Fiction from Bob Jones University Press
Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World
ISBN: 978-0-89084-751-0
Publisher: BJU Press, 1994
Length: 186 pp./ages 9-12
Amy is determined to be a good missionary when her family moves to Taiwan. But the neighbor girls laugh at her, and Sunday services at the Chinese church become an ordeal. It seems that the only place she feels comfortable is at the English- speaking school with her “peanut butter friends.”
This book practically wrote itself because it was my life on a kids level. I took an American girl and thrust her onto the mission field in Taiwan and let nature take its course. The issues Amy faces are real issues MK’s face every day. I saw many of these things happen in the lives of kids I knew in Taiwan. My own daughters, however, grew up in Taiwan and didn’t have to make many of these adjustments.
Since this book first came out in 1994 I keep seeing it pop up in the most unusual places. I’ve met adults who read it as a child and are now serving the Lord on their own. It is now it its sixth edition and has been printed with three different covers.
The Lord has used this simple book to teach kids about missions and even prepare kids for the mission field. Here are some organizations who use it to teach cultural issues. Ethnic Harvest (ethnicharvest.com), GO International (missionarycare.com), World Missions Bookstore (missionequip.com), and Association of Christian Schools International (asci.org).
Bob Jones University Press uses it as a companion novel to their third grade Bible Truths curriculum.
Though written specifically about Taiwan, it can help the reader understand cultural adjustments that need to be made in other countries too.
Written for readers aged 9-12.
Click here to read the first chapter of Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World:
Two Sides to Everything
ISBN: 978-1-59166-166-5
Publisher: BJU Press, 2004
Length: 160 pp./ages 9-12
While his mother recuperates from an accident that has left her partially paralyzed, Josh leaves Denver and goes to stay at his Uncle Hamish’s New Zealand sheep farm, where his faith in God is strengthened as he faces new challenges.
Writing this book taught me a lot about raising sheep. Uncle Hamish became a real person to me. I lived with him in my mind for several years before his character developed into this book. The visual picture I had of him in my mind was one of a friend of ours. The artist patterned the pictures of Uncle Hamish after Ken Thompson.
Written for readers aged 9-12, it could easily work for someone who is slightly older.
Click here to read the first chapter of Two Sides to Everything:
Moose
ISBN: 978-1-59166-722-3
Publisher: BJU Press, 2007
Length: 140 pp./young adult
Moose is a miracle-a huge, clumsy, honest miracle. But living with a miracle can take a lot of patience, especially when Moose still struggles with smoking and controlling his language. Cody wonders if the other Christians at Moose Peak Bible Camp can love Moose enough to give him a chance.
When a totally obnoxious person becomes a Christian he suddenly changes into a loveable sweetheart with no problems, right? Not Moose. This light-hearted book shows the value of friendship to a new believer.
I had a lot of fun writing this book. Cody and Moose helped me have compassion for the “Moose” in my own ministry. I started writing this book as a sequel to Two Sides to Everything but my editor persuaded me to put it in its own unique setting. So don’t be surprised if Moose seems a bit like Neville in Two Sides to Everything.
Written for teens.
Click here to read the first chapter of Moose:
Leave a comment about my fiction books.
Hi Deb! Your note arrived at a moment when my brain needed a short break. As soon as I saw your name, I recognized it as the name of a fellow writer, although I couldn’t decided if it was at RBP or BJUP. Your note explained why I couldn’t recall which one–it was both!
I do have a Facebook page, and you are welcome to send a friend request if you happen to get online today. I checked my twice earlier, but probably won’t find time to get back right away. I did click to join a group for Christian writers; however I suspect that not all of them are conservative. Anyway, I’m usually too busy to contact anyone from there, but have received a few friend requests from that group.
Oh, and thanks for the kind words on the web site. I dragged my feet for ages. Didn’t know how to set one up, didn’t know if it was worth the trouble, etc., etc. But finally bit the bullet and set it up via godaddy.com. Now I just tweak it from time to time.
Okay, my break time is over. Back to work for me!
Blessings to you!
Rick Barry
I just posted a review of your book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Christianbook.com. I will be posting a longer review on my blog.
Thanks so much for doing this! I found your reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but not on CBD or you own website. If you are interested may I recommend Careful Enough? by Dillon Forbes at BJUP. It is a realistic look at one kind of ministry in China.