I realized that most of the books I’ve been reading lately
have been for reviews rather than my own pleasure. So to take a break, I’m
going to review a few of my favorites. Books that have stayed with me years
after reading them starting with in Robin Jones Gunn’s interlinking series
starting with the Christy Miller series. Ms. Gunn announced this year that she
would be publishing a new Christy series. I am super excited to read these news
books. I started thinking about her entire series and how they interlink and
how they have influenced my growth as a Christian through high school, college
and even in my marriage.
The Christy Miller series starts with a 15 year old Christy
who is visiting her aunt and uncle in Newport Beach, California. She soon
learns that she and her family will be moving from their dairy farm in
Wisconsin to Escondido, California. The series of 12 books follow Christy as
she navigates situations that many teenagers will face: popularity, standing up
for your faith and what you believe in, dating, drugs, alcohol, graduation and
becoming an adult. These books are available individually as well as in volumes
with 4 books each. The titles are: 1) Summer
Promise, 2) A Whisper and a Wish,
3) Yours Forever, 4) Surprise Endings, 5) Island Dreamer, 6) A Heart Full of Hope, 7) True
Friends, 8) Starry Night, 9) Seventeen Wishes, 10) A Time to Cherish, 11) Sweet Dreams and 12) A Promise is Forever.
Quickly following the Christy Miller series is the Sierra
Jensen series. Sierra is a young girl who the reader is introduced to in A Promise is Forever of the Christy
Miller series. Sierra movers to Portland, Oregon with her family. She must
learn a new city, make new friends while juggling school, a new job and the
responsibilities of home. The titles are: 1) Only You, Sierra, 2) In Your
Dreams, 3) Don’t You Wish, 4) Close Your Eyes, 5) Without a Doubt, 6) With This
Ring, 7) Open Your Heart, 8) Time Will Tell, 9) Now Picture This, 10) Hold on
Tight, 11) Closer Than Ever, and
12) Take My Hand.
The Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen stories are continued
in the Christy and Todd: The College Years series. Christy is on a path of
growth after high school and into adulthood. She steps outside her comfort
zone. The series features all the beloved characters from the Christy Miller
and Sierra Jensen series as they attend a Southern California university. The
titles are: 1) Until Tomorrow, 2) As You Wish, and 3) I Promise.
The Katie Weldon series features Christy Miller’s best
friend, Katie, as she figures out her own path as her best friend begins her
life as a married woman. Will Katie find the man that God wants her to marry?
Will she ever find her purpose in life? The titles are: 1) Peculiar Treasures, 2) On a
Whim, 3) Coming Attractions, and
4) Finally and Forever.
I highly recommend these series as well as Robin Jones
Gunn’s other titles. Even though these books are written, first, for teenage
girls, I believe that many women benefit from the lessons that Christy, Sierra,
and Katie must learn. The life lessons can be applied to any young girl or
woman’s life. Two of my aunts happened to give me one book of the Christy Miller series
and I was hooked and these books have influenced me that the lessons have
stayed with me. I look forward to passing these books onto my daughter. You
never know how one simple gift of a book can influence the life of a young
woman.
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