Welcome to my quarterly newsletter. This month’s edition is full of exciting news that I can’t wait to share! So, let’s get to it!!

First exciting news:

You may have seen the posts on Facebook but some of us authors at CatholicTeenBooks.com, have written short stories centered around one theme – Secrets. This anthology will be available starting July 4^th. That day, besides being the birthday of our country, happens to be the feast day of Pier Giorgio Frassati – the patron saint of Catholic teens. How perfect is that?

My short story, More Precious Than Gold, combines characters from both my previous novels. Not only will you get to join them on a new adventure, you’ll get a taste of six incredible authors that you might not be familiar with – Susan Peek, Theresa Linden, Cynthia Toney, Corinna Turner, TM Gaouette, and Carolyn Astfalk.

 

Second exciting news:

My third book, Where You Lead, finally has a release date! September 15!! I’m thrilled for this book’s release. The opening of this novel was something that popped into my mind over 25 years ago! To have it finally develop into a book is really exciting for me.

A vision from God leads to the adventure of a lifetime.

Sixteen-year-old Eve Donahue’s lonely existence changes in an instant when visions of a mysterious stranger haunt her. Certain God is calling her for a mission, she bravely says yes and begins her quest to meet this young man.

Thousands of miles away, Nick Hammond has been dealing with his own unusual experience, an unwavering certainness to convince his father to run for political office.

When these two unlikely teens finally meet, their belief that God has called them to work together sets them on a journey of faith to untangle a web of deception involving international trade agreements, lost confederate gold, and a blossoming romance. As they follow century old clues, they realize God can call us all in big and small ways. We just need to listen and say, “Yes Lord, I will go where You lead.”

Third exciting news:

Drumroll please….

Pauline Books and Media has agreed to publish the sequel to The Perfect Blindside!! Yes! The long-awaited continuation of Jake and Sophie’s story will be coming your way next year!

Here is a sneak peek at the tentatively titled eXtreme Deception:

When unusual events, at the premiere extreme winter sports competition, threaten the games, teens Jake and Sophie once again find themselves entangled in a web of deception.

In this thrilling sequel to The Perfect Blindside, join Sophie as she travels into Jake’s exciting world of extreme sports. When the premier athletes, at the Mountain Madness games, are plagued with problems, Jake and Sophie become suspicious. As the mystery deepens and danger grows, can this couple unravel the clues before Jake becomes the next victim?  Is their faith strong enough to survive the perils of fame?

Join snowboarding superstar Jake and aspiring journalist Sophie on their next high-flying adventure!

But wait! There is still other news…

An Unexpected Role was chosen by author Erin McCole Cupp to be part of her Sabbath Rest Book Talk. Each month she chooses three books around a common theme and discusses them live on YouTube. An Unexpected Role will be part of August’s discussion along with Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh and The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. This book talk about belonging will be on Sunday August 5^th at 7pm eastern. More information HERE.

As you know, each month here on my blog I review Christian and Catholic teen books. In an effort to reach even more young people with these great faith-based books, I am now sharing monthly book reviews on several websites and on a podcast. These sites might be great places to find more books and inspirations for your families.

CatholicMom.com

Catholic365

ChristianBookFair

Jedlie’s Reading With Your Kids Podcast

 

And finally…

There is a bit of business to take care of. You may have already seen other blogs send out notices about GDPR. This is a European law that is affecting websites here in the US as well. It is a consumer protection safeguard. To comply, I will be sending out a verification email in a few days. All you need to do is click a button to verify that you would like to continue to be subscribed to my newsletter. Please be assured that I would never sell or give away any email addresses and you are free to unsubscribe at any time.  (Although, I hope you don’t!)

Okay, that’s it for this quarter. Thanks so much for all your continued support!  Happy Reading and God Bless!!

Welcome to my monthly book review post!

June Book Reviews – Adventure

June – the beginning of summer – a perfect time for a little adventure!

An Unexpected Role

This is one of my books. Now, I may be a little biased, but this YA novel really is a perfect summer adventure. Set on a South Carolina Island, this book contains all the elements I love in a story – mystery, adventure, humor, innocent romance, and a touch of faith.

This story holds a special place in my heart. There is just something about these characters that make them extra special to me. When I was writing my first novel, The Perfect Blindside, in order to make my teen characters believable I spent a lot of time listening to and observing my own kids. While I was taking notes of certain teen phrases that I liked, I thought about what would happen if an author wrote too much about her kids and it ended up causing trouble for them. This was the idea that eventually turned into An Unexpected Role. Poor Josie’s life is turned upside down when her mom’s new novel causes turmoil in her life. This book is also about discovering who God wants you to be.

