Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers: Winning the Battle Against Your Giants

by Louie Giglio

Our kids face more pressure and stress than ever before. Issues such as fear, jealousy, loneliness, and anxiety seem like giants standing in the way of the joy-filled childhood and adolescence we want them to have. In Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers , pastor Louie Giglio shows kids that only God can help them defeat those giants—and He will. Louie Giglio, the director of the Passion Movement that has reached more than a million young people, shares Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers , a children’s book about facing fears and overcoming adversity by relying on God. This hardcover While addressing the struggles kids face today with temptation, social media comparisons, and anxiety, Louie Giglio reveals a surprising twist in the David and Goliath story that might just change everything about the way we see Jesus and how to conquer the giants in our lives.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely some good thoughts; however, as always, be sure you are reading God's words for yourself to ensure what you are reading aligns with God's word.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fear and worship cannot exist in the same place.

I have read the version for adults on Goliath Must Fall and this version seems to take away several important and key insights. My good and God's glory is the basis for facing the giants in our life. Maybe your giant is rejection, addiction, comfort, the list can go on. It is whatever keeps our focus on ourselves and away from who God is.

Using the story of David and Goliath, Giglio reminds us that the story of David is really about Jesus. That being said, our story is really about Jesus. This study gives the believer a different perspective on our circumstances and on what God really does. We all need direction and encouragement when facing the giants and this book is a good resource for young teens to face their giants and live for God's glory and their good.

A Special thank you to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for young readers to encourage them in the midst of loneliness, rejection, fear or addiction. I didn’t realize that it was for readers from 8-12 when I started reading it with my 13 and 14 year olds. In fact, I think it was more appropriate (topic wise) for that age group. But the language is definitely appropriate for the 8-12 age. Even I as an adult got a lot out of the content, which makes sense since it was originally a book for adults. Anyway, we all three really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it to young adults!

[Bella Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goliath Must Fall is a beautiful take on typology, written for children of the age of 8-12. I love how in this story Giglio was able to write this story in a way that 8-12-year-olds would understand, but in the same way, adults and teens would also be able to learn about God's love for them and how to combat their sin with the Word.

This book is very clear and well written. Giglio at the beginning of the book lays out all of the points that he is going to make in the book and he does exactly that. While this book is a young readers version of his book written for adults, Giglio in no way talks down to the readers of this book. Rather he chooses to use examples that a child would understand. Such as he makes a point that no matter your age, you can struggle with addiction. While many of us associate addiction with that of drinking, Giglio makes a point to show children that you can be addicted to YouTube or video games. This is a huge point that I feel has often fallen through the cracks. Because they are children we often fail to first address their sin and second address their heart. Rather we just put them in time out or let their addiction grow because they are a child.

I love the imagery Giglio uses in his books. Giglio made a point that I had never pieced together before reading this book;

"When we read the story of David and Goliath and try to apply it to our lives, we have to remember that the twist I mentioned earlier in the book-we aren't David in the story. Jesus is."

I feel that I have always thought that we are supposed to be like David. We should put our faith in the Lord and defeat Goliath. I have always thought that while Jesus is the real hero of the story, we are to be a hero also. I totally misunderstood the true meaning of this story until I read this book. Giglio also proves this by saying;

"Goliath was taken down by a shepherd, which is interesting because Jesus himself calls Himself our Shepherd many times in the Bible."

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I felt as though Giglio was trying to stretch the story of David and Goliath. I felt as though this book should not have been written this book on the different sins we struggle with and how to overcome them. At times I felt like Giglio was trying to make a point about defeating Goliath that was not there. That being said I loved how much this book was able to teach me. I thought that in reviewing this book I would not learn much because this book is not written for my age group, but I was wrong.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Connie Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children’s book about facing fears and overcoming adversity by relying on God and it is very relevant during this time of a worldwide pandemic. Young people fear this virus and they miss going to school and being with their friends so any anxiety, loneliness, and uncertainty they already feel has certainly increased! To help them, Pastor Louie Giglio has written a book to assure them that the same God who helped David defeat a giant named Goliath is still here to help them defeat the giants they are facing.

There are quotes to highlight and and thoughts to ponder but Giglio doesn't talk over the heads of kids reading this book. Goliath Must Fall is easy to understand but it still accomplishes what Giglio intended: young people will be encouraged and motivated to stand up to the problems they are facing, to put on the Armor of God, and to "use the sword by reading God's Word and memorizing verses that focus on God's power and peace." I especially like that there are personal experiences and Bible references to increase their understanding and specified blank pages for them to jot down their own thoughts.

This book targets readers 8-12 but it is a valuable resource for all of us who want to grow in our Christian faith! I recommend Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers to all who have young people in their lives and I believe that it would be a wonderful addition to your church library.

