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Fun, absorbing novel that helps kids aged 7+ to engage with the Bible as they learn that God’s grace never runs out.
Part of the Abigail series.
New house. New school. New problems!
Like many kids, adventurous and creative 9-year-old Abigail experiences lots of ups and downs when it comes to school life, making friends, and getting along with parents and siblings. Through both the humorous and serious challenges that arise, Abigail finds herself in one new mess after another. But as she learns all about how Jesus forgave Peter when he messed up again and again, she sees how Jesus can forgive her too.
Readers will explore the Bible alongside Abigail and learn that God’s love for us and his grace to us never run out. So we can start over again and again!
This fun, exciting novel for kids aged 7+ features short chapters with illustrations that really bring the story to life. It explains grace in a kid-friendly way that is relevant to their lives, and it provides a great way for kids to engage with the Bible.
This is the first book in a fictional series for readers aged 7 and up that follows the adventures of 9-year-old Abigail as she figures out what faith means for her everyday life. Young readers are inspired to read the Bible, talk to God, and apply what they believe to their own lives.
Visit the Abigail series website for free downloads, worksheets from the book, games and more!
1. Hurry Up, Headband
2. Mrs. Hennig
3. Don't Forget the Fishing Pole
4. Brown, Slimy Sludge
5. Uh Oh!
6. Flora Flores
7. Big Mouths
8. A Very Good Friend
9. Kids' Club
10. Peter's Big Adventure
11. Fisher of Men
12. Nana and Grandpa's
13. Sticky-Duct-Aids
14. Walking on Water
15. Greg Again
16. We Need to Talk
17. Adventure Central
18. A Good Grace Story
19. Fantastic Flora
20. Not Such a Mess
21. Adventuring
22. Second Chances
A Note from the Author
Book Club Questions
| Age range: | 7+ |
|---|---|
| Contributors | Bethany McIlrath |
| ISBN | 9781784989064 |
| Format | eBook |
| First published | June 2024 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The Good Book Company |
Bethany has created a delightful series that helps young readers connect their faith with their everyday life. Abigail’s adventures are fun and relatable, delivering valuable lessons for all kids and making this series a great one to add to your bookshelf.
Starting over is hard! But it’s a lesson nine-year-old Abigail is learning as she begins fourth grade at her new school. She’s also going to learn about grace—the kind we extend to others and the grace God offers his children. Fun, relatable, grounded in Scripture, and full of bold illustrations, Abigail and the Big Start Over by Bethany McIlrath is a story kids will love.
While plenty of books for kids this age have ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys,’ Bethany McIlrath has crafted real-world characters in real-life settings who exhibit both vice and virtue and desperately need God’s grace for a fresh start. Honestly, that was my favorite trait of this book—how all the characters demonstrate their need for grace, from Abigail to her new friend Flora, to their irritating classmate Greg, to Abigail’s mom. This engaging book will help kids honor others, seek to understand others, extend grace to others, and grow in grace themselves.
I received Abigail and the Big Start Over compliments of The Good Book Company in exchange for my honest review.
Abigail and the Big Start Over is the debut title by author Bethany McIlrath and the first book in the Abigail series. The book introduces readers to a young girl named Abigail who recently moved to a new city and school. This season for Abigail's family is called the Big Start Over. Abigail is eager to make friends and longs for stability amidst all the changes.
It took me a while to get around to reading my copy of the book because my eight year old daughter immediately grabbed it upon its arrival and read it in three days. She then thanked me for her favorite book. When I finally had the chance to read Abigail and the Big Start Over, I could see why it was her favorite! The book includes lovely illustrations that are appealing to young girls. It also includes characters and situations that are relatable.
The book does a wonderful job of simply presenting the gospel message and concludes with a sweet message from the author reminding readers of God's unending grace. A neat addition to the book is its book club discussion questions making this a fun read for young girls and their friends.
If you know of a young girl looking to read a sweet, wholesome, Christ centered story, I highly recommend Abigail and the Big Start Over.
Nine-year-old Abigail feels like her life is starting over after moving and having to attend a new school. Kids will relate to Abigail and the circumstances that she finds herself in, all the while learning about God's love for us and how we can depend on Him. I would highly recommend this book.
Lastly, is this book for older kids and pre-teen. It’s a novel like book so it’s more of the text and less of illustrations but as I have checked it, it’s a solid read. This story revolves on Abigail, a Christian girl, and how she navigates her new school and meeting new friends (or enemies for that matter). It’s a relatable story for young readers to enjoy with characters that probably kids will identify in real life. If your kids are ready for long books, this probably is a good starting point complete with characters they can relate to and situations that are relevant to them.
https://delightinggrace.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/may-quick-review-childrens-book-edition/
It's hard to keep up with kids' chapter books to know what they are reading. I love that The Good Book Company is providing Christian-themed chapter books for young readers that I can trust won't have any questionable content.
