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Morality Tales

No one wants their kids reading complete trash. It's pretty widely understood that what goes in comes out, and if kids consume a steady diet of books with bad morals, chances are they're going to retain those attitudes, regardless of the instruction they get at home. Wouldn't it be better to have them read books with clear messages of Christian virtue and well-behaved main characters?

Yes and no—obviously, we want good examples set for our children, and character-building stories often provide them. At the same time, they have a tendency to portray their heroes and heroines as too good, so that kids see a completely unrealistic picture of childhood which they consequently reject, if not at home, then later in life when it matters even more.

In the Bible, of course, Jesus Himself is presented as our example for leading a godly life. The difference is that these books are supposed to be representations of ordinary people, not the Son of God. To suggest that human beings (especially children!) can attain a state of near-sinless perfection is dangerously close to heresy.

That said, even stories of this kind are better than a lot of the available reading material for youngsters. If the goal is to raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, giving them an unattainable standard is superior to giving them one far too easily achieved, or none at all. Stories about selfish kiddos, kiddos who get their way, kiddos who are more wise than adults—these aren't the kind of stories our impressionable tykes need to read.

With that in mind, we offer this collection of morality tales, or wholesome fiction. A lot of these books are Victorian-era novels highly influenced by the moralist tones of the period, but many are also more recent ventures (and also a little more realistic). We suggest you not make a steady diet of these sorts of books (they don't typically feature the best writing), but every now and then it's not a bad idea to refresh your children's pool of good examples.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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Morality Tales
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198 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 8th grade (Ages 13-14)
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$11.95
America Is Born
A History for Peter #1
by Gerald W. Johnson
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
1960 Newbery Honor Book
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Basket of Flowers
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by Christoph von Schmid
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Yesterday's Classics
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$13.95
Beggars' Bible
by Louise Vernon
from Herald Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Behind Enemy Lines
Trailblazers
by Nancy Drummond
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Bible Smuggler
by Louise Vernon
from Herald Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Blind Girl's Song
from Christian Focus Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in TorchBearers & TrailBlazers (Location: BIO-TRAIL)
Book of Discovery
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$20.95
Book of Friendliness
from Seton Press
for 8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Genesis
The Bible for School and Home #1
by J. Patterson Smyth
from Yesterday's Classics
for 8th-12th grade
in Bible for School and Home (Location: BIB-YC)
Boys of Grit Who Became Men of Honour
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by Archer Wallace
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Boys of Grit Who Changed the World
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by Archer Wallace
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Boys of Grit Who Never Gave Up
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by Elsie E. Egermeier
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Burning of Rome
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks
by F. J. Gould
from Yesterday's Classics
Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
by F. J. Gould, Reteller
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Christmas With Grandma Elsie
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #14
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Coronation of Glory
Reformation Trail Series #12
by Deborah Meroff
from Inheritance Publications
Biography for 8th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$17.95
Countryside Rambles
by W.S. Furneaux
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$14.95
Cross Triumphant
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by Florence Morse Kingsley
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Czar, The
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03)
$19.95
Dark Year of Dundee
Reformation Trail Series #06
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
for 7th-10th grade
in Reformation Trail Series (Location: FIC-WH06)
$10.95
Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.95
Done and Dared in Old France
Huguenot Inheritance Series #7
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$14.95
Driven into Exile
Huguenot Inheritance Series #5
by Charlotte Maria Tucker
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$9.95
Early Church
by George Hodges
from Yesterday's Classics
for 8th-12th grade
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$13.95
Elsie and the Raymonds
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #15
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie at Home
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #22
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie at Ion
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #19
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie at Nantucket
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #10
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie at Viamede
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #18
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie at World's Fair
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #20
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie Dinsmore
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #1
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Elsie in the South
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #24
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie on the Hudson
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #23
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie Yachting
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #16
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Children
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #6
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Friends
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #13
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Girlhood
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #3
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Holiday
