Archives: Testimonials

Mr. Davis,

This was a tough year for my family.  We had to move from Germany to Kansas (my husband is in the US Army).  My kids were to attend public school for the first time, and I must admit, I was a bit afraid.  My daughter, Christina, loves to read, and one of the best things about being in America, is that there are MANY bookstores.  We happened to find one of your Dragons in Our Midst books at Books-A-Million, and my daughter (now 12) was hooked.  She loved the entire series and was excited about the Oracles of Fire Series to follow.  She talked about them so much at school, that the librarian ordered a copy of both sets of books for the school library. My daughter kept lending her copies out to others, and between the 2 sets, many of the students at her school, both christian and non-christian kids, have read and loved the series.  You allowed my daughter to shine her light in a public school setting, by providing great Christian fiction for the kids to read. I am proud of her for staying true to her Savior, and thankful to you, for providing engaging books that challenge and encourage her in her Christian walk.  We are hoping to hear about a new series soon, as she truly loves your books!

I am 14 years old, and I love your books!! I love all of the books in the Dragons in our Midst, Oracles of Fire, and Echoes from the Edge! They are all amazing books! … I love how you mix the gospel and fantasy together! I do profess to be a Christian, but I wasn’t a Christian when I started reading Dragons in our Midst. But I remember reading them for the first time … I don’t know how to put this, but I feel as if God opened my eyes through your writings. I felt like he was speaking to me through you. I never thought God could ever care for me, but he does. And now I understand that. Thank you so much! Thank you so incredibly much for putting your time into writing these marvelous books. They made a huge impact on my life.

Hello Mr. Davis!

I think you probably already know this but I just received my copy of TBOM in the mail last night. I am super excited, but I did in fact control myself enough not to be jumping up and down likes some others I know lol

But a little bit ago I read the scene where Bonnie sort of embraces the Oracle of Fire mantle, where her faith is tested and she bursts into flames unburned. I have to tell you that that hit home…after all of the discussions you and I have had through email and such…it hit home.

I have always loved your books…but The Bones of Makaidos is proving itself to be one filled with faith. And sir, this book has rekindled the fire within me…perhaps as the dedication prays.

Mr. Davis I’d like you to know that I’ve been praying for you many times, though not quite every day. I’ve prayed that God will use you in perhaps more ways than He is already. I hope we can pray for each other, as brothers in Christ.

I’ve said it before and I say it again…thank you.

Dear Bryan,

I wanted to take the time to write you and let you know how much we appreciated your wonderful presentation at Stanley Elementary in North Dakota.  My daughter is in the 4th grade, and in less than 24 hours, she has read the entire first book in your “Dragons in our Midst” series and is half way through the second book.  At first I thought it wasn’t possible for her to read such a large book in less than a day.  I thought she couldn’t possibly be getting the details out of the story and that she was just skimming over it, but she already took the “Accelerated Reader” test on your book during school this afternoon, and she passed with flying colors.  It amazes me that she could have your presentation yesterday morning, where you got her interested in your books, and by the next day, she passed the test on it and is half way through the next book in the series.

Like I said earlier, I have to admit that after she read the first book so quickly, I told her to slow down because I didn’t think she was really reading the details of the book and I wanted her to enjoy them.  Meghyn’s exact words were, “I know I’m getting the details out of it because it’s such an interesting book to read!  I think I have a new obsession!”  I had to laugh and just let it go, and her test scores proved that she really was reading the entire book with enthusiasm and accuracy.  I couldn’t be more impressed!!!

You have definitely inspired her, and she can’t seem to talk about anything else but what she’s read.  I especially liked that you told the students that the difference between someone who accomplishes their goals/dreams and someone who doesn’t, is that they didn’t give up!  Meghyn is an untypical girl who was already obsessed with Star Wars, and now she’s got a major passion of Dragons too.  She day-dreams of being a dragon like the girl in your books.  I think it’s wonderful to give children dreams and an imagination.  Buying your “Dragons in our Midst” book set on Monday was definitely a WONDERFUL investment!  Now the only problem is that she is going to want to read more than the 4 books we bought!  ha/ha

Thank you for writing such great books and for going the extra mile to inspire kids to read and write.  It takes a special family to do what you guys are doing, and your giving spirit will pay off in ways that you may never know about!  Most authors would never travel to a small town in the middle of North Dakota to inspire a few kids to read and write.  I pray your entire family is getting the blessings that you have given to all of us.  What an amazing and fruitful life your entire family must have by getting to travel and meet so many people while you give them the gifts of your patience, knowledge, and love.

Again, thank you for everything you’ve done.  I just wanted you to know what a difference it has made for my daughter in 4th grade, so that you realize all your time is not in vain by coming out here!  I also thought you’d enjoy hearing that almost every child in the class I work in was reading your books during school today!

