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Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe

It's Time to Be a Hero… Right?

By Bethany McIlrath, illustrated by Katie Saunders
from 7 reviews

Fun, absorbing novel that helps kids aged 7+ to engage with the Bible as they learn that it’s only through Jesus that we can please God.

Part of the Abigail series.

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Description

It's nearly Career Day, and 9-year-old Abigail is trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. She wants to do something that will make God and everyone else proud, so she decides she will be a missionary police officer—a job that she thinks means behaving perfectly and making sure everyone else does too! 

But all her efforts seem to backfire. After some helpful Bible teaching from her loved ones about the story of Paul's conversion, Abigail rethinks what it means to make God proud and to "be good"!

This fun, relatable story will help kids to realize that it’s only through Jesus that we can please God. And with the Holy Spirit’s help, they can become more like Jesus and do good works with him.

The Abigail books are a fiction series designed for children 7 years+. They follow the adventures of 9-year-old Abigail as she figures out what faith means for her everyday life. Young readers are inspired to read the Bible, talk to God, and apply what they believe to their own lives.

Includes book club kit with questions for discussion. Can be used in homeschool groups or kids' book clubs.

Visit the Abigail series website for free downloads, worksheets from the book, games and more!


Product details

Contents

    1. Officer Dave
    2. An Adventure
    3. A Hero
    4. The Yellow Bucket
    5. A Bad Guy
    6. Extra Good
    7. No Fun Allowed
    8. Walking Feet
    9. Pedro in Peril
    10. I Am the Police
    11. All Cleaned Up
    12. Being Like Jesus
    13. Sticky
    14. A Faucet to Fix
    15. The Bible in the Toolbox
    16. Good Work
    17. Career-Day Cake
    18. Filling and Spilling
    19. The Big Day
    20. Glued!
    21. Flying, Baking Missionary Police-Officer Hero


    A Note from the Author

    A Sneak Peek

    Book-Club Questions

Free extras

Specification

Age range: 7+
Contributors Bethany McIlrath, Katie Saunders
ISBN 9781802540987
Format Paperback
First published October 2024
Dimensions 5.1" x 7.8" x 0.6"
Weight 8.71 oz
Language English
Pages 224
Publisher The Good Book Company
Endorsements

Laura Wifler

Cofounder, Risen Motherhood

Bethany has created a delightful series that helps young readers connect their faith with their everyday life. Abigail’s adventures are fun and relatable, delivering valuable lessons for all kids and making this series a great one to add to your bookshelf.


Caroline Saunders

Author, The Story of Water and The Story of Home

Bethany McIlrath truly understands how to construct an easy-to-connect-with narrative around a gospel-rich passage! Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe is a charming, relatable, and engaging story. Fourth-grade Abigail works hard to be good, experiences crushing disappointment when her efforts fall flat, and delights in the good news of Jesus. Kids who read about Abigail will be entertained, feel understood, and, most spectacularly, come away better equipped to press God’s good news into their everyday lives.


Amanda Cleary Eastep

Author, Tree Street Kids series

The second in a new series by Bethany McIlrath, Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe finds Abigail navigating a big career day project at school. As she dreams about what she might be when she grows up, she comes to understand that a person’s job isn’t to be perfect, because that is a job only Jesus can do! Readers will learn, along with Abigail, that God gives good gifts to each of us to do good works—but that the greatest gift is his saving grace.


Customer reviews


Nov. 9, 2024

“Sweet Book that Teaches a Reliance on God”

This series is a lovely addition to the Good Book Company’s catalogue, telling a very sweet story and gently sharing the gospel too. There are regular comic book-style illustrations, plus some discussion questions too that you could use if reading it as a family or a church group. The story is paced well, and really easy to read for an older child. A great gift!


Nov. 3, 2024

“A girly series even parents would love!”

I am so happy to have come across this series! It holds similarities in style and characters to series like Beverly Clearly’s “Ramona”, but with wholesome and biblical teaching as its foundation.

Abby is an elementary-aged girl who is struggling with things will be relatable to young girl readers: being good enough, being liked, getting it right, being perfect for God.
But the way the book portrays her learning and growing is unique and what I want modeled to my own girls - it’s through everyday discipleship conversations with her mom, dad, and grandpa as they look at what scripture teaches.
Instead of the popular societal message to girls (“You’re perfect just as you are! You’re amazing!”), Abby learns the truth of her failings. But she doesn’t stop there. She goes on to discover that she isn’t perfect, but that Christ is. And He offers His righteousness as a free gift that spills out of us when we accept it and allow Him to live in us.

