The Gold Medallion Book Award was established in 1978 to recognize outstanding Christian books. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and significance of contribution, the Gold Medallion Book Awards are among the most prestigious in the industry. A panel of distinguished judges, consisting primarily of Christian retailers, studies the award nominees selected from a field of entries submitted by publishers. The Wolfner collection contains the following titles that have won the Gold Medallion Award in the Fiction category.
1978 winner: I Came to Love You Late by Joyce Landorf Heatherley.
Fictional recreation of the people, culture, and attitudes in the days of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Martha, sister to Lazarus and Mary and friend to Jesus. RC 11281.
1983 winner: Love’s Long Journey by Janette Oke.
Oldest daughter Missie is now married, and she and Willie travel farther west, leaving the security of home and family behind. The faith and strength of Missie's childhood support her during the hardships of the trail and the shocking discovery at its end. Prairie Romance series, book 3. RC 22378.
1986 winner: More than Seven Watchmen by Helen Norris.
An unexpected, restless urge possesses childless widower Tom Beckett, the fifty-seven-year-old rector of Saint Stephen's, as he writes his Christmas Eve sermon. It is almost as if he is prescient. The stage is set for Tom's heart and soul to confront the beauty and fullness of God's world. And a runaway child, among others, is about to help that happen. RC 25431.
1987 winner: The Gates of Zion by Bodie Thoene.
Vividly portrays the intense struggle of the Jewish people in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the forces, within and without, which engulf the Middle East in conflict and controversy even today. Zion Chronicles series, book 1. WOD 207.
1989 winner: The Key to Zion by Bodie Thoene.
The British are in the final stages of their military evacuation from Palestine. Five mideastern nations have gathered around the tiny country to divide it up for themselves, totally ignoring the interests of the Palestinians in their greedy conspiracy to destroy the Jews. The Zion Chronicles series, book 5. WOD 204.
1990 winner: Piercing the Darkness by Frank E. Peretti.
An allegory of the struggle between good and evil in which demons and angels share the stage with human characters. The story, set in the small town of Bacon's Corner, is of Sally Roe's struggle with her own spiritual journey and of the fight to save a Christian school threatened by lawsuits. Darkness series, book 2. RC 31430.
1991 winner: Munich Signature by Bodie Thoene.
Elisa, Leah, Charles, and Louis face more dangers as they flee Austria. Leah and Louis walk across the Alps. Elisa, Murphy, and Charles flee London to begin the long journey to America and the hope of surgery for Charles's disfigured face. But Elisa misses the boat and is left behind in London where she becomes the pawn in a perilous game. Zion Covenant series, book 3. RC 34903.
1992 winner: Warsaw Requiem by Bodie Thoene.
For those who made it to Danzig, there are still many miles to go before they reach safety. The Ibsen children await passage to England, and Peter Wallich travels to Warsaw. But they cannot escape the constant bombing from Hitler's planes. Their only hope is Elisa Murphy's violin case, brought to Warsaw by her husband and containing passports hidden in a concealed compartment. Zion Covenant series, book 6. RC 34906.
1993 winner: In My Father’s House by Bodie Thoene.
After World War One, returning idealistic young soldiers and the women they love face another battle, the rampant prejudices in the United States. Klansmen go after a "red" doctor and his family, a young African American couple, and a Jewish schoolteacher who is sympathetic to the African Americans of Shiloh Valley. Spiritual faith and lasting friendships help overcome oppression. Shiloh Legacy series, book 1. Some violence. RC 35667.
1994 winner: Say to This Mountain by Bodie Thoene.
The stock market crash in 1929 was headline news, but little emphasis was placed on the tornado that hit Shiloh, Arkansas. Max Meyer and his son Davey have come home to their partially destroyed town. Here their lives intermingle with Jeff Canfield and his family, Doctor Warne and his grieving wife, and other Shiloh residents, all of whom must call upon their faith for guidance. Shiloh Legacy series, book 3. RC 38206.
1995 winner: The Twilight of Courage by Bodie Thoene.
This book is a chronicle of World War II from the Nazi occupation of Warsaw to the evacuation of the Allied troops from Dunkirk. Told from the point of view of two American journalists, an American pilot with the Royal Air Force, a German officer, and a French soldier as they come to terms morally and spiritually with the war, the story recounts heroic deeds, the rescue of babies, and couples falling in love. RC 41441.
1996 winner: The Oath by Frank E. Peretti.
Biologist Steve Benson arrives in rural Hyde River to investigate his brother's gruesome death, which officials attribute to a rogue bear. But when an old hermit reveals the unspeakable sin that has haunted the town for a century, Steve vows to seek out and confront the evil monster that killed his brother. RC 42541.
1998 winner: Only the River Runs Free by Bodie Thoene.
Just as Mad Molly Fahey predicted, it seems a miracle has come to Ballynockanor this Christmas Eve, 1841. Fifteen years earlier, while the lord of the manor lay dying, his son supposedly died in the frozen river. The new landlord made life difficult for the villagers. But now a stranger, Joseph Connor, has crossed the river, and soon hope comes once more to Ballynockanor. Galway Chronicles series, book 1. RC 46729.
2000 winner: A New Song by Jan Karon.
The Bishop assigns Father Tim, now retired, to fill in as interim priest on North Carolina's coastal island Whitecap. He is reluctant to leave his old friends in Mitford, but does keep in touch. However, he quickly finds his place at Saint John's in the Grove. The Mitford Years series, book 5. RC 48430, BR 12273.
2003 winner: Mission Compromised by Oliver North.
Major Peter Newman was a highly decorated United States Marine picked to lead a clandestine operation hunting and eliminating terrorists. When his mission is compromised, Newman embarks on a personal journey that threatens everything. WOD 966.