Sincerely,

Joe and Teresa

I just finished reading ‘The Bones of Makaidos’, and I can honestly say that you are one of the most talented authors I’ve ever read. Not only that, but you are one of the few authors that write such beautiful and exciting things without getting too explicit and too over-the-top. Especially in today’s world, I really value that.

I also wanted to thank you, though, because the scene in the book where Bonnie was lit on fire kind of as a ‘test’, it got me thinking as well. Like to say, if I were set on fire to test my worth, what would happen?

I really self-examined myself and prayed, and now I can say that I am changed. It’s been such a great wake-up call- to be more true to myself, others, and to God, and I just wanted to thank you for writing something that caused me to do that. It takes a lot to move me, and you have done it. I hope you continue to write things that could change other lives as well! May God bless you and your family!!

I felt compelled to share how I stumbled across the DIOM series. All 3 of my girls are voracious readers. It was when Micaela finished reading the entire Harry Potter series for the 7th time that I became nearly desperate to find an alternative that would have the redemption/love piece only found in Christian books. I went to Lifeway and of course saw your books. Buying a book for someone else is always a shot in the dark and don’t ya know Eye of the Oracle sat on her shelf for 7 months untouched.

It wasn’t until we were headed out on a 3-week road trip and I forbid her to take local library books along that she turned to Eye of the Oracle. I know she chose it because of it’s size. Frankly that was part of what drew me to it; that and the fantasy genre since I was looking for something to pull them back away from HP. We got in the van and headed south. Thirteen hours later we got out of the van and she’d read the ENTIRE book!! Needless to say I ended up purchasing the next two volumes at Lifeway in Orlando. Sadly, we bought all they had of sequential editions and had to find another series to explore.

Fortunately the girls love re-reading their favorites and DIOM is definitely a favorite! I’m old enough though that I had to get assistance as I started reading Eye of the Oracle. Don’t laugh…I sat with the bible on my left knee and your book in my hand; fascinated by the accuracy and then embellishments you’d written. Stuff Micaela and Rachel hadn’t thought of but found fascinating as I shared what I’d learned. But then the fantasy stuff…that’s where being old handicapped me and I had to have Micaela’s help giving me the images of what I was reading. Truly fascinating. Once she got my fantasy imagination primed I was good to go!

As a parent I have been so frustrated with the lack of ‘safe’ reading material at this in-between age. They aren’t adults and yet they’re too old for the Tree House, American Girl, Cul-De-Sac Kids and Junie B. Jones series that they enjoyed in lower elementary. I loved Nancy Drew at their age but they don’t. So many of the books that are written for girls their age are about cliques, “crushing” on boys and hair and makeup. None of what we want our girls focused on. Since I can’t read everything they do, I always ask lots of questions about what’s going on in their books so we can discuss the character’s situations and decisions.

I am so thankful for the writing you’ve done.

My name is Hannah Helsby. I have five siblings ages 9, 7, 5, 3, and 3 months. I am 12. I read that girls testimony and it was really neat although I am not at all a girly- girl in fact the exact opposite. Me and my family are working on a orphan project in Tanzania, East Africa. We have almost finished putting up the first building and might move in three weeks.

We are living in Mwanza right now and will move out to a place called Kitongo about one hour away. On furlough about six months ago I was baptized in Montana, our home state. My parents gave me some money to buy a Christian book to help me in my walk with Christ. I went to a near Christian bookstore and looked for a book like The Chronicles of Narnia. I found Eye of the Oracle and started reading it. We were leaving to come back here in about one week so we had to find one quick. I started it about three or four days before we got on the plane. Before we got to Tanzania I had finished it! I read a lot on the plane because I can’t sleep on them. A little while after that we got Raising Dragons and Enoch’s Ghost.

I love all of the books I’ve read so far. I had a birthday on September 30^th and I got the last three books of Dragons in our Midst! I’ve all ready read The Candlestone and Circles of Seven but I am going to pace myself and am reading about fifteen other books before Tears of a Dragon because I don’t want to ever run out of them! My favorite character out of all of the books is Bonnie Silver. I met a south African girl about my age and I lent her the first Dragon book. She isn’t saved and I have been praying for her every day. I hope that through your books and my life, she would come to know and follow Jesus Christ. Thank you for writing the books, they have been a blessing to me.

 

I have read up to and including The Last of The Nephilim and greatly enjoyed them. These books spoke to me and really helped me take a big step in my faith. I really want to thank you because of what your writing has done for me. For a long time I had lied to myself about my faith, saying that I was a Christian even though I had no idea what it meant to truly be a follower of Christ. These series have given me lessons that I won’t forget and I now have faith that will never break. Thank you so much.

