For Parents

The most important thing your kid will ever know is what God already says about them.

We wrote this series for the moms and dads raising tweens in a world that yells louder every year. Six books, one Stranger, ninety lives, built to help your kid walk away knowing they are known, loved, and sent.

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The Philosophy

Identity first. Performance second. Always.

Most kids' Bibles teach kids what to do. I Changed the World teaches kids who they are. The order matters.

01

Belonging before performance

Adam was loved before he did one thing. Same with David in the field. Same with your kid right now. Every book closes with the truth that they belong before they earn it.

"My story begins with love, not performance.", from the Adam curriculum

02

Identity is revealed, not earned

Sin is believing lies about who God is and who your kid is. Growth is learning to agree with God. Your kid doesn't have to become someone, they have to discover who they already are.

"I am who God says I am.", Anchor Truth, Rahab curriculum

03

The Stranger is always there

Christ shows up in every Old Testament story, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden. Across the series, your kid learns to see Him on every page. By the last book, they know who He is.

God is always Near · Kind · Pursuing · Inviting (never forcing).

What we believe, in one sentence

We are not teaching kids to try harder, perform more, or be braver. We are inviting kids to trust God's presence, live from belonging, and discover the courage that already exists within them.

Mark Batterson
Pastor Mark · On Video · For Your Kid

Mark Batterson reads to your kid himself.

When you pick up the curriculum, every week comes with a short video of Pastor Mark speaking directly to your kid. The same NYT bestselling author of The Circle Maker and Chase the Lion, anchoring each chapter, looking your tween in the eye, ending with prayer.

In production, first episodes drop with the curriculum launch.

The Whole Journey

One series. A map of the whole Bible.

0Books Out Now
0Weeks of Curriculum
0Lives Being Written
0Paintings Per Book
For Your Family

Three simple ways to bring it home.

Pick your price on Book One, or set your kid up with the whole journey tonight.

Try It · Pay What You Want

Book One · David

Name Your Price

See your kid disappear into chapter one, then decide.

$12

You choose the price. We cover the rest.  + $6.99 s&h · releasing September 29

$1$50

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★ Most Parents Choose This

The Complete Series

All six worlds — no waiting between "one more chapter" nights.

  • All six hardcover books — ages 8–12, built for bedtime
  • Discussion guide in the back of every book
  • The Stranger thread — by the last book, they see Christ everywhere
  • 80+ cinematic paintings per book
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Books + Home Learning

The full family rhythm: read together, talk together.

  • All six hardcover books
  • Home Learning guides — five-minute dinner conversations
  • Weekly videos from Pastor Mark, straight to your kid
  • A 30-week rhythm any family can keep
Get the Full Bundle →

★★★★★ “My 12-year-old read it out loud to my 8-year-old. Both loved every second.” — T. Horner, verified Amazon  ·  Written with NYT bestseller Mark Batterson

A Connected Universe

Six books. One Stranger. Ninety lives.

Every story in the series connects to every other one. The same Stranger threads through all six. Tap any cover to step inside that hero's world, the same pages your kid will explore.

AdamAdam MiriamMiriam RahabRahab DavidDavid BenaiahBenaiah ZechariahZechariah
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Meet the Stranger

One man. Every book.

He shows up in every story. Different time. Different place. Same scarred palms. By the end of the box set, your kid will know who he is. Until then, the mystery is half the magic.

Walk His Trail →
Sample Scenes

Two scenes. One God who shows up in both.

A look inside two books. Each page in the series reads like this, every one a film moment with a lesson seed.

Miriam coating the basket with pitch by firelight
Book Two · Miriam

Coating the basket by firelight.

From Miriam · Chapter 3 · Exodus 2

It's the dead of night. Miriam, twelve years old, is awake while her mother coats the inside of a papyrus basket with pitch and tar. They are sealing it watertight because tomorrow, before sunrise, her baby brother will be inside it, drifting down the Nile. The river is full of crocodiles. The current is strong. And there is no other plan.