I read this aloud to my young daughter and it was a joy to learn alongside Abigail. As a parent, I appreciate the multiple opportunities for discipleship conversations that sprang from our time reading the book. My daughter instantly connected to Abby and kept asking me to “read another chapter”!
I highly recommend this series if you have girls aged 6-11.

Thank you to The Good BookClub Co for the complimentary book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Oct. 31, 2024

“Cute and Engaging”

This book is the second in a series about Abigail, a creative nine-year-old who grows and learns through her experiences at school, at home, and at church. Bethany McIlrath writes from a child's perspective in a very convincing way, and the illustrations from Katie Saunders are cute and add extra energy throughout the book. Someone can jump straight into this book without having read the first, because the author weaves in all of the background information that you need to know. Still, people who have already read the first book will get the most out of this, seeing how the author builds on the original story with similar themes and more character development. We learn more about Abigail and some of her family members and classmates, and also meet some new characters.

This story involves Abigail preparing for a career day at school, trying to decide between multiple different careers and picking a combination of ideas that she thinks will impress other people and make God proud of her. Through a variety of mishaps, she learns that she can't please God through her own efforts, and can't be perfect all the time. She learns more about grace through the story of Paul from the Bible, and through conversations with her parents. Personally, I found the number of mishaps overwhelming, and some kids will feel stressed about how many things go wrong, and how much worse Abigail makes them through her misguided plans.

This series is a great fit for Christian families who are looking for engaging stories that teach life lessons in a natural way, and the book includes discussion questions for book clubs and an advertisement for free tie-in activities on the publisher's website. Although I didn't like this story as much as the first one, this is another solid entry in the series, and I look forward to Abigail's future adventures.

I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.


Oct. 28, 2024

“Excellent!”

This book was a hit with my 8 year old daughter! She related to Abigail and I was so happy for her to read a book on her level that affirmed the values we teach in our home. Abigail learns that God's love is ultimate and that's the greatest lesson!


Oct. 28, 2024

“We can't be good enough for God on our own!”

Abigail “knew that when she grew up, she wanted to do something good for God.” Something that would make God and her parents proud of her! A flying missionary police officer hero! Surely that would make God say, “good job.”

While Abigail tries to play hero with her school mates and brother, she thinks she is pleasing God by “being good,” but, "Sometimes people think they’re doing something good for God and get it wrong.”

I love how Abigail discovers what it means to be “good” by learning about Paul. “He was a guy who met Jesus,” explains Abigail’s dad. And that’s what changes everything. Abigail realizes she needs forgiveness and that she needs to be more like Jesus to be a real hero.

The author does such a wonderful job explaining grace and good works in Chapters 15 and 16. I recommend spending some time in these chapters, as kids will be able to grasp a difficult topic quite easily. There are also great lessons on wisdom, prayer, and the Spirit.

This series, geared toward ages 7+, but also a great read aloud for younger kids, is entertaining and edifying. Kids will find a relatable story saturated with gospel truths. I got my nine-year-old niece hooked on Abigail, and here is what she had to say: “I loved it. It was even better than the first one. I like the part where she learns about Paul, Saul, and Jesus. I liked that she added new characters, like Mia, but that we also learned more about characters from the first one, like grandpa.” My niece and I highly recommend adding this series to your home libraries, and we can’t wait for the next one!

*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*


Oct. 21, 2024

“Wonderful!”

This series has quickly become a favourite in our home! With great character development, and an emphasis on strong biblical morals, I was thrilled to have books my children can enjoy.


Oct. 3, 2024

“It’s a hit in our home!”

Our Abigail was thrilled to read Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe by Bethany Mcilrath—she loved that the main character shares her name! This chapter book follows Abigail, a relatable and fun-loving girl, as she navigates a hilarious and slightly chaotic Career Day at school. The story is filled with humor, heart, and important lessons about trusting God through the ups and downs of life.

As a mom, I love that it’s a Christian chapter book that not only entertains but also reinforces values I want my daughter to learn. I don’t have to worry about inappropriate content, and the faith-based themes are woven in naturally. It’s the perfect balance of fun and meaningful. Abigail has already asked if there are more books like this—definitely a hit in our home!

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Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe | Bethany McIlrath, Katie Saunders |
$12.99 $11.04