Family Stories - Exodus Books

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"Family stories" isn't really a recognized genre, but it should be. Sure, most novels deal with families on some level, but we aren't talking about the dysfunctional ones so common in modern (and Russian) fiction. For us, family stories are those that celebrate family life through a particular family's story, whether it's a Ma and Pa taking their girls across country in a covered wagon, an Austrian count saving his wife and kids from the Nazis, or a Jewish family in New York prior to World War I.

Tolstoy's famous observation that "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," is constantly disproved in these stories. Unhappy families are usually unhappy as a result of selfishness and sin, while happy ones enjoy remarkably diverse experiences that broaden each individual member and the whole family unit together. That's not to say happy families never suffer—they often suffer even more than others, but the difficulties bring them closer together and build character.

By extension, families who take heed of these real and fictional families' response to hardship will find themselves similarly bonded, thankful for each other instead of resentful, happy to sacrifice individual desires for the benefit of the group rather than demanding special favors. Other than Christ's Body, the family is the most important social group for Christians, and we prefer family stories that reflect a pursuit of godliness—the too-often-neglected Papa's Wife is an excellent example.

Some of the stories here are just for fun, though. Cheaper by the Dozen may not spur you on to piety, but it will make you laugh till your sides hurt. The Sarah, Plain and Tall books aren't churchy, but the love of Jacob Witting for his children and the woman who becomes their mother is instructive for us all. Family stories make good family reading, too, because the best ones appeal to each member. Besides, any activity that brings everyone together can never be considered a waste of time.

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	All-of-a-Kind Family All-of-a-Kind Family Series #1 by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John from Follett Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown All-of-a-Kind Family Series #4 by Sydney Taylor; illustrated by Mary Stevens from Follett Publishing Co. Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $34.00 (1 in stock)
	Beans on the Roof by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Melodye Rosales 1^st edition from Delacorte Press for 2nd-4th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Bobbsey Twins in the Country by Laura Lee Hope Undated from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Bobbsey Twins (Location: VIN-SER) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	By the Shores of Silver Lake Little House Series #5 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1940 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink from Simon and Schuster Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1936 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $19.99
	Cartoonist by Betsy Cromer Byars, illustrated by Richard Cuffari from Viking Press for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Cathie Stuart by Nora Tully MacAlvay 1958 2nd Printing from Viking Press for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Charlotte's Web Full Color Edition by E. B. White from The Folio Society for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Doctor Like Papa by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, Illustrated by James Bernardin First Edition from HarperCollins for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Farmer Boy Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	First Four Years (Pictorial Cover) by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams from Harper & Row for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Gift from the Mikado by Elizabeth P. Fleming from Westminster John Knox Press for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Heidi A Story for Children and Those Who Love Children Rainbow Classics by Johanna Spyri, translated by Marian Edwards and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard 1st Printing from World Publishing Company for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Heidi A Story for Children and Those Who Love Children Windermere Readers #3 by Johanna Spyri, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1954 Edition from Rand McNally for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Little House - Hardcover Set by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins for 3rd-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $139.11
	Little House in the Big Woods Little House Series #1 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99
	Little House on the Prairie Little House Series #2 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.99
	Little Town on the Prairie Little House Series #7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	Long Winter Little House Series #6 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Make Way for McCloskey A Robert McCloskey Treasury by Robert McCloskey from Viking Press for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE) $28.99
	Mama's Way by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Mary Whyte from Dial Books for Young Readers for Preschool-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	More All-of-a-Kind Family All-of-a-Kind Family Series #3 by Sydney Taylor; illustrated by Mary Stevens from Follett Publishing Co. Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $34.00 (1 in stock)
	More Perfect Than the Moon by Patricia MacLachlan Fir from Scholastic Reference for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch by Alice Hegan Rice, illustrated by Norma and Dan Garris from Whitman Publishing Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe 1^st edition from Amistad Press for 2nd-5th grade 1988 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	My Favorite Songs Maria Von Trapp's Childhood Folk Songs With Audio CD by Maria Trapp from Veritas Press for Kindergarten-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.00
	On the Banks of Plum Creek Little House Series #4 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1938 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99
	One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey from Viking Press Realistic Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1953 Caldecott Honor Book in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $18.99
	Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus from Margaret Ferguson Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.99
	Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin 100th Anniversary Edition from Simon and Schuster for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $21.99
	Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Harrison Cady from Dodd, Mead & Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Shirley Temple Edition of Captain January & The Little Colonel by Laura E. Richards and Annie Fellows Johnston from Random House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting from Clarion Books for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson from HarperCollins in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Super Jake and the King of Chaos by Naomi Milliner from Running Press for 2nd-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $16.99
	Terrible, Horrible Edie by E. C. Spykman from Harcourt, Brace & World for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Tick-a Tock-a Clock by Ellen Sue Klose from Review and Herald Publishing Association for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	While Mrs. Coverlet Was Away by Mary Nash from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)

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