Our Story
Celebrating Books that Give Life!
Life Book Awards begins its journey in 2026 with a simple conviction: the books we read have the power to influence our hearts, shape our lives, and strengthen—or weaken—our walk with Christ.
The story behind Life Book Awards grew from our founder's personal struggle with an unhealthy relationship with reading. As an avid reader, she eventually came to recognize that not everything we choose to consume through books is beneficial to our lives—and, more importantly, to our spiritual growth.
Through Life Book Awards, we seek not only to celebrate excellent Christian books, but also to discover, recognize, and promote books from around the world that point readers toward Christ and encourage a life that glorifies Him.
Our hope is to build a growing collection of Life Books—books that readers can discover, learn from, and confidently consider as they seek literature grounded in Christian faith and values.
When a book bears the Life Book Awards seal, it signifies that the work has undergone our evaluation and has been recognized for the strength of its Christ-centered message, biblical integrity, and potential to make a meaningful spiritual impact on its readers.
We celebrate more than good books. We celebrate books that give life.
Mission
Life Book Awards exists to discover, celebrate, recognize, and promote books that point readers to Christ and inspire faithful Christian living. We seek to uphold a high standard for the books we honor—works that reflect biblical truth, strengthen faith, and encourage readers to live lives that glorify Christ.
Vision
We envision Life Book Awards becoming a trusted mark of distinction for Christ-centered literature, to become a trusted Christian book community where readers can discover books that strengthen their faith, deepen their understanding of biblical truth, and inspire lives that glorify Christ.
Meet our Founder
Madellene Peñaflor is a Christian author, blogger, accountant, business professional, and Bible study mentor whose writing reflects her love for faith, meaningful stories, and the transforming power of God’s Word. Alongside her professional experience in accounting, administration, business operations, and consulting, she has devoted time to mentoring young people through Scripture and encouraging others toward Christ-centered living. Her growing body of work spans Christian nonfiction, theology, memoir, and historical fiction, including Christ-Like: The New Living Way, Grace Unfolding: Glimpse of Life in Various Essays, A World Without Borders, and the Life in Colors series.
In 2026, her authorship journey reached a meaningful milestone when Grace Unfolding and A World Without Borders were both recognized as winners of the 2026 ChristLit Book Awards. More than recognition, however, Madellene sees writing as an opportunity to share stories and reflections that encourage readers to seek Christ and live lives that glorify Him. This same conviction ultimately inspired the founding of Life Book Awards—a Christian book award dedicated to discovering, recognizing, and celebrating books that give life.
