MS Review – Fierce and Faithful – middle school non-fiction

Imes, Carmen Joy, and Nijay K. Gupta. Fierce & Faithful: 25 Women of the Bible Who Dared to Trust God. Illustrated by Jade van der Zalm. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Kids, 2026.

Guide to Categories – MS Review – review of books for older elementary-aged and middle school-aged children

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Summary

Introduce Middle-Grade Readers to the Bold Women of the Bible

The Bible is filled with stories of brave, wise, and faithful women who dared to follow God’s call. Now you can introduce these remarkable role models to the next generation with Fierce and Faithful: 25 Women of the Bible Who Dared to Trust God.

Written by trusted biblical scholars Carmen Joy Imes and Nijay K. Gupta, this beautifully illustrated book brings the stories of twenty-five biblical women to life. From well-known figures like Mary and Sarah to lesser-known leaders like Huldah and Phoebe, each story is told in a relatable way that connects with young hearts and minds. These women are loyal friends or family members, strong leaders, savvy problem solvers, and faithful members of God’s people.

Fierce and Faithful is an engaging tool for discipleship, thoughtfully designed to help kids ages 8-12 see that God has worked in and through women throughout both the Old and New Testaments—and that he can work through them too!

In Fierce and Faithful, you’ll discover

• Scripturally faithful portrayals of twenty-five women of the Bible,
• Helpful sidebars that explain cultural details and unfamiliar terms,
• Thoughtful questions at the end of each chapter to aid in understanding the biblical story, and
• Full-color artwork that brings each woman to life.

With Fierce and Faithful, help the tweens you love discover how they, too, can become fierce and faithful followers of God through these twenty-five women in God’s story.

Purchase Fierce & Faithful on Amazon – https://link.amazon/B0165GdET

My MS Review

So often, the Bible stories presented to children have male main characters. There is nothing wrong with that, but the Bible also features great women. Imes and Gupta present 25 women who trusted God as examples for both girls and boys to follow. Each vignette is written in a way that could be used as a devotional study: an introduction to the character, information about the Biblical time in which the story is set, something to think about, and a scripture to read. The book could also be read through as a nonfiction book.

Van der Zalm used an impressionistic style to illustrate each character sketch. 

The book would be a great addition to a family, classroom, or K-12 Christian school library. The book is appropriate for third grade and up, although younger children could probably listen to and learn from the stories, too. 

I received a complimentary copy of Fierce & Faithful. This is my honest review.

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