Christian Books for Kids, Sorted by Reading Level

My Sunday school kids and my own three have burned through a lot of Christian fiction and biographies over the years. Some of it was preachy and slow. Some of it they asked to reread. Here is the second kind, sorted by level, with notes on who each book works for.

Early readers (AR 2 to 3)

• The Berenstain Bears series by Mike Berenstain. The newer faith-based titles like The Berenstain Bears Say Their Prayers sit around AR 3 with low point values, usually under one point. Good for kids who want a whole book in one sitting.
• Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor (AR ~4, but readable aloud at 6). A simplified Bunyan. I read this one aloud to a kindergartner and a fourth grader at the same time and both stayed engaged.

Elementary (AR 3 to 5)

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is AR 5.4, 6 pts. Kids who miss the allegory still love the story, so do not oversell the symbolism. Let them find Aslan on their own.
• Heaven Is for Real for Kids (AR ~4, low points). Short chapters, good for reluctant readers who want a true story.
• Stories of the Saints style biographies, like the Loyola Kids books (AR ~5 to 6, read aloud younger). Great for kids who like real people over made-up plots.

Upper elementary and middle school (AR 5 to 7)

• The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Book one, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, is AR 5.0, 12 pts. This is the series I hand to kids who finished Narnia and want more. Funny, adventurous, faith woven in quietly.
• The Green Ember by S.D. Smith (AR ~5, 8 to 10 pts). Rabbits with swords. Sounds silly, works anyway.
• God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew, younger reader editions run AR ~6. Strong pick for a kid who likes adventure stories and true accounts.

How to match the book to the kid

Level matters less than the hook. A kid who loves animals will push through a level above their range for The Green Ember. A kid who only reads graphic novels will stall on anything dense, so try the Action Bible first (AR ~3 to 4, low points) and build from there.

Two things that worked for us: let them quit the first book in a series if it is slow, because book two is often better. And read the first chapter aloud, then hand it over. That trick got my middle kid through three series he would have otherwise abandoned.

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Next steps

Want more along these lines? Search Christian books by level and points and filter to your reader's range.