I accepted a copy of this book from the publisher. There was absolutely no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

[Nancy Larimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers # is by Louie Giglio. Louie is the pastor of Passion City Church and started the Passion City movement. He is a best selling author . Goliath must fall is based on a sermon series Louie gave. This book is written for the younger reader. The book tells the story of Goliath and applies the story to the issues people face today. The story is very applicable to the younger reader. The story is written with good examples that the younger reader will identify with. The story is very personable. I like the way Louie brings the story at the level of a younger reader. There are good questions for reflection after the examples are presented that tie into the weakness the writer is sharing. There is a space to write back on the question the quthor is asking. There is wonderful scripture application for each of the points He is trying to make. This book would be great for parents to read and discuss with their children. This book is well written and very dynamic. This book has an adult version with DVDS to go with the book. Thank you to the publisher, author, netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. i hope this book is very successful.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did the adult study of this book a few years ago and really enjoyed it. When I saw that there was a version for older kids, I knew I had to check it out to see if I thought it would benefit my kids.

The set up if this book is just like the adult version. However, the examples are definitely geared toward a middle aged crowd. The author did a great job of digging deep into the issues pre teens and younger teens face today and gave real, practical advice on how to handle these situations.

What I liked best about this is that the author doesn’t tell kids that you have to be perfect in your relationship with Jesus. He lets kids know that giants will come and go in their lives and we will all stumble from time to time, but Jesus is always with us every step of the day. This book isn’t setting kids up for failure, but rather giving them hope that they are normal and ok, which is tremendously important for this age group.

I highly recommend this and am off to by a hard copy for my almost 13 year old now.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers by Loue Giglio! This book is adapted for kids between 8-12 years old from the book Goliath Must Fall. Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers teaches kids how they can fight their battles with Jesus by their side and how they are already winners because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. The book also has writing prompts to help the reader think about about what they are reading and how to apply it to their lives. One of my favorite parts in the book is the W.O.R.S.H.I.P. acronym. I believe this is awesome resource for parents, families, and those in ministry to help kids in their walk with Christ and I highly recommend it. I plan on telling others about this book and using it as a ministry resource for myself. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book! I really enjoyed reading it! (This review is also on GoodReads.)

[Tifainé Hedgecock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as you would expect from Louie Giglio, this book is clear and well written. The message, of course, is the same as the one in the original Goliath Must Fall book, but completely geared towards a younger audience. The words do not in any way 'talk down' to the reader, but the examples and tone well suit non-adult readers. The book stands alone well and needs no prior knowledge. It could be read alone or in a family or group for discussion; it's very versatile. I enjoyed this book and will be writing a more detailed review later, but for now it is certainly a title I would recommend for teenagers and younger readers who are interested.

[Sara Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers by Louie Giglio is the perfect addition to this series by Giglio!

I thoroughly enjoyed the adult version of Goliath Must Fall. When I saw the kid version, I just had to see what it was about. I thought the language was adjusted well for a child and put in context that they could understand and relate to.

Even as an adult, I can get something out of this. While a kid can work through this on their own, I think it would be nice to do with your child or adult and child doing their respective ones and discussing.

I received an eARC from Thomas Nelson Children's through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

[Have Faith And Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did this as a Bible study with my kids, ages 10 & 13. I loved the overall message, how we can draw strength from Jesus to help us overcome all of life’s obstacles and difficulties (our giants!), because Jesus has already overcome. All three of us - myself included- gained so much from this short book, and it sparked great discussions. The content was biblically sound, the message strong, and relied heavily on scripture to make points. I would recommend this book for any child (or adult!) age 8+.

[Alley W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goliath Must Fall for Young Readers, is a great book for everyone. It’s main focus is dealing with the giants in our lives that keep us from what God has in store from us. It deals with such topics as fear, rejection, anger and comfort to name a few. Louie Giglio uses real life examples to draw the reader in to better understand how these things impact our lives.

[Lylah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Goliath Must Fall" by Louie Giglio is a non-fiction book on spiritual warfare for middle graders. This book covers subjects such as: fear, anger, addiction, rejection and many other sub-topics. I was greatly blessed and encouraged by "Goliath Must Fall".
Overall I would reccomend this book to anyone struggling with a giant and/or giants.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent book by Giglio - I know I would have liked it a lot if I had read it when I was younger, as this is written for a younger audience - but it is still good. I found myself listening to a series of good sermons when I was reading this book, and it reminded me of a lot of important lessons through the story of David and the giants in our lives. I would recommend.

[Kaelee Dewit]

Pre-reading this book for one of my kids who struggles with anxiety. It was well written for its target audience. The author pushes the reader to look to Christ and gives great age appropriate advice on how to look to Christ to conquer the giants in our lives.

[Erica Donoho]

Previewed for my teen. An encouraging read. Criticism would be the analogy with David and Goliath. The author waffles between Jesus being David and us being David. Using "sin" instead of "goliath" could have been more impactful. Jesus triumphs over sin, death, Satan, not just difficult things.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louie Giglio writes with an inspiring story of the battles we continue to face battles and make decisions about what we stand for. Giglio draws on and applies Biblical narrative thoughtfully.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5-3.8. Wasn’t a slay💅🏻 for me, but I’d still recommend especially for tweens to early teens.