can use any circumstance for good.

Set in the Soviet Union during a time of intense religious persecution, the story follows young Alexi Kovich and his family after they are forcibly relocated from Leningrad to the harsh landscape of Siberia due to their Christian faith. In their new home, Alexi discovers a secret network of “believers” who risk imprisonment to operate a hidden printing press and distribute Bibles. As Alexi grows in his faith, he must choose between social acceptance on the school hockey team and his commitment to Christ. Ultimately, Alexi and his friend Yuri are entrusted with a “secret mission” to deliver Bibles to a distant church, proving their courage as “good soldiers” in a land where owning the Word of God is a crime.