When Dr. Nicolas Wolterstorff talks about grief, people listen. They should.Wolterstorff has voiced illuminating insights about grief since the 1983 climbing accident that claimed the life of his 25-year-old son Eric. Many have read his 1987 Lament for a Son, which Wolterstorff calls his articulatio
Fresh from the imagination of Tyler Perry comes a sweet, modern retelling of the Book of Ruth in Ruth and Boaz.In this first faith-based film produced by Perry in partnership with Devon Franklin, we meet Ruth (Serayah McNeill) as a rising R&B singer who is uncomfortable with the sexualized costumes
The musical series A Week Away follows youth at a Christian summer camp called Camp Aweegaway. It’s based on the popular 2021 Netflix film of the same name. The camp offers its share of unique characters: Max (Antonio Cipriano), a foster kid who is a camp project; Lennie, a bubbly believer who devel
In this fascinating picture book filled with energetic illustrations, children are introduced to a fictional dog named Tucker, whose story is based on the lives and true adventures of two conservation dogs—Pepin and Wicket.In an author note, Carol Foote explains what conservation dogs do: “Conservat
When First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament was published in August 2021, it was welcomed beyond the expectations of the consulting editors by Indigenous Peoples of North America and some in the majority culture. In response to that positive feedback, the First N
Note: The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This interview by Kathryn Post was published Oct. 16, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style.Pastor Philip Thornton strode onto the platform of his Legacy Faith Church in Susquehan
In Hosea, one of the prophetic books in the Old Testament, God does not just ask the prophet Hosea to preach, but he asks him to embark on a difficult life (“Marry a promiscuous woman”) in order to paint a picture of God’s relationship with his people Israel in the years before the Assyrian captivit
ScattergoodBy H. M. BouwmanReviewed by Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaIt’s 1941, Iowa, and young teen Peggy grapples with the fact that the doctor has given her cousin Delia six months to live, so she sets out to try to fix what seems to be an unsolvable problem. At the same time she meets 16-year-old Gunt
In this aesthetically-pleasing, 30-day morning and evening devotional targeting a female readership, author Kara Stout highlights God’s power to calm his children’s fears in all circumstances.Stout relates how friends and family often told her she was so strong as she faced adverse circumstances—rec
When a double-decker Scottish bus rolled past wearing an ad for The Thursday Murder Club, I knew it was a sign. Netflix’s two-hour crime comedy had gotten an incredible buzz, and I needed to see it. If I was a bit disappointed, the movie was still worth it. Who’d miss a cast, after all, that include
In this chapter book, suitable for middle school readers, teens, and adults, author Katy Morgan melds the biblical story about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz with historically relevant facts and fictional narrative.Morgan helps readers delve into Ruth’s questions, emotions, and experiences as she first encou
This new book about trauma and trauma recovery by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is both practical and very challenging. Not many people like to admit to trauma in their lives, but if we’re honest, we’ve all struggled at some points. We’ve all wrestled as a result of events that have happened to us; we’ve
Filipina author Mabi David, a sustainable farmer and plant-based cook, hopes her book will encourage children (and their parents or caregivers) to be curious about fruits and vegetables and to discover new ways to include them in their diet. David’s poetic narrative and illustrator Yas Doctor’s brig
I find a mystery set on a boat irresistible. Even with a “locked room” mystery, contained to a mansion or a hotel, there are ways to run away. There is no place to go but overboard when you’re confined to a yacht in the middle of the sea. It’s inescapable, which ratchets up the tension.The Woman in
In this middle-grade prequel novel, author Patricia Santana revisits the life of Yolanda Sahagun—now 12 years old and called Yoli by her friends and family. Readers of Santana’s young adult and adult fiction will have encountered Yolanda in Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility and Ghosts of El
For anyone who loves home restoration shows on HGTV and thumbing through glossy home magazines for inspiration, Restored takes the concept of a home makeover to the next level with the author’s deep soul restoration detailed alongside the renovations of her old Texas farmhouse.Photographer and portr
The Wind Knows My NameBy Isabel AllendeIsabel Allende never disappoints. The Chilean writer, now 83, applies a masterful touch to this novel, which braids two immigrant stories: a Jewish boy escaping Nazi-occupied Austria and a mother and daughter fleeing El Salvador in modern times.Vienna, 1938: Sa
Twelve-year-old Lucretia Sanderson prizes the fact that her parents named her after Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), a Quaker feminist and abolitionist whose contributions to racial and gender justice were mostly ignored by historians.Young Lucretia’s father, a history professor with an ardent desire to b
Out of My Mind is a heartwarming coming-of-age story that will also break your heart. Based on a novel by Sharon M. Draper, this fictional drama first premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2024 and, due to its enthusiastic reception, was released that same year on Disney+.Melody Brooks (played by Ph
This award-winning guidebook is a collaborative effort shared by two people who started out as colleagues and came away as friends. When Jason Epps came to Paul Pettit with a serious question concerning how people viewed him as a person with a disability, Pettit tried to give Epps an honest and equa