Catholic Books for Catholic Youth and Teens from CatholicMom.com

CatholicMom.com Recommends:

New Teen/Youth Book Recommendations:

Non-Fiction:
- Sword of the Spirit: A Beginner's Guide to St. Paul - by Christopher Cuddy and Mark Hart
- Saintbook - by Mark Hart
- 100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know - by Todd Lemieux and Mark Hart
Fiction:
- Catholic, Reluctantly (John Paul 2 High School) by Christian Frank
- The Midnight Dancers - A Fairy Tale Retold (Fairy Tale Novels) by Regina Doman
- Waking Rose by Regina Doman

Do you have a book recommendation? Email lisa@catholicmom.com with your suggestions!

Blessed Are the Bored in Spirit: A Young Catholic's Search for Meaning
by Mark Hart

Coming soon! With wit and insightful reflections, Mark Hart calls us to become "new" people in Jesus Christ. Written by Hart who is Vice President of LIFETEEN International and author of the popular Ask the Bible Geek: Answers to Questions from Catholic Teens.

Ask the Bible Geek: Answers to Questions from Catholic Teens
by Mark Hart

Gifted youth leader Mark Hart knows teens inside and out, and as the Bible Geek®, he asks and answers the real questions that puzzle them. Dealing realistically and honestly with concerns about God, temptations, personal issues, daily life and more, the Bible Geek® speaks encouragement to the minds and hearts of kids. His solutions to typical situations teens wonder about, are rooted in Scripture and the Catholic tradition.

The Goodness Within: Reaching Out to Troubled Teens with Love and Compassion
by Mark Redmond

Mark Redmond offers readers pragmatic reflections on mentoring, as well as a chronicle of his own experiences with young people in crisis. Incorporating stories from his twenty-year career as a counselor, Redmond examines some of America's crucial social issues, such as: neglect, adolescent self-destruction and racism. The author writes, "This book is about helping adolescents discover their own worth, dignity and goodness." Each chapter invites readers to consider ways to support young men and women "at-risk" in the discovery of their value and significance. The Goodness Within is a call to adults--parents, students, educators, counselors and clergy--to become involved with at-risk adolescents. Redmond writes, "The adult must take the position, I'm going to stand by this young person, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes . . . The long-term consequences for negative behavior are real, often severe and sometimes lethal."

Prove It! Series for Catholic Teen Apologetics
by Amy Welborn

Prove It! the Catholic Teen Bible-NAB -
Amy Welborn's latest addition to the Prove It! Series is a great resource for teens. As an accompaniment to the complete New American Bible, this paperback edition includes a series of Prove It! inserts that make this a great Bible for teens and young adults. The book's introduction is addressed at the questions of why and how to read the Bible. Additional topics covered throughout the main sections of the Bible include answers to basic (and not so basic) questions about God, Jesus, the Church, prayer and more. A special concluding section entitled "the map" is an excellent compilation of important data and prayers that should form the basis of catechesis for any young Catholic. Along with all of our traditional prayers, the Stations of the Cross, the Mysteries of the Rosary and much more are included. This light weight and compact Bible will be a great resource for your Catholic preteen, teen or young adult for years to come.

Prove It! Jesus
Prove It! Church
Prove It! Prayer
Prove it! God
Prove It! the Catholic Teen Bible-NAB

Amy Welborn's wonderful apologetics series for teens! Highly recommended!

Run from the Nun
A great new work of Catholic fiction by Erin MacLellan!

When Kara's parents send her to a Catholic school, the fifth grader is forced not only to leave her elementary school, but also her best friend. She tries many tactics to get kicked out of St. Joan of Arc School: she wears outrageous clothes instead of the uniform, she sneaks into the forbidden graveyard, and she promises the winners of the food drive a day off from school. She finds Sister Mary Francis a formidable opponent, however, and fellow student Anthony Russo an exasperating pest. In a predictable conclusion, she finally "wins" the battle as her parents agree to pull her out of the Catholic school--and then she changes her mind. The characters are well developed; Kara matures as the story unfolds. The plot shows how the students' impressions of one another and of adults can be wrong, all with humor.

Black as Night: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman (9/04) - Click here to read our Book Spotlight feature on this title.

Sex Has a Price Tag
by Pam Stenzel

Click here to read an interview with this author

Desiderata: A Teenager's Journey to God
by David Eich

Aimed at teenagers and young adults, this book uses the 15 mysteries of the Rosary as a means of understanding all the important Christian virtues and how to live them in our daily lives. Along with the inspiring and practical meditations of the Rosary mysteries, this book is filled with stories of saints and contemporary heroes that show how the lessons and virtues of the Rosary have been put into practice. Saints like Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, Kateri Tekakwitha, Maximilian Kolbe, and Bernadette Soubirous teach us through this book what it means to choose Christ everyday and follow him on our journey to God. Illustrated.

