Also by this author: Abigail and the Big Start Over, Abigail and the Career Day Catastrophe
Series: Abigail #3
Published by Good Book Company on March 1, 2025
Genres: Children's
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Fun, absorbing novel for children aged 7+ that explores the difference Jesus makes when we don’t fit in.
9-year-old Abigail can’t sing, and she can’t dance. So when her friends start rehearsing a musical performance, Abigail feels very much left out and self-conscious. Isn’t she good at anything? Doesn’t anybody want to be her friend?
Jesus does! When Abigail reads Psalm 139, she realises that Jesus made her wonderfully, just the way she is, so she doesn’t need to worry about not being good at musical things. And when she encounters John 15, Abigail learns that Jesus loves her perfectly and empowers her to be a loving friend, even when others let her down.
As Abigail sees what a wonderful friend Jesus is, it transforms her other friendships—and it ends up transforming the girls’ musical performance too!
When my brother saw this book lying on my floor, he said, “Abigail Gets Left Out. So, is that an autobiography?” I laughed and said that it is not, but that the story was VERY relatable to me, both from my childhood and from current events. Then I told him that this novel does contain words I’ve written, because a quote from my review of book one appears on the endorsements page! This is a brand new experience for me, and I am very excited about it.
This is the third book in the Abigail series, and it builds on existing situations and character relationships while also being a great entry point for people who haven’t read the other books. The author does a great job of introducing previous events to new readers without it seeming like an obvious rehash, and the book jumps into a new story about Abigail dealing with friendship challenges and differing interests with girls at school and church.
The story is incredibly realistic about the challenging dynamics that Abigail is dealing with, as well as her feelings about them. The Christian messages also feel very natural within the story, as Abigail learns about friendship with Jesus and how Jesus can help people become better friends to each other. The resolution at the end of the story feels convincing, and this book has lots of great messages for girls who are in similar situations. Also, just like with other books in the series, this one has great illustrations, a website link for activities from the book, and book club discussion questions.
Abigail Gets Left Out is a wonderful book for elementary-aged girls, and for older readers who enjoy children’s books. The story includes both serious elements and fun, humorous moments, and this book is great for both independent reading and for family read-aloud times. I highly recommend the whole Abigail series, and am looking forward to future installments.
