If you have been looking for a Christian book series especially for tween girls aged 9 to 12 years old, I need to recommend The Lily and Young Women of Faith series by Nancy Rue.  This book series is perfect for young girls during the formative years that lead up to becoming a teen.  Nancy Rue does a fantastic job of writing in a voice that can be understood by tweens and makes life “a God thing” without being too preachy or overbearing from a kid’s point of view. At times, her slang feels like an adult trying to relate to a child, but when not distracting, readers will appreciate her attempt to reach them.

Even if you are not a homeschooling or Christian parent, these books are wonderful for instilling good values regarding the tough issues associated with growing up.

The great thing about this series is that it’s actually 2 series:

1.  The Lily Series: The Lily series is the fiction side of this set.  The books have a Christian main character that girls can relate to in real-life situations that teach about growing up issues with biblical principles as their guidance.

2.  The Young Women of Faith Series: The Young Women of Faith books are the nonfiction side of this set.  Each fiction book has a companion nonfiction book that discusses the topics in-depth.  The chapters include exercises and questions that your child works through as part of the reading.

Here’s Lily! and The Beauty Book are the two upbeat titles which usher in the Young Women of Faith Library, a series that combines novels, nonfiction works and a devotional to shed a Christian light on topics dear to middle-grade girls. As its title suggests, the first book, Here’s Lily, introduces the sixth-grade series heroine. Accustomed to thinking of herself as ordinary-looking, she is surprised and thrilled when Kathleen Winfrey, the owner of a modeling agency, wants to groom her for a career. Lily’s parents are willing to let her take a modeling class, but they want her to ask herself “if God is in this.” (He is.)

“I taught you to look at the special gifts and qualities God gave you,”

“Actually, we shouldn’t call it self-confidence. We ought to call it God-confidence”

The non-fiction pairings, such as in The Beauty Book, emphasize the Christian message further while referring to the characters in the novel and pairs Kathleen-style how-tos with religious counsel.

“I can almost hear you saying, ‘Does God really want to talk about my hair?’ God wants to talk about anything that stands between you and him and anything that makes you the you he has in mind”.

In book 5: Ask Lily, our main character finally enters into middle school and it doesn’t take long for her to get right into the thick of things. She joins the school newspaper staff and becomes the anonymous writer of the “Answer Girl” advice column. It’s all in fun at first – Lily’s witty answers to such questions as “What do I do about a dog that keeps eating my homework?” Then Lily gets a more serious query and actually gives helpful advice, and it’s not long before word gets around that the mysterious “Answer Girl” can solve ANY problem. Before long Lily thinks she’s Dr. Know-it-all–reading every sidewalk psychology and self-help book she can lay hands on, watching afternoon talk shows, and even tries to talk her parents into letting her see a therapist, just so she can get firsthand knowledge. But things quickly go sour and as usual Lily steps outside her boundaries. When her “expert” advice nearly cost her a close friend, Lily realizes there isn’t always a clear-cut answer, particularly in those gray areas. But once again, Lily learns that God is the REAL “Answer Man.”

Lily Series Books Young Women of Faith

The Young Women of Faith and Lily series is a great investment in molding your child’s character.

GENRE: Realistic Fiction