Teens and Young Adults

In What Matters Most, University of Notre Dame theology professor Leonard J. DeLorenzo urges youth ministers, teachers, and parents to help young people redefine success in light of their call to discipleship--completely saying yes to God.

In Luke's account of the Annunciation, Mary offers a true model of discipleship for young people to follow. Her example will empower them to make choices about how to live their lives as a courageous yes to God in everything they choose--just as she did.

DeLorenzo, who served as the long-time director of Notre Dame Vision--a program designed to help young Catholics find their true calling as disciples of Jesus--shows how Mary exhibited four habits that will guide young people to make important life decisions:

A Lion for the Emperor is the second volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (5 books total).

Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .

Maximus and Aghiles join their friend Titus on his father's expedition to capture a magnificent lion in the forests of North Africa. After surviving the dangers of the hunt, the three friends face a perilous voyage back to Rome. Their mission: present Emperor Diocletian with a priceless beast that will be used to satisfy the pagan appetite for violence during games in the Colosseum.

Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships--and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of the Rome.

Following Christ isn't always easy. You need faith, courage, patience, and love.

Colleen Swaim looks at eight young souls who became saints for the against-the-current, selfless heroism of their teen years. In addition to the inspiring stories, Ablaze includes maps, recipes, prayers, journal prompts, scripture references and reflection questions to help the reader apply the saints' experiences to every day life.

Read how an Italian high school student inspired thousands as she faced cancer joyfully. Follow a new Christian as he marches to his death by fire after standing firm in his faith in the face of a wretched king. Lock arms with a young man and his crucifix as he dares brawling teens to throw the first stone.

We are all called to follow Christ in our own ways. This book will inflame your heart with vivid storytelling, saintly challenges, prayers, images, and more. Discover how you can set your world ablaze with love for the Lord!

Features: Saint Dominic Savio; Saint Teresa of the Andes; Saint Kizito; Blessed Chiara Luce Badano; Saint Stanislaus Kostka; Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception; Blessed Pedro Calungsod; and Saint Maria Goretti.

View sample pages.

Paperback

Review by Lisa M. Hendey, CatholicMom.com webmaster:

If you're a mom of teens like me, you're constantly on the lookout for books and resources that will help inspire your family. With this new book by Colleen Swaim -- her first, but hopefully just the start of a prolific writing career -- we discover a treasure of the faith for Catholics young and old.

Ablaze is aimed at teens, but truthfully, the resources contained within this book will aid anyone looking to grow in sanctity and faith. Colleen profiles the lives of eight young saints and blesseds, sharing their path to sainthood with accounts that are filled with insight and detail. She has a voice that truly manages to bring these stories to life. Perhaps it's her work as a high school teacher that has provided her with an insight into what will move, challenge and inspire young people. Ablaze is filled with so much more than simply biographical details, including sidebars, vocabulary descriptions, maps, sacramental lessons, and even recipes. Journal prompts, prayers, scripture references and reflection questions help the reader to fully interact with the content presented, applying it to the challenges of every day life.

Each of the saints profiled, though living in different periods of history, has a freshness and a relevance to the world our teens face today. Colleen Swaim aptly brings their heroic virtues to light in a way that will have teens (and grown ups too!), eagerly interacting with her content and asking for more. I give Ablaze my highest recommendation and will enjoy sharing it with my own son this summer.

Azalea Rose is no different from all the other gestates. Even though she's been gifted a name by Mr. Northup, she's still only a slave. She exists for one reason-to serve. How could she be worthy of anything more? After all, she isn't even a person. People are born from women; she's merely a human gestated by a machine, genetically altered not to be able to love or even think for herself. Though she looks like a vintage born, the purest form of a person, she's lower than an animal.

The truth of her life doesn't bother her. Why should it; it's what she was created for. Besides, there's no escape-the gestation firms made sure of that. Every action is seen, every word is heard, and every heartbeat tracked. If she serves those she is assigned to serve, she will not be punished.

