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Home > Bibliographies > Minibibliographies > Christy Award Winners
Content last modified March 2012
In 1999 a group of Christian publishers decided to establish an award to celebrate excellence in fiction written from a Christian worldview. The award was named in honor of Catherine Marshall’s novel Christy (DB/RC 39327, BR 15428), which the magazine Christianity Today named as one of the top fifty books that have shaped Evangelicals.
According to the Christy Award website, one purpose of the award is to "bring a new awareness of the breadth and depth of fiction choices available, helping to broaden the readership." To this end the Christy is awarded for first novels and a variety of genres. Under contemporary fiction there are categories for romance and novels that are either stand-alone or part of a series. There are also categories for historical fiction, historical romance, visionary fiction, suspense, and young adult novels.
Publishers are invited to submit works of full-length fiction with content that is consistent with a Christian worldview. The judges—who include reviewers, librarians, professors, and readers—evaluate each book on a series of criteria. Among the standards are characterization, plot, theme, point of view, writing quality, passion, and orthodoxy.
This minibibliography lists Christy Award-winning books in alphabetical order, first by author, then by title. Titles are available in braille and/or audiobook formats. Recorded titles are available on cassette, cartridge, and/or on the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD), https://nlsbard.loc.gov, which allows registered patrons to download digital talking books and audio magazines. Patrons who wish to use BARD must have a blank cartridge, a USB cord, a digital player, a computer, and a high-speed Internet connection. Some digital titles may be available only for download. Braille titles are available to registered patrons on NLS Web-Braille at www.loc.gov/nls/braille.
Hideaway
by Hannah Alexander
On forced leave and facing a lawsuit after her sister’s death, Dr. Cheyenne Allison retreats to the Ozark village of Hideaway, where Dane Gideon runs a ranch for troubled teens. Cheyenne is drawn into a feud between Dane and the mayor, who thinks the kids are vandals. 2003.
DB 60288 (May be available only for download.)
RC 60288
From a Distance: Timber Ridge Reflections
by Tamera Alexander
Colorado Territory, 1875. Elizabeth Westbrook arrives in Timber Ridge to photograph the Rocky Mountains and restore her health. Former Confederate soldier Daniel Ranslett protects Elizabeth after one of her film exposures captures a murder. Although from different backgrounds, the two fall in love. 2008.
RC 69951
Remembered
by Tamera Alexander
Willow Springs, Colorado Territory; 1871. After her mother dies in Paris, Véronique Girard journeys to America in search of her long-lost father. She hires widower Jack Brennan to take her to mining communities in the mountains, where gradually, by the grace of God, they fall in love. 2007.
DB 66576 (May be available only for download.)
RC 66576
Candle in the Darkness
by Lynn N. Austin
1856. After her mother dies, fifteen-year-old Caroline Fletcher leaves her family’s Virginia plantation to live with relatives in Philadelphia. There she joins the antislavery movement and becomes a determined abo litionist. Caroline returns home just as her father, cousin, and fiancé go off to war. 2002.
DB 58048 (May be available only for download.)
RC 58048
Fire by Night
by Lynn N. Austin
1861. Disguised as a man, nineteen-year-old Phoebe Bigelow enlists with the Union army. Meanwhile, Philadelphia socialite Julia Hoffman joins the Christian Commission, volunteering as a nurse to help wounded soldiers. The heroic young women meet on the front lines. Sequel to Candle in the Darkness (DB/RC 58048). Some violence. 2003.
DB 58075 (May be available only for download.)
RC 58075
A Proper Pursuit
by Lynn N. Austin
Chicago, 1893. Twenty-year-old Violet Hayes leaves her hometown for her grandmother’s house with the goals of finding her long-absent mother, stopping her father’s upcoming wedding, and learning God’s purpose for her. Violet attends the World’s Fair and finally falls in love after three uninspiring marriage proposals. 2007.
RC 67039
Though Waters Roar
by Lynn N. Austin
Pennsylvania, 1900s. Harriet follows in the steps of her great-grandmother, who participated in the Underground Railroad; her grandmother, who fought for Prohibition; and her mother, who marched for the women's suffrage movement. When she is arrested for helping a poor bootlegger, Harriet asks for God’s guidance. 2009.
Until We Reach Home
by Lynn N. Austin
After their parents die, three Swedish sisters flee their unscrupulous uncle and set off to live with relatives in America. Sofia, Kirsten, and Elin endure an arduous voyage, unexpected illness, and an extended stay at Ellis Island before they head to Chicago, where hardship, hope, and romance await. 2008.