Miriam isn't crying. She is paying attention. Whatever happens to that basket on that river, she is going to be on the bank watching.

Lesson Seed

"Trusting God when I don't understand." Miriam doesn't know how the story ends. She just doesn't look away.

✦
Young Adam meeting the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, in the wild garden of Eden
Book Three · Adam

The first kid met all three.

From Adam · Chapter 1 · Genesis 1, John 1

Adam opens his eyes for the first time, and standing in front of him are three. The Father with His arm around him. The Son to his right, smiling like He has been waiting for this moment forever. The Spirit glowing through the wildflowers. "Let us make him," they had said. And here he stands.

There are waterfalls behind him he has not yet named. There are creatures in the trees he has not yet greeted. He is not afraid. He is the most loved kid in creation, and he can feel it before he understands it.

Lesson Seed

"Experiencing the wonder of God." Adam isn't being taught about God. He is standing in front of all three of Him.

Try Before You Buy

Read the first page together.

These are the actual opening lines of each book, word for word. Read one out loud tonight and see what happens at "one more chapter."

David’s first page is open. Five more are locked.

Tell us where to send the full David sample chapter and every first page unlocks instantly.

No spam, ever. Just the sample chapter and the good stuff.

David — Book One
Book One · David

Chapter 1: Danger!

The wind hadn’t stopped blowing for five days. This wasn’t unusual, but it did make staying warm at night hard. Summer had arrived in Bethlehem, and the days were hot. But the nights were bitter cold.

Twelve-year-old David retrieved a log and added it to the fire. Pulling his woolen cloak tight, he sat, leaning against an olive tree. Most shepherds complained about the lonely days and nights with only their sheep for company. But David lived for these moments.

It was in these moments, out in nature, where he could most clearly hear the voice of his Maker—it was almost as if he had his own audience with God.

Step Into David’s World →

An adaptation of 1 Samuel 16–17, Psalm 18, Psalm 23

Miriam — Book Two
Book Two · Miriam

Chapter 1: Slaves No More!

Miriam looked at the terrified faces of her countrymen. A vast expanse of nearly two million people stretched for miles. Every Hebrew man, woman, and child on the planet was gathered in this place, at the edge of the Red Sea. And almost every one of them believed all was lost.

Outside of a mammoth miracle, every Hebrew would die today.

Step Into Miriam’s World →

An adaptation of Exodus 2, 14 & 15

Adam — Book Three
Book Three · Adam

Prologue: Creation

A lump of red earthen clay was placed upon a blanket of lush emerald-green grass. The Sculptor kneeled over it, working with a master’s skill, carving and shaving the clay, molding it into the perfect shape. The Sculptor’s Son stood behind His Father, mesmerized by the scene.

“This is different from the others,” the Son gasped.

“It is,” the Father laughed happily as His hands continued to mold and shape the clay.

“This changes everything,” the Son was breathless at the thought.

Step Into Adam’s World →

An adaptation of Genesis 1 & 2

Rahab — Book Four
Book Four · Rahab

Chapter 1: The Notice

Fourteen-year-old Rahab woke to her mother coughing.

Not a polite cough. Not the kind you could blame on smoke from the hearth and ignore. This cough clawed its way out of her mother’s chest like it was pulling something loose inside her.

Their home, which doubled as an inn, was built into Jericho’s wall.

Step Into Rahab’s World →

An adaptation of Joshua 2 & 6

Benaiah — Book Five
Book Five · Benaiah

Chapter 1: Giant Killer

A mammoth spear sliced through the air, a deadly blur hurtling toward Benaiah’s chest. His heart thundered in his ears, drowning out the world. In the blink of an eye, he cleared his mind as his grandfather had taught him.

Time seemed to slow, as Benaiah’s eyes locked onto the fast-approaching spearhead, mere inches from stabbing him. With a dancer’s grace, he twisted his body sideways.

