Left Behind Kids: Taken and Pursued

Taken and Pursued are the first 2 compiled books of the hardcover edition of the Left Behind kids series. I noticed the 40 kids books on my bookshelf the other day and a desire to read them again. But instead of speeding through a 100-150 page book constantly, I decided to pull off my hardcover copies of the same books. So I have now begun re-reading the entire series. Each hardcover book compiles 3 or 4 of the original books into 1. And now those same 40 books can be bought and read in 12.

..

Taken, the first in this series, covers books 1-4: The Vanishings, Second Chance, Through the Flames, and Facing the Future. Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and Ryan stumble upon one another in the most chaotic moment in history, the disappearance of God's people from this earth, which includes many members of their families. With the help of Bruce Barnes, the kids discover the truth and begin to study God's Word for the first time. But these new Christians are facing some of the hardest moments of their life as well. Not only did the disappearances stir up chaos, but they also have living arrangements to deal with as well as the deaths of those left behind.

..

Pursued continues the story by including books 5-8: Nicolae High, The Underground, Busted, and Death Strike. They get a handle on their faith, and they take a big chance. With the help of some new friends, they head back to school and distribute an "underground" newspaper. With this paper, they spread the truth to their classmates. But as a result, they all face some major consequences. And as you can tell by book 8's title, death once again strikes. And this time, the kids lose someone very close that will change their future in ways that they could have never imagined.

..

I am currently on the next book, but I will stop right here. I know people have mixed feelings on this series. And I know that you may not particularly care for these books. But for me, these books are my childhood. I began reading these books 11 years ago, and that is hard to believe! In 1998 I read the first 2 books in this series, and I was hooked. I connected so well with the kids because a couple of them were right around my age. And then I grew up with them in the years that followed. It has been great to go back and re-read a series that has meant so much to me in the past.

..

If you are an adult reading this post, I would not necessarily recommend these books to you. I would encourage you to read the adult series if you are interested. But you may have children in 4th grade or higher. If so, this could be a great series for them to read. And if you never could get them to read before, this may be a help. Each book is small enough to give them a goal to reach. And yet there is enough action to keep anyone interested, wondering what will happen next. I love this series, and have enjoyed looking back on it these past few days.

..

Matt