Inspiring true stories of kids from around the world of kids who have overcome obstacles to create success for themselves. The third installment in the Real Kids, Real Stories collection again travels the world with inspirational short stories of young people who overcame adversity and persevered in the face of extreme challenges. Soosan Firooz broke barriers to become Afghanistan’s first female rapper and speaks out about the oppression and hardships women in her country must overcome. David Omondi in Kenya built his own radio station despite a lack of resources. And Kevin Breel speaks out about his own depression to help save lives. The thirty short stories in Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Challenges will inspire readers to believe in themselves, strive for success, overcome obstacles, and create change in the world—even when faced with a challenge. Note: Several stories in this book address intense and serious situations, which some readers may find unsettling.

Inspiring true stories of kids from around the world of kids who have overcome obstacles to create success for themselves. The third installment in the Real Kids, Real Stories collection again travels the world with inspirational short stories of young people who overcame adversity and persevered in the face of extreme challenges. Soosan Firooz broke barriers to become Afghanistan’s first female rapper and speaks out about the oppression and hardships women in her country must overcome. David Omondi in Kenya built his own radio station despite a lack of resources. And Kevin Breel speaks out about his own depression to help save lives. The thirty short stories in Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Challenges will inspire readers to believe in themselves, strive for success, overcome obstacles, and create change in the world—even when faced with a challenge. Note: Several stories in this book address intense and serious situations, which some readers may find unsettling.

Eleven-year-old Tilly saved lives in Thailand by warning people that a tsunami was coming. Fifteen-year-old Malika fought against segregation in her Alabama town. Ten-year-old Jean-Dominic won a battle against pesticides—and the cancer they caused in his body. Six-year-old Ryan raised $800,000 to drill water wells in Africa. And twelve-year-old Haruka invented a new environmentally friendly way to scoop dog poop. With the right role models, any child can be a hero. Thirty true stories profile kids who used their heads, their hearts, their courage, and sometimes their stubbornness to help others and do extraordinary things. As young readers meet these boys and girls from around the world, they may wonder, “What kind of hero lives inside of me?”

In a culture that has lost touch with love, compassion, and meaning, how can parents be intentional about building a spiritual foundation for their children’s development? In looking to their own upbringing for guidance, parents often feel even more at a loss—they don’t want to make the same mistakes their parents did, so they either become too strict, or they take a completely hands-off approach. A pastor, a teacher, and a mother, Karen Marie Yust offers a refreshing array of resources and provisions to guide and sustain parents and children on thier mutual journey. Drawn from a three-year study of children’s spirituality, as well as the best in theological tradition and literature, Real Kids, Real Faith provides insight and a variety of helpful tips for nurturing children’s spiritual and religious formation. Yust challenges the prevailing notion that children are unable to grasp religious concepts and encourages parents to recognize children as capable of authentic faith.

A follow-up to the popular Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change, this inspiring sequel spans the globe again with true accounts of ordinary kids showing extraordinary character. Thirty short inspirational stories are divided into six character traits (courage, creativity, kindness, persistence, resilience, and responsibility), and feature kids facing adversity from bullying in an American middle school to surviving persecution in the war-torn streets of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Readers will see how every choice they make is a chance to build character and show the world who they really are. Available online: Free Leader’s Guide at freespirit.com/leader

The extraordinary true story of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to integrate a New Orleans school -- now with simple text for young readers! In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked through an angry crowd and into a school, changing history. This is the true story of an extraordinary little girl who became the first Black person to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. With simple text and historical photographs, this easy reader explores an amazing moment in history and celebrates the courage of a young girl who stayed strong in the face of racism.