A thrilling adventure for middle-grade readers, showcasing the supernatural powers of God, His son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
The Chosen Kids Saga is the tale of six kids and their aunt who are chosen to stop a band of evil beings from causing a fake apocalypse. Each of the family members is appointed a certain job and receives a tool, blessed with God’s power, to help with their task. With time running out, they must track, capture, and send the enemy back to the underworld before the fiends cause irreversible destruction.
The story is told through the perspective of the youngest cousin 11-year-old Caiden. Middle-grade readers will follow along as these flawed, relatable characters—still finding their way in Christ—embark on a life-transforming quest to save humanity with family love, spiritual growth, kid banter, and humor all mixed in for a fun and exciting journey. By the end of their mission, these chosen kids just might become some of God’s greatest warriors.
This series mixes fantasy and adventure elements with transparent Christian themes for young believers who want a story that includes gospel truths without reading through symbolism.
For ages 8-12.
Watch the trailer for Encounter at the Dunes here!
What if you were just an ordinary kid one minute and tasked by God with saving His world the next?
On the sunny coast of California, 11-year-old book lover Caiden and his family set off for The Dunes after months of lockdown. Caiden decides to leave his book at home for the trip and explore the beach for once.
Their fun-filled day is soon interrupted when a supernatural encounter sends the group on a secret mission to save humanity. Caiden wanted a fun adventure, not a dangerous quest! He’d like to put it off for ten years—or at least a week.
Each of the family members is appointed a certain job and receives a supernatural tool based on their individual skills and traits. But reluctant Caiden struggles with his task and threatens their success.
With only one afternoon to learn their new roles, the Chosen Kids must put faith over fear and rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance to prevent the enemy from causing an unnatural disaster in their Golden State.
The Chosen Kids
are ready for their
second mission!
It’s been two weeks since Caiden and his family’s summer of fun turned into a secret quest for God. After their first mission, the Chosen Kids step into their new roles without fear or reluctance. With revived faith and God’s blessed tools, they embark on their second hunt—ready to track, capture, and expel the enemy.
But the day turns into a tedious game of hide-and-seek as the family races to get ahead of the fiend. When the unthinkable happens, and their mission becomes personal, they must keep the faith and trust God’s plan.
With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, they could set things right, but only if they obey His commands completely. Caiden thinks he's uncovered the answer, but no one ever listens to the youngest cousin…
With nightfall quickly approaching, the Chosen Kids set a trap. But if their plan fails, they could lose one of their most valuable assets, and their quest will end in heartbreak and disaster.
Click on a picture!
Dear Parents,
Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet.
In May 2020, I found myself pondering my life. (As I am sure many others did at this time.) I realized I had spent so much of my life living only for my family or myself. I was ready to start living for God, because of all He had done for me. He always provided financially, He was always there to comfort me when I felt alone, He saved my life about five times, and He saved my daughter’s life when her appendix burst—those are just a few examples.
Now earlier that year, I started writing a fictional short story about my nieces and nephews that I could read aloud to them during lockdown—just for fun. But I had forgotten about it. When I asked God for a task, He reminded me about the story. Suddenly, it came to life. All these ideas started flowing, and I felt Him call me to create a Christ-centered series for middle graders. And He led me to self-publish.
When I was ten years old, I read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. It made such an impact on me that I told myself someday I would write a book for God. But over the next 40 years, the dream had been forgotten in what I refer to as, my time in the wilderness… But God remembered it. He is so amazing how He never forgets our dreams. Isn’t He?
Still, the thought of self-publishing terrified me. Where would I even start?
I researched everything I could find on how to do this properly. And one thing I discovered is that there are so little Christ-centered middle-grade books out there. I’m talking about stories that include transparent gospel themes.
Of course, there are bible-story chapter books and devotionals—and let’s not forget The Dead Sea Squirrels. But mostly there are fantasy books with underlying Christian themes (allegory) which could be interpreted any way, whether you are a Christian or non-believer.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love fantasy with allegory. The Lion, The Witch, and Wardrobe is my all-time favorite book. And the Wingfeather Saga—hello! But isn’t it time we gave our middle graders some bold stories that include the Gospel without hiding them under symbolism?
Parents say their kids aren’t enthusiastic about reading Christian fiction. The stories are boring or cheesy or too preachy. But the answer isn’t watering down the Christian message or hiding it under symbolism. The answer is to offer middle graders exciting adventures with kids like them who pray to God, ask Jesus for strength, and hear the Holy Spirit—fun tales filled with humor, love, relatable characters, redemption, and spiritual growth.
I soon understood why God gave me this task. There is a great need for middle-grade (and YA) Christ-centered fiction. He gave me this series to fill only a small fraction of the void. It’s way past time for a middle-grade revival, and maybe books could be the answer. We’ve all seen secular book series start movements. I’m not saying that could be The Chosen Kids Saga, but maybe it will open the door for Christian publishers to start producing bold Christ-centered books that actually say the name of our Savior. Maybe it could even lead to a middle-grade Jesus revolution. Wouldn’t that be amazing? With God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26).