You Had Me at Good-Bye
by Tracey Victoria Bateman
Dancy is furious that her brother’s British friend Jack took the senior editor job she was in line for at Lane Publishing. Then, after standing up to an author, Dancy must take a month’s leave. While she contemplates her next career move, Dancy can’t stop thinking about Jack. 2008.
Hallie’s Heart
by Shelly Beach
After the accidental death of a niece she was babysitting, middle-aged teacher Mona VanderMolen begins a new life as an antiques dealer in rural Michigan, separated from her family. But Mona’s other niece, fifteen-year-old Hallie, runs away to join Mona—and to deal with guilt and grief. 2007.
RC 68798
Drummer in the Dark
by T. Davis Bunn
Former businessman Wynn Bryant is picked by his brother-in-law, the governor of Florida, to replace Congressman Hutchings, who was incapacitated by a stroke. Pressured to kill a Hutchings-supported legislative amendment that would relieve third-world-country debts, Bryant partners with investigator Jackie Havilland to uncover a political conspiracy. Some violence. 2001.
DB 58917 (May be available only for download.)
RC 58917
The Great Divide
by T. Davis Bunn
Attorney Marcus Glenwood retreats to North Carolina following a devastating tragedy. Alma and Austin Hall hire him to prosecute New Horizons, a multinational conglomerate, after their daughter disappears while investigating its Chinese factory. Glenwood uncovers an international web of deceit that circles back to North Carolina. 2000.
Bad Ground
by W.D. Cramer
Fulfilling his mother’s dying wish, orphaned seventeen-year-old Jeremy Prine seeks out his Uncle Aiden, a Georgia miner left emotionally and physically scarred by the same accident that killed his brother—Jeremy’s father. With help from each other and from God, they find new reason for hope. 2004.
DB 65601 (May be available only for download.)
RC 65601
Levi’s Will
by W.D. Cramer
Excommunicated by his Amish community in 1943, teen Will Mullet left home, changed his name to McGruder, and joined the army. After decades of being a discontented family man, sixty-year-old Will experiences an awkward reunion with his dying father, Levi, and regains his faith in God. 2005.
DB 62846 (May be available only for download.)
RC 62846
The Road to Home
by Vanessa Del Fabbro
White South African journalist Monica Brunetti, severely wounded during a carjacking in Soweto, is taken to an all-black hospital. Monica befriends Ella Nkhoma, the young woman in the next bed. With the help of Ella and other patients, Monica rediscovers her faith. 2005.
DB 63928 (May be available only for download.)
RC 63928
The Cure
by Athol Dickson
Alcoholic, divorced former minister Riley Keep has been living on the streets since a devastating missionary experience. Now Riley returns to his hometown of Dublin, Maine, where hordes of homeless people seek a rumored cure for addiction. But it may not be the miracle they hope for. 2007.
Plaguemaker
by Tim Downs
FBI counterterrorism agent Nathan Donovan uncovers a plot to release the bubonic plague in America. Chinese octogenarian Li and Nathan’s ex-wife Dr. Macy Monroe help Nathan seek the aging Japanese scientist who is responsible—and race to stop the ship before the bioweapons reach U.S. waters. Some violence. 2006.
DB 66362 (May be available only for download.)
RC 66362
Dogwood
by Chris Fabry
Will Hatfield returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, after twelve years in prison to find that the townspeople still hate him and that his former sweetheart Karin is already taken. Over time Will and Karin uncover the secrets of the past and find true love and forgiveness. 2008.
A Bride Most Begrudging
by Deeanne Gist
1643. Lady Constance Morrow is kidnapped, taken aboard a vessel sailing to the Virginia colony, and forced into a marriage of convenience with tobacco farmer Drew O’Connor. Educated and religious, Constance slowly learns the skills of a colonial housewife and falls in love with her husband and his family. 2005.
DB 62837 (May be available only for download.)
RC 62837
The Measure of a Lady
by Deeanne Gist
San Francisco, 1849. When twenty-year-old Rachel Van Buren’s father dies unexpectedly, the proper, religious lady is left in the Gold Rush-frenzied city to care for her siblings with no guardian or means of support. Rachel meets saloon owner Johnnie Parker, a former missionary, who lends a hand—and a heart. 2006.
DB 65110 (May be available only for download.)
RC 65110
Madman
by Tracy Groot
Greek servant Tallis discovers that the Socratic academy in Palestine has been mysteriously disbanded. One scholar was murdered, another committed suicide, and one went mad. Living in the tombs of Kursi, the madman alone may hold the answers. A tale of the biblical Gerasene demoniac. Some violence. 2006.
RC 66729
Home to Harmony
by Philip Gulley
Quaker minister Sam Gardner and his family move back to Sam’s small midwestern hometown. There Sam relives his childhood in a series of vignettes and introduces town residents including a narrow-minded church elder and Dr. Neely, who was Harmony’s only doctor for fifty years. 2002.