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #2
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #21
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Kith and Kin
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #12
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Loved Ones
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #27
by Martha Finley
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Motherhood
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #5
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Namesakes
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #28
by Martha Finley
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Relations
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #9
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Vacation
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #17
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Widowhood
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #7
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Winter Trip
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #26
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Womanhood
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #4
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Elsie's Young Folks
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #25
by Martha Finley
from Sovereign Grace
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Escape
Huguenot Inheritance Series #1
by A. Van der Jagt
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$10.95
Exiles in Babylon
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by A.L.O.E.
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Faerie Gold
Classics for Young Readers
by Kathryn Lindskoog & Ranelda Mack Hunsicker
from P&R Publishing
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 4th-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$17.99
Faithful, But Not Famous
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Falsely Accused in the High Sierras
by Frederick Vining Fisher
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Famous Men of the Middle Ages
by John H. Haaren & A.B. Poland
from Yesterday's Classics
Historical Reference for 5th - 10th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$13.95
First Book in American History
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-9th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$14.95
First Studies of Plant Life
by George F. Atkinson
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-9th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$14.95
Florence Nightingale
by Laura E. Richards
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography for 6th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.95
Four American Inventors
by Frances M. Perry
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$13.95
Frozen Fire
by Karl Gustav Nieritz
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Gabriel and the Hour Book
by Evaleen Stein
from Yesterday's Classics
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.95 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Giant Killer
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by A.L.O.E
1st Printing from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Grandmother Elsie
Elsie Dinsmore Collection #8
by Martha Finley
from Mantle Ministries
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
British History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Gytha's Message
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Hannibal
Makers of History Series
by Jacob Abbott
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
Heart Strangely Warmed
by Louise A. Vernon
from Herald Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Heroes Every Child Should Know
by H. W. Mabie
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography for 5th-8th grade
$15.95
Heroes of the Middle Ages
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$12.95
Hidden Hand
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by E.D.E.N. Southworth
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
Hidden Treasure
Reformation Trail Series #21
by Lucy Ellen Geurnsey
from Inheritance Publications
for 8th-Adult
in Reformation Trail Series (Location: FIC-WH06)
$17.95
Highlands of Galilee: When Christ Came
The Bible for School and Home #5
by J. Patterson Smyth
from Yesterday's Classics
for 8th-12th grade
in Bible for School and Home (Location: BIB-YC)
$13.95
How They Kept the Faith
Huguenot Inheritance Series #3
by Grace Raymond
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$19.90
Huguenot Inheritance Series
by Various Authors
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$112.65
Iliad for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
for 5th-8th grade
$11.95
Iliad for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Macmillan
for 5th-8th grade
In the City
Huguenot Inheritance Series #13
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$13.95
In the Days of Alfred the Great
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
from Yesterday's Classics
for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
In the Desert
Huguenot Inheritance Series #12
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$13.95
Ink on His Fingers
by Louise Vernon
from Herald Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Ishmael
Lamplighter Rare Collector Series
by E.D.E.N. Southworth
1st edition from Lamplighter Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
It's All Real True
by Eglanton Thorne
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
James Chalmers
Torchbearers
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in TorchBearers & TrailBlazers (Location: BIO-TRAIL)
Joel...a boy of Galilee
by Annie Fellows Johnston
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
John Calvin, Genius of Geneva
Reformation Trail Series #07
by Lawrence Penning
from Inheritance Publications
Biography for 6th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.95
Joshua and the Judges
The Bible for School and Home #3
by J. Patterson Smyth
from Yesterday's Classics
for 8th-12th grade
in Bible for School and Home (Location: BIB-YC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Key to the Prison
by Louise A. Vernon
from Herald Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.99
King's Daughter
by Isabella Macdonald Alden
from Creation House
for 4th-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
King's Gold
by Mrs. Elizabeth Cheney
from Lamplighter Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Lamplighter Rare Collector Series (Location: FIC-WH04)
King's Service
Reformation Trail Series #18
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Reformation Trail Series (Location: FIC-WH06)
Leofwine the Monk: Or, the Curse of the Ericsons
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Life of the Spider
by J. H. Fabre
from Echo Library
for 5th-8th grade
in Yesterday's Classics (Location: FIC-YC)
Lights in a Dark Place
Hidden Heroes #5
by Rebecca Davis
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
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