All posts in Preteens

I am always on the lookout for good preteen Bible.  This is sometimes a tough age for kids and we want to make sure that the Bible they are using is engaging and easy to understand.  My friend Sherrie recommended I take a look at the Quest Study Bible from Zondervan.  It’s a regular NIV Bible but in the margins, there are questions and answers — things that people might ask as they are reading to the passage.  sonogram was kind enough to send me a review copy and here’s what I thought:

The Good:

• New international version translation: easy-to-understand and biblically accurate.
• Introduction to each book of the Bible including things such as: who wrote this book, why was it written and who are the key people in this book.  There is also an outline of some of the stories in the book which would be helpful if you’re looking for specific account.
• Mini timeline at the beginning of each book
• Question-and-answers: I felt that this bobbled a good job picking up on things that people would ask questions about.  The question seemed to be age-appropriate and answered accurately.
• Little illustrations and these sidebars/margins do a great job showing what the passage is talking about when a wordy explanation simply won’t do.
• Many of the answers in the margin refer to supporting Scriptures so kids can look up more details.

The Bad:

• I disagree with a few of the answers and articles in this Bible such as the debate about the 6 days of creation (24 hour days?) and the old earth/new earth theory.  The authors say things like “some Christians believe this… but other Christians believe this…”. I’m not sure that’s the best approach.
• The print actually may be a little too small.  Maybe it’s just because I’m getting old, but I find it difficult to read this Bible while I’m eating breakfast.  I have told the book a little closer in order to see all the words.
• Since this is a Youth Bible,   I feel a few more pictures or maps would’ve been ideal.  Of course, the Bible is very text-heavy, and simple illustrations would help to keep kids engaged.

Conclusion:

This seems like it would be a great Bible for preteens or teens.  It has a lot of interesting facts and answers a lot of common questions teens would have while reading through the Scripture.   I really enjoyed reading it during the past week and even learned a few things by reading the question and answers in the margin.  Currently, the price of the NIV Youth Quest Study Bible: The Question and Answer Bible is about $19 on Amazon, a great buy for the kids in your life!  There is also a leather-bound edition that might be worth taking a look at ($35).

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