The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth
With clear, concise information about the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church--organized to parallel the Catechism of the Catholic Church so that young people can appreciate the richness of Catholic teaching--this handbook is the most comprehensive available. Teens will appreciate the articles and stories that shed light on issues important to them. Useful sidebars give quick, easy access to Catholicism's basics and include "Pray It!" "Looking Back," "Saintly Profiles," "Did You Know?" and "Live It!" A full-color design and over 100 photos make the book lively and interesting for teens.

Teen Guide to the Bible - by Alfred McBride. O. Praem.
This book presents Bible stories that give teens a true sense of the flow of salvation history and the life of Christ.

Young Faces of Holiness: Modern Saints in Photos and Words
by Ann Ball
Introduce teens and young adults to these funny, playful, athletic, loving, courageous youths. Share with your students the lives - and photos - of people their own age. Or, in some cases, even younger! These are the Church's young holy ones. Its saints and its blesseds and servants of God on the road to canonization. A perfect Confirmation gift. A great choice for a child or teen deciding on a Confirmation name.

Do you have a great youth or teen
book recommendation?
Email Lisa@catholicmom.com
to share your suggestion!

Real Love: Answers to Your Questions on Dating, Marriage and the Real Meaning of Sex
by Mary Beth Bonacci

Mary Beth Bonacci speaks to nearly 100,000 people every year. She speaks to people across the country and around the world - about friendship, about relationships, about marriage, about God's plan for sexuality, and about finding real, honest love. And they speak back to her. They ask her questions -- about sex, about dating, about healing after a shattered relationship, about marriage, about their struggles to live love. Now, for the first time, Mary Beth has published those questions - and her answers - in a comprehensive, readable guide which addresses the details of the very real struggle that people face in trying to live real love in a world gone mad. Through these questions and her answers, Mary Beth offers a comprehensive catechesis of the Church's teaching in the areas of marriage and human sexuality. She tackles the toughest issues - premarital sex, contraception, divorce, homosexuality, pornography and others. She gives practical advice on living the Church's teachings. And throughout it all, she demonstrates that living respect for God's gift of sexuality is the way - the only way - to find real, honest. love.

Did Adam & Eve Have Bellybuttons...And 199 other questions from Catholic Teenagers
by Matthew Pinto

Nothing is easy about being a teenager, except maybe understanding the Catholic Faith . (Thanks to Matt Pinto!) Pinto offers today’s young Catholic a collection of clear Catholic answers to their crucial questions, ranging from abortion to women as priests.

Day by Day: The Notre Dame Prayer Book for Students

Day by Day: The Notre Dame Prayerbook for Students celebrates its 25^th anniversary with this wonderful new edition. While aimed at college students, the format of the book is helpful to anyone seeking tools to develop a richer prayer life. The book has been updated to include the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary and still contains all of the classic Catholic prayers so central to our Faith. At the heart of the book, and what makes it so special, are the various “Student Life” prayers targeted at helping teens and adults face the many challenges they come up against in day to day life. The book is an excellent resource for high school and college students, young adults seeking to transition into the “real world” and any Catholic family looking to add a treasure to their Catholic home library.

By Christian (Non-Catholic) Authors

Teenvirtue 2: A Teen Girl's Guide to Relationships (Teenvirtue)
by Vicki Courtney

Following up the best-selling first issue of this book-smart, magazine styled series, TeenVirtue 2 confidently guides young girls through the delicate world of key relationships: with family, with friends, with boys, and with God.

The Rugendo Rhinos Series by Shel Arensen

The Poison Arrow Tree (Book 1)
The Carjackers (Book 2)
Poachers Beware (Book 3)
The Secret Oath (Book 4)

Matt, Dean, Dave and Jon each live with their missionary parents in Kenya and they form a club known as the Rugendo Rhinos. They are in constant competition with the local girls and inevitably are drawn into one heart-pounding adventure after another. These juvenile fiction books will appeal to preteens and are written by an author who grew up and currently serves as a missionary in Kenya.

The Davis Detective Mysteries
by Rick Acker

The Case of the Autumn Rose (Book 1)
The Lost Treasure of Fernando Montoya (Book 2)

Juvenile fiction with sustained action and an exciting mystery plot-line so skillfully written it will appeal equally to guys and girls.

How to Help a Hurting Friend: Clear Guidance for Messy Problems by Susie Shellenberger (Zondervan)
click through on the underlined title to read my complete review

The Wooden Ox

The powerful story of a young teenager’s crisis of faith in the midst of the worst trouble imaginable

The Parker Twins
by Jeanette Windle

Cave of the Inca Re (Book 1)
Jungle Hideout (Book 2)
Secret of the Dragon Mark (Book 5)
Race for the Secret Code (Book 6)

The author of this exciting new series shares the following about her books: "My hope for the Parker Twin series is that each book , along with its exciting mystery/suspense story, will teach solid values and open children's minds to a great, exciting world of other peoples and cultures not so different under the surface than our own."