I’m excited to announce that my middle-grade novel, Cosmic Chaos, is a ‘Book of the Decade’ semifinalist! The semifinalists are moving into the next round of judging, and the finalists will be announced by Serious Writers in August. Congratulations to all the semifinalists!
Finalists will be announced on August 5, 2022, and winners will be announced in early September. Grand prize winners receive an incredible awards dinner, a beautiful statue, and an Orlando experience.
Are you looking for a space adventure for your kid’s summer vacation? Cosmic Chaos is excellent for older elementary and middle school readers!
Twelve-year-old Logan lives inside the Luna Biodome on the moon. Not only is the moon dust making him sick, but it also sets him apart from the other kids. While Logan is inside his new robot’s interactive program, his illness disappears, and mysteries occur that he can’t explain. Logan meets an annoying yet undeletable program character named Amy. Their misadventures awaken him to a glitch—a secret that could return him to Earth to track down his missing mother. But only if Amy will cooperate before the moon’s lockdown and before the robot destroys him.
We’ve searched high and low for great dinosaur fiction for kids, specifically books that don’t promote evolution. When I asked a large homeschool group if they had recommendations, they all said there is NO dinosaur fiction (without evolution) available – there is only nonfiction. I was certain there must be options, so I scoured the internet. It took a while but we found them!
Each of the books shared here compliments Creation Science and promote a Biblical world view, in that:
Dinosaurs were included during the first days of God’s creation
Dinosaurs and man lived on the earth together
Most dinosaurs died during Noah’s flood
There are reading options for a variety of ages, from younger elementary readers to teen readers. Take a look below:
Noah Drake and the Dragon Killer, written by Ben Russell, is recommended for younger elementary readers (ages 8 and up). This is a fun and funny adventure about a boy named Noah who vacations with his family and ends up finding a real dinosaur in Lake Champlain. Noah sets out to protect his discovery from the Dragon Killer, keeping the plesiosaur from extinction.
Detective Zack and the Danger at Dinosaur Camp, written by Jerry D. Thomas, is recommended for younger elementary readers (ages 9 and up). This mystery and adventure story has Zack attending a dinosaur camp with his family. They are hoping to reconcile the Bible’s Creation story with the evolutionary account of dinosaurs but get mixed up with all the strange mysteries occurring at the camp. With determination and a little detective work they not only use the clues to solve the cases, but they also discover the amazing truth about dinosaurs.
This book may be harder to find, as it is out of print. But you can still buy copies from used booksellers online.
Cosmic Chaos, written by CM Shelton, is recommended for older elementary readers (ages ten and up). When Logan utilizes his new robot’s technology to help him with his evolution homework, a glitch in the robot’s system sends him time traveling to the days of Creation and dinosaurs. As he navigates this discovery, he’s also on a mission to find his missing mom.
This science-fiction adventure has a sequel forthcoming.
The Truth Chronicles: The Time Machine, by Tim Chaffey and Joe Westbrook, is recommended for middle school and teen readers (ages 13 and up). When Jax and his three friends discover their science fair project gives them the ability to time travel, they find themselves face to face with dinosaurs. As they explore ancient times, they find clues that indicate Jax’s dad may still be alive.
There are quite a few books in the series and we’ve been working our way through them.
How do we pass on a love for reading to our kids as they grow older? Give them access to lots of books. When it comes to reading, we want our children to enjoy good stories that are entertaining as well as wholesome. If we can find books for them that support our values and build up their character, all the better!
But what if their interest in reading is waning? Provide them with lots of variety, as well as quality reading options to choose from. The best middle grade books can be enjoyed by their intended audience as well as grownups, and they also make for great read-alouds for families. These books are personable, as readers are able to connect with the characters and want to know what happens next in the story. And readers are able to resonate with the truths shining through.
How do you find these high quality books for kids? There are a lot of options when skimming through book lists online or in book stores and it can feel overwhelming. Get recommendations from friends, look at bestseller lists, and check out the library displays. But here’s something you may not have considered—books that have won awards.
Finding award-winning titles helps to narrow down your choices. What makes an award winning book so special? These books have been identified as being outstanding in their category. The stories are being honored, as well as the authors who crafted them.
Scroll down for a list of three award-winning middle grade novels you probably didn’t know about. These engaging books are clever, character-building, and thought provoking with strong family values. These fantastic books can spark a love of reading and keep the flame burning bright.