I hope that you will consider The Chosen Kids Saga for your middle grader. May they find joy in reading about young believers who are answering their calling and finding their identity in Christ, as they become warriors for God.
And maybe you just might enjoy the books too.
Blessings,
RM Ruiz
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. —John 3:16 KJV.
Jesus is the son of God, born of the virgin Mary over 2,000 years ago. He and God are one. He is God in the flesh who walked this earth for thirty-three years. While here, He gathered up twelve disciples to help Him teach the gospel to the world. He gave public speeches, performed miracles—such as feeding 5,000 people with just two fish and five loaves of bread. He healed the sick, blind, and lame, and raised dead back to life—all in the name of God. He taught us how to live righteously, so that we may enter the kingdom of Heaven and have everlasting life with Him and the Father.
Because Jesus proclaimed He was God in the flesh and performed miracles, Jewish religious leaders started to fear Him. Jesus prophesied to his disciples that He would be killed, but He would be resurrected three days later. He also said that He would be preparing a place for us in Heaven, because His Father’s house has many rooms. And Someday He will come back for us, so that we may have everlasting life with Him.
Jewish high priests said Jesus was a liar and blasphemer and conspired with the Romans to have Him crucified. Jesus was tortured, ridiculed, and nailed to a cross where he hanged for three days until He gave up his last breath.
Three days later, Jesus was resurrected to fulfill the prophecy and prove His identity. Forty days after His resurrection, He ascended into Heaven and promised to leave us a helper in His absence. Ten days later, the Holy Spirit descended onto earth and into His followers
You can find these accounts and more on the life of Jesus in the first four books of the New Testament.
Here are twelve of his principles:
The greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He added another commandment as the second most important—and that is to love our neighbors (everyone) as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-39).
The golden rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated yourself. (Matthew 7:12)
Do not judge or condemn others, or we will be judged and condemned in the same way. (Luke 6:37)
Forgive one another, just as God forgives us. And if we don’t, God will not forgive us. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Have great faith in God because it can move mountains, believe in what you pray and you will receive it. (Mark 11:22-24)
Prayer should be sincere and with the right motive. He gave us the Lord’s prayer. (Matthew 6:5-13)
Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:44)
Do not store up our treasures (wealth and material possessions) on earth, but store up our treasures in Heaven—following His teachings. (Matthew 6:19-24)
To follow Him would not be easy, but if we walk through the straight and narrow gate, it will lead us into Heaven. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus is the way, the truth and the light, and no one comes to His Father, except through Him. (John 14:6)
He gave us the Great Commission before He ascended—to go and spread the gospel and His teachings to all the world and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Jesus was the sinless sacrificial lamb, whose blood washed away all of our sins, so that we may be saved and have eternal life with Him. Although we are saved by the crucifixion and God’s grace, we must declare that Jesus is the son of God and that He died to wipe away our sins. We must ask Him for forgiveness of our sins and invite Him into our heart and try not to sin anymore. We need to follow His teachings and spread the gospel to others so that they may find peace with our Lord too.
Start living your life for God, just as Jesus taught us, and you will find the path to true joy on this earth and everlasting life afterward. And don’t forget to share the good news with everyone, so that they will be there too. God bless you on your journey.
Ms. Ruiz is a born again follower of Jesus Christ. She is a retired accountant who lives in California with her husband, son, and an old cat named Bella. She is a mother of three, a grandmother of one, and a godmother of two.
When she’s not writing, or reading, she’s playing with her grandson or baking. She enjoys making fondant birthday cakes for her friends and family—everything from Spongebob Squarepants to Star Wars. Another one of her favorite pastimes is to spend time with her youngest nieces and nephews—the inspiration for her Chosen Kids series.
She loves reading middle grade books and classics. Her favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Roald Dahl, Gordan Korman, and the Bronte sisters.
She hopes that her books will inspire kids all over the world to answer their calling from God.
If you have any comments, questions, requests, etc. please email us: RMRUIZ@THECHOSENKIDS.COM or you can use the form below. Thank you for visiting!
I know, the last thing you need is another newsletter subscription. But I do have exclusive giveaways and promos just for subscribers. And each month, I discuss a topic that is relevant to you and your young believer(s). I also have a book-of-the-month pick—a Christ-centered middle grade book that your child would enjoy. I promise these books are not cheesy or preachy!
But the best reason for you to sign up is for your middle grader. In each issue, I have a section that is like a mini newsletter to your child from the Chosen Kids. They will update your child on their everyday life, adventures, and any special events or promotions. It’s a way for them to stay connected to the kids while they wait for the next book’s release.
Also, when you subscribe, you will receive three downloadable word games for your child based on the Chosen Kids Saga: a Word Search, a Crossword Puzzle, and a Mad Libs game—this one is so fun!
And coming soon, devotionals to go along with each book.
Do it for the kids!