He had cheated death, for now.

Step Into Benaiah’s World →

An adaptation of 2 Samuel 23 & 1 Chronicles 11

Zechariah — Book Six
Book Six · Zechariah

Chapter 1: At the Temple Gate

The poor widow never saw the hand coming.

Zachariah did. He had been watching.

She was small and bent with age, clutching two thin coins she had saved for the Temple treasury as she shuffled toward the gate. Pilgrims streamed past her on both sides. Doves fluttered overhead. The sun hammered the white stone of Jerusalem so hard it nearly hurt to look.

And Rome stood at the entrance.

Step Into Zechariah’s World →

An adaptation of Luke 1:5–25 and 1:57–80

About the Curriculum

A 30-week curriculum for your home or church.

Six books. Five weeks per book. Bible-based, story-driven, and built so a tween walks away with deep convictions about who God is and who they are. Weekly video teachings from Pastor Mark Batterson, a discussion guide for the dinner table, and a rhythm any family can keep.

See the Curriculum →
David Hearing the voice of God
Miriam Trusting God when I don't understand
Adam Experiencing the wonder of God
Rahab Discovering who God says I am
Benaiah Finding courage in God's presence
Zechariah Trusting God's timing
Resources

Four ways to read this with your kid

Read one chapter at a time.

The simplest way to use these. One chapter at bedtime, four to five times a week, and your kid finishes a hero's whole life in about three weeks.

  1. Open the book at chapter one. Don't preach. Just read.
  2. Read it like a story. Use voices. Pause on the cinematic pages.
  3. Stop on the cliffhanger. Let them want tomorrow.
  4. Ask one question. Use the discussion guide at the back of each book if you want a prompt.

Conversations over dinner.

The real fruit of these books shows up at the kitchen table, not on the page. The discussion guide at the back of every book is built for a five-minute conversation, not a Bible study.

  • Pick one question per chapter. You don't have to do all of them.
  • Let your kid answer first. Don't correct.
  • Share what the story made you feel before you ask what they think.
  • Pray a one-sentence prayer at the end of dinner.

The full curriculum, when you're ready.

For families who want a structured rhythm: the 30-week curriculum gives you a weekly lesson plan, scripture passages, video teachings from Mark Batterson, and prompts that take your kid all the way through the series.

See the Curriculum →

The Interactive Map.

Step into the 3D living map of every story we're telling. Ninety lives. Eight eras. Find the Stranger in every world.

Open the Story Map →
Parent Q&A

Things parents ask us

Is this just another kids' Bible?

No. A kids' Bible retells the whole Bible at a kid's reading level. I Changed the World dives into one life at a time as a cinematic novel, David's whole world for 120 pages, Miriam's whole world for 120 pages. By the time your kid finishes the series, they have an emotional, visual map of how the Bible's story fits together.

What translation are the scripture quotes from?

The Message (MSG), Eugene Peterson's paraphrase. We chose it because it lets a tween hear scripture as language, not as homework. Discussion guides include parallel ESV/NIV references for parents who want to compare.

Are these stories appropriate for sensitive kids?

Yes. We don't sanitize the danger, David really does fight Goliath, Rahab really does live in a city under siege, but we never make the violence the point. The tone is closer to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe than to a war movie.

Do I need to read them in order?

No. Each book stands alone. But the Stranger thread builds across the six, by the time your kid finishes them, they will see Christ everywhere in the Old Testament. Reading order doesn't matter; reading all of them does.

How does this fit with our church or homeschool?

The 30-week curriculum aligns with a school year and works inside Sunday school, midweek small groups, or homeschool Bible time. See the curriculum →

Why only six books published when you mention 90 lives?

Six are out now. Eighty-four more are in development. The 3D universe map shows you every life we are writing toward, from Adam in the garden to John on Patmos. We are building a full cinematic biblical universe for tweens, one book at a time.

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Questions about the books, the curriculum, or speaking? Email us directly.

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