Not only that, but these books are engaging to the kids and relatable to the things they will encounter in their life. My 7 year old was very excited to read this book and really enjoyed it. I love that there are questions we can talk about together as well. We haven't gotten to that part yet, but it's great to have facilitated discussion that I can engage with my daughter and the books that she reads!
Definitely recommend!
"It was funny and when I started reading it, I wanted to keep reading. It taught me that no matter what I can always start over.
She moved to a new house and different school. Kept messing up and did wrong things but at the end she talked to her mom and told her all she had done wrong and her mom said you can always start over."
This a shortened version of my review. You can read my full review at https://www.lifeisstory.com/childrens-books/abigail-and-the-big-start-over-bethany-mcilrath-and-katie-saunders/
This is the first installment in a new chapter book series. Bethany McIlrath wrote this story from Abigail's point of view, and she represented a child's perspective and reactions to things in a convincing way. The story is cute and upbeat, while also dealing with realistic life challenges, and there is lots of humor throughout. The art from Katie Saunders also enriches the story, since there are lots of expressive illustrations throughout the book.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this, since Christian children's novels can be really preachy, but this was great! The author incorporates Abigail's church experiences and thoughts about God into the story in a very natural way, and through this, she represents the lives of her readers. The different life situations and conflicts in the book are very realistic, and the message about grace comes across clearly through Bible teaching and Abigail’s experiences.
This book is ideal for Christian families who are looking for cute, engaging chapter books aimed towards elementary-aged girls. The story and characters are wholesome and fun, and the book teaches an important life lesson without getting too preachy. I would recommend this for kids to read independently, and for parents to read aloud to their kids. However, this will definitely appeal primarily to girls, not only because of the feminine cover design and female main character, but also because the boy characters in the story appear in a mostly negative light. Since Abigail resolves conflict with a boy from school before the end, I hope that he will become a recurring character and add some appeal for boy readers. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to future books in the series.
I received a free copy from the publisher, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Abigail and the Big Start Over by Bethany McIlrath
When I saw that the good book co was coming out with this series I was so excited to read this with my daughter. She is an avid reader and its sometimes hard to find books she will enjoy while making sure the content is appropriate.
Abigail and the Big Start Over is a sweet telling of a girl named Abigail as she starts over at a new school. I loved the character of Abigail. All the events that transpire are relatable to kids today and you see how Abigail responds in a biblical manner. I truly enjoyed this book and we are both looking forward to the next one.
Thank you to the Good Book Co. for this copy for my honest review.
📗 Abigail and the Big Start Over is a sweet book about a 9-year-old girl and how she handles the ups and downs of moving to a new home and a new school. It is fun story of how Abigail learns about Jesus' grace as she faces new adventures. It is going to be an AWESOME addition to my 9-year-old's reading curriculum this year!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is book #1 in the Abigail series targeted for girls ages 7-10, approximately.
From the back cover: Meet adventurous, creative Abigail, and discover what it means that Jesus’ grace never runs out!
👧🏻 I appreciate this series is rooted in God’s Word and feature characters who love Jesus, that have real life struggles and emotions. While being challenged, Abigail learns all about God’s grace!
👧🏻 I gave this to my 11 year old daughter. She enjoyed parts of the story but her overall thoughts were the story was too young for her. 🤷🏻♀️ I tried! I do consider her reading more advanced so keep that in mind if you have an advanced reader, this may be a bit too simplistic of a chapter book to keep them engaged.
Meet Abigail. She’s 9-years-old and loves to go on big adventures using her imagination. Her family has just made a big move, and now Abigail must start a new school and make new friends. This new adventure quickly turns into a big mess where she’ll wonder if she’s used up all of God’s grace. She’ll quickly discover that you can’t use up God’s grace- it is a free gift that we don’t deserve. “Because of who Jesus is and how much grace He gives when we sin, it’s never too late to start over again with Him.”
This is a wonderful grace-filled story perfect for ages 7 and up. I love how the story kept coming back to Peter, and that when we misunderstand grace, we miss out on the gospel and what Jesus did for us. Once Abigail understands God’s grace is never-ending, she is ready to face her new circumstances with joy and love. Chapter 18: A Good Grace Story is a chapter you’ll return to again and again to explain God’s grace in a comprehensive way that does not take anything away from the gospel. I found Abigail relatable, and I’m sure any kid that has experienced first day nerves, a big move, and anxiety over making new friends will find themselves understanding Abigail’s big start over and big mess!
*I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company in exchange for my honest review.*
