Fiction by Genre

Fiction is good. It's not just lies—lies are the dishonest things we tell other people out of selfishness, while fiction is (or should be) those stories used to reveal truth. Not that all stories have to be tied up with a neat moral at the end. Truth wears many faces, and our favorite stories are as varied, and often as unresolved, as life itself.

A good book always has something to say, however. Even if the message is as simple as "it's good to have friends" or "growing up is difficult no matter who you are," there is a message and it can be understood. There are books that are all plot....but they aren't good books. There are books that are all blatant morality and character-building....also not good books, at least in the sense we mean here.

For those of you about to stop reading, know this: we aren't promoting immoral books. Just because there isn't an obvious "and Johnny was happy because he knew that stealing was bad" ending doesn't mean we support kids reading about worldly characters doing worldly things as though this was normal and healthy. But we also don't think Pathway Readers are the only appropriate fiction available to children.

What we mean by "good book" is one which accurately depicts human nature, demonstrates an engaging style, displays a consistent worldview, and doesn't use cheap tricks to get readers interested. That excludes a lot of books. It also includes a lot of books, and they typically aren't the ones filling the new release racks at Barnes & Noble.

We emphasize classic fiction at Exodus Books. That's not to say we shun all modern fiction, but typically good writing survives for years and years and years on its own merits, and those books that fit that description can be trusted more than those still in their infancy. Genres we find particularly problematic are those built around cheap formulas and plots with little to say (fantasy, sci-fi and mystery series come immediately to mind).

Books that rely on non-stop action and thrills are also avoided by our charming and discerning book-buying staff. Kids need to learn to enjoy reading because it's good for them and offers new ways to look at the world, not simply for a book's entertainment value. It's not enough just to read—if you read a steady diet of trash or sub-standard fiction you're really no better off than watching hours of television.

There is a difference between children's and adult literature. Kids shouldn't be sheltered, but they also aren't prepared to deal with the themes and darker elements adults must confront. Most of the titles in this section are "safe"—not a lot of extreme violence, sexual content, profanity, etc. here (though there is some overlap with the adult and children's genres).

Along the same lines, we don't encourage letting kids read abridged versions of classics or advanced material. Everything we offer is unabridged unless explicitly stated—it's far better to have kids read stories at their level than to have them read edited and often misrepresented versions of books not intended for children. If they read Charlotte's Web and Rufus M. as kids, they'll be ready for Great Expectations when they're older.

Nowhere in the Bible does God say "Read fiction. It'll make you a better person." But neither does He say "Have a time set aside for daily devotions. It's the only path to true spirituality." Simply because there's no command in Scripture doesn't mean a particular activity isn't a really good idea. Not that reading the Bible and reading fiction are in any way on the same level. Reading God helps us understand Him better—reading fiction helps us understand ourselves.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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17 Items found Print
Active Filters: Audio CD
By the Shores of Silver Lake - Audio Book (CD)
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Chronicles of Narnia - Audio Book Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$75.00
Farmer Boy - Audio CD
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Unabridged from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
First Four Years - Audio CD
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Henty Short Stories Volume 1 - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
for 6th-10th grade
in Henty Audio Books (Location: CD-Henty)
$14.00
Hobbit - Audio Book CDs
by J. R. R. Tolkien; Andy Serkis (reader)
from Recorded Books, LLC
for 3rd-Adult
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
In Freedom's Cause - Audio Drama
by G. A. Henty
for 6th-10th grade
in Henty Audio Books (Location: CD-Henty)
In the Reign of Terror - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
for 6th-10th grade
in Henty Audio Books (Location: CD-Henty)
$14.00
James Herriot's Treasury for Children - Audio Book (CD)
by James Herriot (read by Jim Dale)
Unabridged from Macmillan
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$11.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Little Town on the Prairie - Audio CD
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Long Winter - Audio CD
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Men of Iron - Audio Book CD
by Howard Pyle
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$32.95
Old Mother West Wind - Audio Book on CD
by Thornton W. Burgess, narrated by Laurie Anne Walden
from St. Clare Audio
for 1st-4th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
On the Banks of Plum Creek - Audio CD
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1938 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
Out on the Pampas - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
for 6th-10th grade
in Henty Audio Books (Location: CD-Henty)
$14.00
These Happy Golden Years - Audio CD
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$22.06
Under Drake's Flag - Audio Drama
by G. A. Henty
for 6th-10th grade
in Henty Audio Books (Location: CD-Henty)