She isn't assigned to Mr. Northup. He lives next door in an outdated house built of wood, where he is allowed to grow wasteful roses. Nothing about him makes sense. He's old, already many years into the age of uselessness, and yet he hasn't been dissolved. Everyone knows the useless are dissolved and the gestates serve. Everyone in her world, at least. But Kolbe isn't from her world. Kolbe isn't like anyone she's ever met ...

Altered is the first book in a new dystopian series by best-selling author Jacqueline Brown.

Avonlea's new schoolma'am, at the age of 15, is barely older then her pupils. Anne earnestly strives to win the affection of every student while maintaining the decorum of her new role. Her irrepressible spirit and lively imagination, however, often sidetrack her into amusing mischief and mortifying scrapes, all eventually remedied by the warmth of friendship and goodwill.
In this classic sequel to Anne of Green Gables, the author once again draws from girlhood memories of Prince Edward Island to portray the sweet, old-fashioned village of Avonlea, situated amid the natural beauty of the Canadian Maritimes. Although Anne and her friends and neighbors dwell in a bygone age of gaslight and horse-drawn carriages, Anne's dreams of the future, lofty aspirations, and romantic visions make her a heroine for all ages. Modern readers continue to share her tribulations and triumphs in leading the village improvement society, adapting to the boisterous arrival at Green Gables of a pair of 6-year-old orphans, and searching always for the company of kindred spirits.
Since Anne's debut in 1908, generations of readers around the world have grown up with the starry-eyed young woman with the shining hair (please, call it auburn, not red). This inexpensive new edition of Anne's further adventures ensures the continuation of a joyful tradition.

Our kids are under tremendous stress and pressure, with a rapidly changing culture demanding more and more from them. More attention, more screens, more intensity, more fear. Anxious for Nothing helps young people overcome the anxiety and pressures of today's world and come to a deeper understanding of God's loving presence as promised in Philippians 4:6-7, drawing on content from Max Lucado's bestselling book of the same name.

In this chaotic age of social media, packed schedules, and an increasing awareness of the world's problems, it's normal for kids to feel overwhelmed sometimes. But the good news of the gospel has not changed. This encouraging book will help tweens and teens take control of their feelings, develop emotional understanding, and choose to focus on God's truth.

This much-needed book adapts content from You Are Not Alone and Anxious for Nothing. With the warmth and authenticity that has made him a beloved pastor and writer, Max Lucado offers middle graders and tweens

This special edition of Anxious for Nothing also includes:

Practical, motivating, and biblically grounded, Anxious for Nothing (Young Readers Edition) is a timely book for kids who feel overwhelmed, lonely, or anxious, or who simply want to experience God's abundant joy and peace.

From the outside, seventeen-year-old Siena has the perfect life. She and her two younger sisters are adored by their wealthy father and grandmother. They are removed from the world, living in a modern-day castle in the middle of their grand family estate on the majestic shores of Maine. There is nothing to fear-Siena's father has made sure of that. Unfortunately, he has forgotten that the greatest threats can come from within.

On the edge of their idyllic property is a dilapidated inn built long ago. Thomas, the boy Siena grew up with, is drawn to the weathered building next to the sea. He is the opposite of Luca, the troubled young man who just moved to the expansive property. While Thomas tries to draw Siena closer to the inn, Luca warns her to stay away.

The inn holds far more mysteries than Siena's family is willing to tell ... but ignorance provides no protection.

Awakening is the first in a new series by best-selling author Jacqueline Brown. She again invites readers into a world of intriguing characters and vivid scenes which prompt readers to suspend belief in the limits of physical reality and subtly question-Is there something more?

From New York Times bestselling author comes The Beautiful Pretender!

After inheriting his title from his brother, the margrave has two weeks to find a noble bride. What will happen when he learns he has fallen for a lovely servant girl in disguise?

The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble born ladies who meet the king's approval to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

Avelina has only two instructions: keep her true identity a secret and make sure the margrave doesn't select her as his bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter, Dorothea.

Despite Avelina's best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can't deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse--far deadlier--consequences