Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe

Caroline Saunders

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

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.

“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!

“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.

“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.

“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!

“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.*

“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.