5 Favorite Family Chapter Books of 2022

Favorite Family Chapter Books of 2022

    We read a bunch in 2022, particularly at the beginning of the year, and these were my favorites of the ones we read or listened to together (along with my GoodReads comments):

Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose by Geoff and Janet Benge - 2 years ago, when the Covid pandemic first started, I read the George Mueller book in this series to my boys. It took us awhile to get through (I usually read it during snack time), so I had avoided the series for awhile. This year, I wanted to read through 3 of the biographies, and we started with Jim Elliot. Now my sons are 10 and 7, and we read through it much quicker. In fact, we blazed through about 6 chapters today because we wanted to finish it. I knew the ending, but didn't know many of the details. The boys were surprised by the ending, and it has prompted some good discussions. What a life! And I'm so glad the Auca/Waorani story didn't end with the end of Jim's life.

Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer by Geoff and Janet Benge - So, so good! I can't say enough about this series! They are great introductions to the amazing lives of real-life people who were faithful to God in various ways. My goal was to read three of these biographies this year. We had done Jim Elliot and Eric Liddell, and I let my boys (10 and 8) pick our next one. They opted for Nate Saint, even though we were already a bit familiar with his story from when it overlapped with Jim Elliot's. This was great to see a different perspective, though. And I loved the epilogue that tells what happened after his death.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery - So, so good! I read this aloud to my two oldest boys as we were studying the Civil Rights Movement for history. I liked how engaging and straightforward it was. Hard to beat a compelling true story from someone who experienced it. This paired nicely with “What Was the Civil Rights Movement?”

Love Does for Kids by Bob Goff - We listened to this in the van, and my 11 and 8 year old sons in particular liked it. Each chapter is a stand-alone story about Bob's crazy fun life, along with a way that it reminds him of something about Jesus.  I had read Bob Goff's Love Does for adults, and some of the stories overlapped, but it was great to hear them again. It's hard to believe what Bob Goff's life is like. I'm just a tad jealous!

Wayside School series by Louis Sachar - 

    (Sideways Stories from Wayside School) - Hearing this book read aloud by a teacher is literally the only thing I remember about 2nd grade. I've since reread it multiple times, to a class full of students and to my sons when they were younger. I decided to spread out the 30 stories over the 28 days of February. We doubled up on the last two days but otherwise read one a day, usually over a meal. My oldest boys are now 10 and 8, and my youngest are 3 and 2, and they were all into it. I love that the chapters are short and I love the zaniness of the characters and situations. My son Calvin especially loved that there was a character with his name. My oldest son has requested that we continue with the series. I think we'll listen to the next one on audio since the author is the narrator. 

    (Wayside School is Falling Down) - I loved this book as a kid (although I never made it past this one in the series), so after reading Sideways to my boys recently, we picked up the audiobook and got to listen to Louis Sachar read the second one (and actually, now we've moved on to the third. 

    (Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger) - I was glad for the audio collection because the second one's ending is resolved at the beginning of #3). So quirky and funny! Kind of like a Shel Silverstein humor. Somewhat irreverent and unconventional at times. We LOVED this book! We have been listening to #2 and #3 whenever we’re in the car. We finally finished #3 today on the way back from a camping trip. Just as wacky and silly and bad-example-behavior as the others. I feel like I KNOW these characters. And my son Calvin perks up whenever he hears his name. I’m so glad to know there’s a fourth in the series now! 

    (Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom) - We love Wayside! I’ve always been a fan (since having a second grade teacher read aloud Sideways), and I reread the first one to my boys earlier this year. And now we’ve listened to the next three. My oldest son in particular has an appreciation for the humor. The author’s note and the spelling bee chapter, among others, made me laugh out loud! Whummpf! I love hearing the audio from the author. I’m so glad he decided to write another book, all these years later (written 25 years after #3)!