October 2026 Book Club Recommendations
Book for Children Ages 8-12
The Yellow House Mystery, Book 3 of the Boxcar Children
Gertrude Chandler Warner
What starts as a simple summer exploration of a mysterious house leads the Alden children on a full-fledged adventure as they look for Bill McGregor, a man who mysteriously disappeared forty years ago. The children don't know exactly where he went, or even if he is still alive, but they are determined to discover the truth about what happened to Mr. McGregor.
Questions Just for Fun
If you were one of the Alden children, would you have been more excited about seeing the moose or the bear on your adventure?
What would you have done to try to get the hermit to talk to you?
Questions to Think Critically and Biblically
In the book, the children learn that Mr. McGregor ran away because he lost $4,000 that belonged to Mr. Alden. As humans, can we ever truly run away from our sin?
Discussion Guide - Read Psalm 139:7-12. Discuss how there is nowhere we can go that God is not already there. Then discuss how the proper response to sin is not to run but to confess and repent.
Both Mr. McGregor and Mrs. McGregor falsely believed the other one had died. However, Mr. McGregor seems to be much older and frailer than Mrs. McGregor when he returns. What decisions in Mr. McGregor’s life led to this?
Discussion Guide - Discuss how Mr. McGregor hid himself away and would not interact with anyone, while Mrs. McGregor kept caring for the Aldens and interacting with others. According to the biblical worldview, God designed us in His image. Because God, in and of Himself, is relational, we are relational too. We need others (Genesis 1:27). Also, Mr. McGregor hid his sin instead of confessing and repenting. When we do this, we waste away (Psalm 32:1-5).
How do we see Mr. Alden extend grace to Mr. McGregor?
Discussion Guide - Discuss how Mr. Alden forgives Mr. McGregor and lets him live in the yellow house and care for the horses again.
Book for Children Ages 4-7
Nate the Great
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
When Annie’s painting of her dog Fang goes missing, she worries it is lost forever. Lucky for her, her good friend Nate just happens to be a world-class detective! Nate and Annie set out to explore the clues to figure out what happened to her painting.
Questions Just for Fun
Have you ever solved a mystery before? If so, what mystery did you solve?
Questions to Think Critically and Biblically
Nate the Great enjoys solving mysteries. Why can humans solve mysteries but animals cannot?
Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 1:27. Discuss how only humans are created in God’s image. This means we can think in a way that lets us pull together clues and solve mysteries.
At first, Nate thinks that Fang may have buried Annie’s painting because Fang didn’t think it was a good painting of him. Could this have been a possible explanation?
Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 1:24-25. Discuss how God designed dogs to dig and bury items. However, only humans are created in God’s image. So only humans can think they don’t like a picture of themselves and want to hide it.
Bonus Question - If you have taken your child through Foundation Biblical Worldview Curriculum, ask, “How does Nate’s looking for clues show that he was trying to figure out the truth?”
Discussion Guide - Review the definition of truth covered in Unit 1, Lesson 1. Discuss how Nate was trying to figure out what really happened. Read the Scripture passages covered and play the games to solidify the definition of truth.
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