Picture Imperfect, by Susan Thogerson Maas
Twelve-year-old JJ loves three things: her great-grandma, her cat, and photography. But she’s never going to be a real photographer unless she gets better equipment. When her best friend, Kat, discovers a photo contest with the grand prize of a fancy digital camera—the kind JJ’s parents could never afford—she jumps at the chance to win it. Things start going wrong when ditzy Aunt Lissa moves in under mysterious circumstances and JJ’s forced to share her room. Why did Lissa lose her job anyway? Kat has all sorts of theories—theories that bring more trouble than the girls can imagine. Gram’s not doing so great, the cat’s always trying to sneak out, and Aunt Lissa’s ruining JJ’s summer. According to Gram, photography is JJ’s God-given talent, but how can that be true when everything keeps going wrong?
AWARDS:
Winner of the 2016 Selah Awards, Middle Grade Novels
2015 Book of the Year in its category, Christian Small Publisher Association
Finalist in the 2016 Cascade Awards for Published Young Adult/Middle Grade Fiction
The Snowball Fight Professional, by Angela Ruth Strong
Joey Michaels gets hired by customers to shoot snowballs at other people, that’s why he’s known as ‘The Snowball Fight Professional’. He plans to use his profits to buy his grandma a gift so impressive that she will be convinced to buy him a puppy. But Joey’s plan keeps running into problems as his cousin Winston creates all sorts of issues.
AWARD: Winner of the 2015 Cascade Award for Published Young Adult/Middle Grade Fiction
12-year old Logan lives inside the Luna Biodome on the moon. Not only is the moon dust making him sick, it also sets him apart from the other kids. When a defective robot sends Logan to the Garden of Eden through time travel, his illness disappears and mysteries occur that he can’t explain. When Logan meets an annoying yet undeletable program character named Amy, their misadventures awaken him to a glitch — a secret that could return him to Earth to track down his missing mother. But only if Amy will cooperate before the moon is locked down and before the robot destroys him.
AWARDS:
Winner of the 2016 Bookvana Awards for the Children’s Fiction category
Finalist in the 2016 Children’s Fiction category of USA Best Book Awards
Finalist in the 2016 Children’s Fiction category of Author’s Talk About It Awards
Honorable Mention in the 2016 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
Honorable Mention in the 2016 San Francisco Book Festival competition
Finalist as a manuscript in the 2013 Children’s Unpublished Fiction Cascade Awards
In 2009 I was working steadily on two middle grade novels,
all the while mulling over a science fiction story idea. I had already done quite a bit of research,
staying up late at night reading books on dinosaurs, Creation, Genesis, and space
travel. But I was hesitant to begin the story as my plot wasn’t fully developed
and honestly, science fiction isn’t really my thing. Besides, I was determined to get my two
other middle grade novels completed first.
Then our world was turned upside down. My extended family had an emergency, which
resulted in my young cousin coming to live with us. We knew it would be temporary, we just didn’t
know how long. We welcomed him with open arms and enjoyed having him in our
home. And through each day, every moment
of his time with us, there was this quiet fierceness emanating from him with
determination to get back to his mom, no matter what.
It occurred to me that this is the same goal of the main
character, Logan, in my science fiction story, to get back to his mom. And Logan is close to the same age as my
cousin. I decided this was the time to
write Cosmic Chaos, not later. I needed
to write while I could see and experience the intensity and longing coming from
this young man so I could accurately apply it to my story.
My cousin ended up staying with us for a year and we were
very sad when it was time for him to go, but also rejoicing with him that his
greatest heart’s desire was being fulfilled.
I continued to write Cosmic Chaos and each time I would see my cousin
during holidays and family gatherings, he would ask me with a smile, “Have you
finished that book yet?” I would return
the smile and say, “No, not yet.”
I finally completed the first draft about two years after he returned to his mom and the book was published just a few years later in 2015. I’m so thankful for my cousin – that science fiction story idea may have never been written without his inspiration.
The Book Launch Party for Cosmic Chaos was fabulous! So many wonderful people came to celebrate with me. We enjoyed fine chocolates from The Chocolate Box, listened to a book excerpt reading by one of my critique group members, colored dinosaurs, took photos, and my daughter and I signed lots of books. It was a great night. Special thanks to every person who helped to make it special and memorable!
