Reddit mentions: The best teen religious fiction books

Other great YA titles that deal with issues of faith and doubt where religion is concerned. As an author, I'll try to keep my editorializing to a minimum, but these titles should definitely be included in this discussion.

Godless by Pete Hautman
Winner of the NBA for Young People's Lit in 2004, Hautman's protagonist wrestles with his doubts about his Catholic faith, eventually deciding to found his own religion with some friends over the summer. Great exploration of faith and the struggle to believe past your doubts.

[I'll Be There] (http://www.amazon.com/Ill-There-Holly-Goldberg-Sloan/dp/B009F7M5XY) by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Very positive and often hilarious portrayal of church-going family actually implementing social justice and selfless love without being preachy or heavy-handed.

[What We Lost] (http://www.amazon.com/What-We-Lost-ebook/dp/B00ADVLPNW) by Sara Zarr
Originally published as ONCE WAS LOST, Little, Brown has reissued this book, interestingly with a less blatantly religious title. (The original is a lyric from "Amazing Grace.") It follows a pastor's daughter whose Mom has been sent to rehab. It's an incredibly tender story with a dynamite first-person protagonist. Some of Zarr's best work.

COMING APRIL 2014:
[This Side of Salvation] (http://www.amazon.com/This-Side-of-Salvation-ebook/dp/B00DA98ZUA) by Jeri Smith-Ready
When David's brother dies, his parents find solace in a religious community counting down the days until believers are whisked away (called "The Rush" in this book, not the Rapture, interesting...). A book about how we deal with grief and the search for salvation.

My suggestions don't really explain the Bible, but they are thought-provoking and fascinating if you like science.

Creation and Time

Beyond the Cosmos (I found this book really interesting.)

The Creator and the Cosmos

The Fingerprint of God

These are all by the same guy, and I really enjoyed them a great deal, so I fully recommend them to you.

I also enjoy Christian fantasy books, for example:

The Dragon King Trilogy: In the Hall of the Dragon King

The Warlords of Nin

The Sword and the Flame

The Pendragon Cycle: Taliesin

Merlin

Arthur

Pendragon

Grail

To be honest, I haven't read the last two, they weren't out yet when I read these books.

I also recommend some classics like Lilith by George MacDonald.

The Case for Christ

Anyway, that's all I can think of at this time. If I think of anything else, I'll update this list.

So the statues were in an Earthlord created city, but pretty much every other race had lived in it at some point. I don't think anyone knows who created the statues in the first place. Maybe Marethyu? As for those stories, they are e-books which you can find on pretty much any e-book store, but the Amazon links are here and here. The first one is of pretty decent length and is actually pretty good, the second one is more action-filled less story, but it's decent if you want to read more.

There is probably no such thing. On the other hand you might enjoy Jataka tales (there are a number published just for children). This looks like a good book with some nice Jataka stories. Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Okay! Is this it?

Ordinary Miracles by Stephanie Tolan.

"That's what Mark Filkins has always believed. But it seems as if he's also gotten a lot he hasn't asked for, like feeling that he's a slightly faded copy of his twin brother, or his parents' plan that both boys will grow up to be preachers.

When he meets Dr. Colin Hendrick, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose research Mark's family disapproves of, Mark realizes that he can -- and should -- make choices for himself. But when Colin reveals a terrible secret, Mark knows the time has come to ask for the most important thing of all...and put his own faith on the line."--synopsis from Amazon.

(I don't post to Reddit, so if you could confirm this over there too, that'd be awesome of you!)


Let me know, so I can thank her!

http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Miracles-Stephanie-S-Tolan/dp/0380733226

Cool, thanks - $2.99 on Kindle or free with KindleUnlimited:

https://www.amazon.com/Vagabond-King-Coming-Age-Story-ebook/dp/B005MGEQ2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527317460&sr=8-1&keywords=vagabond+king+kindle

Now I feel dirty for shilling for Amazon.

Dr. Taylor Marshall has a nice take on the badass stories of Saint George, Saint Nicholas and Saint Christopher:

https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Serpent-Taylor-Marshall/dp/0988442558

US: http://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Saga-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00IQZ7OWI

a book because i am a nerd

Grab you free e-book copy of this fantasy adventure, a fast-paced story of Jules as he journeys into enemy land and finds the truth about his family. Visit www.emmaright.com to learn more. Now for a limited launch period on Amazon.com. Link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Keeper-Reign-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B00CVK128Q/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1372282396&sr=8-1&keywords=keeper+of+reign

The only one I can think of is Angels Watching Over Me. The girl does meet people who wear odd clothes, but I'm not sure about the other details.

http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Watching-Over-Lurlene-Mcdaniel/dp/0553567241

> Maybe it could give them a little insight on how not having their phone, tablet or computer for an hour really isn't all that bad.

I don't think that this is necessarily the message that kids should be taking from this book. When I tell my kids about the Holocaust, I won't be presenting it as if it's something that you should be comparing to your own life, I'll be presenting it to them with books such as Maus and Once by Morris Gleitzman which I read as a child and really enjoyed, because I felt that that also touched on aspects of the Holocaust that are not largely explored, and of course the ever-famous The Book Thief because we all know how amazing that book is.

I think that what makes Maus so important is that it doesn't just explain what happened during the Holocaust and it doesn't just explain what happened during the Holocaust to this person, but it shows how the Holocaust touched this family. It shows that the terrible-ness of the Holocaust didn't end when WWII ended. It's still going. People are still hurting.

I think that rather than teaching kids that there are things far worse than not having their phones or tablets for an hour, we should be trying to get kids to relate to the Holocaust in a different way. I think that this story encourages us to look at things differently and I think kids should understand not that there are worse things than not having their phones, but that there are better things. Look at what these people have done with their lives. Both Art and Vladek, and I guess everyone.

Obligatory:
> "Tell our viewers what message you want them to get from your book?"

> "A message? I dunno... I-I never thought of reducing it to a message. I mean, I wasn't trying to CONVINCE anybody of anything. I just wanted..."