Revell and Bethany House shone for Baker Publishing Group in Booklist’s Top Ten Inspirational Fiction list from the American Library Association (ALA). Both Baker divisions were named twice on the list, which was dominated by historicals, thrillers and contemporary relationship stories.

Deadly Pursuit, the second title in Irene Hannon’s “Guardians of Justice” series, and Bathsheba, the third title in Jill Eileen Smith’s series “The Wives of King David,” were the two Revell titles selected. Lynn Austin’s Wonderland Creek and Davis Bunn and Janette Oke’s The Damascus Way were the Bethany House titles chosen for the list.

Tyndale House Publishers also had two entries on the fiction list: Jerry B. Jenkins’ The Brotherhood, a police thriller that was said to “have a strong but skillfully delivered spiritual message,” and filmmaker Randall Wallace’s The Touch, with its “powerful emotional pull.”

No evangelical publishers were named in the Top Ten Books on Religion and Spirituality, although four of the 10 titles focused on the King James Version in its 400th- anniversary year, including The Book of Books: The Radical Impact of the King James Bible 1611-2011 by Melvyn Bragg (Counterpoint) and The Shadow of a Great Rock: A Literary Appreciation of the King James Bible by Harold Bloom (Yale).

Wm. B. Eerdmans was the only evangelical publisher that made the Top 10 Religion Books for Youth list. For readers kindergarten-third grade, Images of God for Young Children by author Marie-Hélène Delval and illustrator Barbara Nascimbeni was said to have put forth “big ideas about God’s presence with simple phrases: ‘God is breath,’ ‘God is light’ and ‘God is a promise.’ ”

Published by the ALA, Booklist is a 100-year-old journal whose mission is to provide librarians with reviews that help them decide what to buy.

Click here to learn more about the awards. 

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