Hello! You probably don’t remember meeting me. But last fall I was in a class when you came and spoke in a homeschool group. I came up to you after you spoke and bought the first Dragons In Our Midst book and you signed to for me. You told me that Molly was the Irish girl name.

To tell you the truth, after you spoke I really didn’t think I was going to buy a book. Especially after I heard it was about dragons, since I’m a total girly-girly. But, God had a plan. And my best friend decided that I HAD to buy one of your books. I really didn’t want to and I gave the excuse that I didn’t have enough money with me and I couldn’t get any from my mom because she was out of town. Well, my friend dug around in my purse and found that I had exactly 13 dollars, just enough to buy a book. So I bought your book, not thinking much about it.

I went home and I was kind of bored, so I opened up the book and started reading, just so I could see what it was about, you know. Well I started reading and I realized that it was about teenagers. And I love reading books about people my own age, so a little more interested, I read more. And then after a while, all I wanted to do was read the book! I fell in love with the characters!

And every time I opened it (even though i wasn’t saved at the time) I could kind of feel God’s presence.

Well, I finished the first book and immediately I ordered the other three off the internet. I read them quickly and found out that every one of them got better and better! I loved how you fit everything in!

And I’m still amazed at how everything you wrote always fits together even though its so complex! I told everybody how much I loved these books! And, a few of them thought it was strange that I was so in love with a book about dragons since I don’t really fit the profile of a dragon lover.

Well, still unsaved, I finished the series. And, after reading them over a few times I found out about the other series, Oracles of Fire. I quickly ordered the first two, since they were the only ones available at that time. Instead of reading the Eye of the Oracle first, I wanted to pick up where Dragons In Our Midst left off with Walter and Ashley. I began reading and fell in love with it too. Although I should have read the other book first, I quickly picked up on the new characters.

One night, I started reading the part about when Walter goes to watch Morgan get thrown into the lake of fire. At that moment, I cant explain what I felt. Instead of being scared about going to hell which is what you would think someone would feel like while reading such a descriptive scene, I all of a sudden realized the sin in my life. And I looked up from the book and at that moment I felt so ashamed of all the things I had done. And I repented and just gave everything up to God. And it was the most awesome feeling! I was finally free! And I had this urge to go and tell others about Jesus! So they would never have to be thrown into the lake of fire and be sent to eternal torture! And I didn’t really even realize at the moment that I had officially gotten saved. Because, when I was in the first grade, at a Christian school, the teacher had said after a Bible lesson during prayer, if anyone felt like they needed to be saved to raise their hand. And so, I realized then, that I had never gotten saved so I raised my hand and I actually prayed a prayer. But, the Lord hadn’t been convicting me at that age. And in the prayer, I hadn’t thought of my sins. I didn’t repent of them. And it didn’t occur to me that when you get saved you couldn’t do the same things you used to. But i was completely oblivious to that. So, over the years, I believed that I was really saved. Until that night when I read your book and everything became so clear!

So, after that night, my life has changed! I now live for God! And still, every time I read one of your books, I feel like I’m filled with the Holy Spirit! After Enoch’s Ghost, I read Eye of the Oracle and Last of the Nephilim. Both of which where amazing like all your others! Eye of the Oracle and Last of the Nephilim especially inspired me in that I need to sacrifice, and that God is there no matter where you are!

I’ve recently been reading these books to my younger sister who is ten years old. And she loves them as well! We only have a few more pages left to read in Eye of the Oracle and we’ve already read all of Dragons In Our Midst. I’ve also been letting some of my friends borrow them and they love them too! Oh, and I cannot wait until Bones Of Makaidos comes out! Even though, reading the other books over and over never really gets old!

And I just wrote this so that I could thank you soooooo much for writing these incredible books! I believe you truly are a man of God! And God is working through you in mighty ways! Every time I open up one of the books, I get inspired in some way! I don’t believe I will EVER find books so amazing and inspiring as these! I love EVERYTHING about them! The danger, the characters, the suspense, EVERYTHING! I don’t see how anyone could fit ALL of the things included in these books into literature. And it amazes me how everything fits together! And how nothing contradicts another thing! I guess its just one of those things where I have to say, “It is totally a God thing!”

And i couldn’t thank you enough! Never!

My children can not wait until the evening when it is time to read.  My husband reads out loud while the rest either read along or listen to him read.  Your books are not only enjoyable for them but for us as well.  When for some reason we are unable to read one evening my husband becomes disappointed.  There has been many times while reading your books he becomes so involved with the story and the Christian struggles incorporated in your books he becomes overwhelmed and I have to read for him (that is until we are through the touching or victorious parts). You have given us something to enhance our family time.  Thank you very much for that.