Growing up, I struggled to read and did not have access to many books. Ironically, for a short time, my mom worked at a public library. When I was about 9, she brought me with her, and I signed up for the library’s reading program to win prizes by reading books. I chose a story by Beatrix Potter — probably because it was short but also because I loved animals and wished they could talk.

My mom said the book didn’t count. Beatrix Potter was for younger children. I should read something for my age group.

For the past few decades, I have dedicated myself to books, mostly for children. Reading them. Learning how to write them. And more recently, reading them with other people’s children. Perhaps more than any other form of media, books open minds and shape our thinking. They help us understand the world, connect us with people from different backgrounds and enable us to travel through time and space, all without leaving our living rooms.

Books also introduce us to other world views. As someone whose life has been transformed by the life and words of Jesus, I value thoughtful books that honestly portray real-life struggles through a lens of faith — concerns about the environment, racial and economic justice, grief and loss. Yet most Christian children’s books I encounter — particularly for middle-grade readers — are either fantasy or written about characters and themes that are so familiar they border on being banal.

As someone who still wishes that animals could talk, I have nothing against fantasy. And I’ve enjoyed my share of predictable books with happy-ever-after endings. But as the children’s marketplace has rapidly expanded to include high-caliber writing from authors from all backgrounds and points of view, Christian publishers need to catch up. Which is why I gratefully read an early review copy of Linda MacKillop’s debut middle grade novel, “Hotel Oscar Mike Echo” (B&H Publishing, 2023), in which 11-year-old Sierra wrestles with a promise she believes she heard from God, “Sierra, you’re gonna live in a real nice home someday with a stove where all the burners turn on and the bathroom always has hot water … ”

But Sierra’s mom, a military veteran with PTSD, struggles with addiction and providing a safe home for herself and her daughter. Into their lives step Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin, who run the Koinonia Home, a Richmond, Virginia, center that helps people who are struggling with homelessness rebuild their lives. However, at school, Sierra tries to hide her family’s circumstances while questioning whether she’ll ever find a home where she truly belongs.

MacKillop’s well-written story — which she initially considered “too gritty” for the Christian market — offers young readers a realistic glimpse into the lives of families affected by war, trauma and homelessness, while also offering hope. As the daughter of a single mom who struggled to raise two children while overcoming her own trauma, I hope more Christian publishers will risk producing realistic middle-grade fiction like MacKillop’s novel, which tells the truth about life’s difficulties. And I hope that more general-market publishers will make room for stories that affirm children’s faith.

Regardless of their age, interest or ability, all readers deserve access to high-caliber books that honestly portray the critical issues facing young people today while also giving them a reason to hope.

Author and educator Meadow Rue Merrill writes from a little house in the big woods of Midcoast Maine. Her award-winning memoir, “Redeeming Ruth,” tells the story of finding hope following a child’s loss, and her Lantern Hill Farm picture books celebrate the holidays with activities that build children’s faith. Connect at meadowrue.com.