DB 59650 (May be available only for download.)
RC 59650
Sisterchicks in Gondolas!
by Robin Jones Gunn
Jenna and her sister-in-law Sue are in Venice to cook for a mission leader’s retreat group. The past two years have been difficult for both women, and this trip is a welcomed break. As their faith is renewed, their trust in each other makes them true Sisterchicks. 2006.
DB 63895 (May be available only for download.)
RC 63895
Arena
by Karen Hancock
Allegorical Christian tale in which artist Callie Hayes is surreptitiously transported to an alien world. Armed with only a guidebook, she must trust the enigmatic Pierce, who helps her find a path through the treacherous Arena, her only hope of escape. Violence and some descriptions of sex. 2002.
Where Mercy Flows
by Karen Harter
Washington State. Broke, unemployed, and sickly, single mom Samantha Dodd retreats with her young son to her hometown, where she hopes to make amends with her family. Samantha is depressed over past mistakes and her life-threatening heart condition, until childhood friend Donnie Duncan encourages her to fight. 2006.
RC 67741
The Guardian
by Dee Henderson
A nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court is murdered while U.S. marshal Marcus O’Malley is guarding him. Marcus gradually falls in love with the only witness, speechwriter Shari Hanford, and copes with his sister’s sickness. The O’Malleys pray that their faith will sustain them. Sequel to The Negotiator (BR 13052). 2001.
True Honor
by Dee Henderson
Darcy St. James has been retired from the CIA for two years. Following September 11, she is recalled to help track down a man who knew about events planned for that day. With a bounty on her head, Darcy relies on God and Navy SEAL Sam Houston to protect her. Sequel to True Valor (DB/RC 57765). 2002.
DB 57785 (May be available only for download.)
RC 57785
Home to Holly Springs
by Jan Karon
Nearly forty years after leaving his childhood home, retired Episcopalian priest Father Tim Kavanagh of Mitford, North Carolina, is beckoned back to Holly Springs, Mississippi. While reuniting with old friends and acquaintances, Father Tim uncovers family secrets and discovers who sent for him. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2007.
DB 65431 (May be available only for download.)
RC 65431
The Silent Governess
by Julie Klassen
England, 1815. After Olivia overhears a secret conversation between Lord Edward and his father on their estate, she is arrested for trespassing. Another prisoner attacks her—rendering her temporarily mute. Edward arranges her release and hires her to look after his cousins while he decides what to do. 2009.
Scarlet: King Raven Trilogy
by Steve Lawhead
Wrongly imprisoned, archer Will Scarlet faces the hangman’s noose unless he assists ruthless King William the Red by turning over King Raven and his merry band of thieves from Hood (DB 68879). But King Raven has other plans. Violence. 2007.
DB 69452 (May be available only for download.)
The Brethren
by Beverly Lewis
Amish preacher’s daughter Annie Zook, from The Englisher (DB/RC 62875), still feels torn between her family’s way of life and her dreams to become an artist and to pursue her love for non-Amish Ben Martin. Meanwhile Ben discovers he’s adopted and sets out to uncover his surprising true identity. 2006.
DB 64146 (May be available only for download.)
RC 64146
Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery
by Charles Martin
Glynn County, Georgia. A suicidal woman ousts a boy from her car before fatally colliding with a train. Reporter Chase Walker follows up with the orphan "Snoot," whose history of abuse and neglect echoes Chase’s childhood. Snoot, an artistic prodigy who does not speak, soon captures the reporter’s heart. 2007.
RC 68173
Edge of Honor
by Gilbert Morris
New York, 1865. Quent Larribee, who is studying to be a doctor, is conscripted into the army. Unable to find peace after accidentally killing a Confederate soldier, Quent moves to Arkansas, where he plans to help the widow and her children. Yet in solving one problem he creates another. 2000.
DB 60296 (May be available only for download.)
RC 60296
A Place Called Wiregrass
by Michael Morris
Alabama. Erma Lee Jacobs flees her abusive husband, uncaring mother, and dead-end factory job and makes a fresh start in Wiregrass with granddaughter Cher. Friendship with elderly socialite Miss Claudia and the arrival of Cher’s father force all three women to confront buried secrets. 2002.
Winter Birds
by Jamie L. Turner
Bitter widow Sophie Hess moves to Mississippi to live with her nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel. Sophie spends her days reading obituaries, studying birds, and watching Rachel help others. As Sophie experiences the faith, love, and kindness of family, her heart begins to soften. 2006.
DB 65698 (May be available only for download.)
RC 65698
NSS 12-1
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Posted on 2012-06-01