Today I'm sharing the story of my set of 40 Left Behind: The Kids books. Yes, there really are 40 books in this series!
I first read this series in 2005 when I was teaching full-time at a middle school in addition to taking graduate courses to complete my master's degree. I had previously read the adult Left Behind series, and I always tried to read some of what my students were reading, so I checked out Book 1 from the school library and was immediately hooked.
Each book is only about 140 pages long, however it took me the entire school year to read the full series due to my teaching duties, college coursework, and the fact that there was a waiting list for every book! As a teacher, I was always added to the top of the waiting list, so I usually only had to wait for one student to finish the book before I was able to check it out. But I tried to be careful to only check it out once I knew I had time to read it. It was very common for a student to see a book lying on my desk and ask, "Mrs. Gross, are you almost done with that book? I'm waiting for it!" I certainly didn't want to discourage my students in their reading!
After completing the series, I knew I wanted to own these books, so I started picking them up at used books stores and garage sales whenever I could. Over the past several years, I'd collected all but two books - those two books were near the end of the series and must not have had a large production run because they were very difficult to find. We'd seen a few used copies for sale at ridiculously high prices, but Robbie's kept his eye out and finally found them at a decent price several weeks ago. Seeing these books all lined up on the shelf reminds me of the fun we have searching for books and of our love of reading!
Of course, I couldn't wait to read them through again without having to stop and wait for the next book or grade a batch of research papers or study for an exam! This series follows four teenagers and their adventures after they are left behind when the Lord raptures His church. These teens quickly realize that they were left behind because they had not accepted Christ as their Savior. As new Christians, they ban together to face the seven year tribulation period that is described in the book of Revelation. I highly recommend these books for tweens and early teens (as well as adults who enjoy reading children's/young adult books) and the adult Left Behind series for those of you who enjoy Christian fiction and adventure stories.
I hope you've enjoyed my story of these 40 books - don't forget to check out more stories here!
And do to they look beautiful en masse like this? A piece of sculpture too. Glad they have given you such pleasure.
ReplyDeleteWhat a colorful collection they make! It makes me think of a childhood friend who owned all the Nancy Drew mysteries. I borrowed them one at a time to read the whole series, but never owned any of them.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteHow lucky to have completed your collection. I'd never heard of these, so thanks for telling us about them.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who loves the adult version, wonder if she knows there is a children's series too? I do like seeing a series all lined up like that. Such a feeling of satisfaction!
ReplyDeleteThey look great all together, I know the fun of trying to track down a series of books without paying too much :)
ReplyDeleteCompleting your set must have felt so satisfying. I love not only that you enjoyed each and every one so much, but that they bring back great memories of a stage in your teaching career and lots of thoughts about encouraging good reading habits too!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you could read 40 books in a school year!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these books before but can understand why you love them.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely set of books! They do look so nice all lined up. Your story reminds me that I tried to find a set of books I read in my youth. The production must have been limited because they are pretty pricy. Maybe someday I'll get lucky and find them all in a used book store too. You've given me hope. :)
ReplyDeleteThis collection looks great and is obviously very meaningful to you. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI could feel the excitement as you wrote this precious story, the words just tumbled onto the page. I must find these too!!
ReplyDeleteI love your collection of books. I have a set from my childhood of biographies. They came to me monthly in a book club. My mother told me that as long as I read them, she would continue to buy them. I'm so grateful to have them---but my own girls never were really interested in them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful collection x
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these books.
What a colorful collection they make! Must look wonderful all lined up on the shelf.
ReplyDeleteI too have never heard of this series of books but they do look magnificent all lined up together.
ReplyDeleteThat is one long series, I bet it was fund to hunt them down. I know that there have been several Left Behind movies too - do you have those.
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