McCracken and the Lost Island by Mark Adderley

This is the first book in the McCracken series by Mark Adderley. I’ve heard this series described as “Indiana Jones with a rosary” and that is a great description. This delightful book is perfect for middle school and high school boys who love adventurous novels. It is set in the 1930’s with an interesting group of international characters including the English engineer/inventor McCracken, the lovely Ariadne – a communications expert with an interesting past relationship with McCracken, a French deep sea diver, a Russian pilot and a rich German Baron who gathers them all for an adventure to find a lost island. I thoroughly enjoyed the exciting plot which reminded me of the movie version of “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. McCracken’s strong faith and engineering genius makes this character a fantastic role model for teens.

The Relic of Perilous Falls by Raymond Arroyo

If your child likes the Percy Jackson series, they’ll probably enjoy Raymond Arroyo’s action-packed Will Wilder books. The Relic of Perilous Falls is the first book in this series about Will Wilder, a young boy with unique gifts. Will doesn’t realize he has special powers but when he accidently unleashes some demons in his hometown during a birthday party, he learns that there is a secret society of believers that all have special powers to keep people safe from the dark side.

There are many unique characters in this book that add a fun element – Will’s Aunt, friends, siblings and parents all help to make this story fast moving and enjoyable.

 

All these books can be found on Amazon. I’ve set links – just click on the highlighted titles. For those who don’t use Amazon you can also check Barnes and Noble online or www.indiebound.org where you can search for books and the local bookstores that might carry them or order them directly from the website. You can also ask your local bookstore or library to order the books for you.

Next month I’ll be reviewing three more Christian/Catholic teen novels. But if you’d like more reviews before then you can always check out my recommendation section on my website: YA Recommendations.

If you’ve come across this post on Facebook and would like to get my monthly reviews sent directly to your inbox, you can sign up on my website – www.LesleaWahl.com.

Until next month – Happy Reading!

Welcome to my monthly book review post!

In case you are new to my blog… every month I post about 3 YA books that I’ve read, each month in a new genre. So, if you’re not interested in other teen books you can skip past this Book Review Post. I’ll still be sending out quarterly posts marked UPDATES regarding news about my own work.

But for those of you who have kids, or grand-kids, or you yourself like teen books (like me!), each month I’ll introduce some of my favorite Christian and Catholic YA books.

I’ve decided to provide more reviews because there are a few things I’ve learned since I had my first book published:

1 – So many of the teen books published by the big publishing companies contain messages that don’t match the values of many families.

2 – There are a lot of fantastic, clean, faith based books out there. Books that are entertaining yet wholesome and reflect Christian values.

3 – These types of books can be really hard to find. So, I’d like to introduce you to a few new adventures.

This is a genre that I thoroughly enjoy because I always learn so much about another time in history. Seeing these glimpses of the past through the eyes of fictional characters really brings the time periods to life. Today’s books all transport readers through thoroughly engaging stories of young women who must fight for their faith, stand up for their beliefs, and find the path that God has led them to take.

 

A World Such as Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer

This is a sweeping love story set during the darkest time of our nation’s history – the Civil War. Ever since I was a little girl and watched “Gone with the Wind”, I’ve had a bit of a fascination with this era. Back then it was the beautiful gowns and huge plantation houses that I found fascinating. But since then I’ve visited several Civil War battlefields and the stories of the horror that unfolded on them, between fellow countrymen is unfathomable.

A World Such as Heaven Intended (such a beautiful title) is about Amara, a young lady living in Atlanta who decides to help her Uncle and the confederate soldiers at his makeshift hospital. One of her patients is a handsome young soldier named Nathan, who was forced into service for his country.

This book does a wonderful job of showing several difficult aspects to the war. Through Amara, we see the tragedy of the injuries and the unthinkable medical conditions at that time. Nathan shows us how the lines of good and bad could easily be blurred. It’s easy now to look back at the Civil War and break it down to a discussion on slavery but it’s not that simple. Seeing the conflict from the perspective of these two individuals highlighted that point.

I also loved the interaction between Amara and Nathan, especially in the second half of the book. Amara’s strong will and Nathan’s sarcasm made for some fantastic scenes that made me laugh out loud. This is a fabulous book that will sweep you away and provide some fantastic discussions.

 

Playing By Heart by Carmela Martino

This beautifully written Young Adult novel centers around the strong faith of two sisters, Emilia and Maria, and their extraordinary talents. The book is set in 18^th Century Milan, Italy and focuses on their relationships with their father, as well as their struggle to follow the paths they believe God wants them to take. Unfortunately, they lived in a time when young women were subject to their father’s wishes. And their father hoped to showcase their incredible gifts to advance himself to nobility and was not interested in their desires.

The beautiful descriptions bring this book to life. I found the passages describing Emilia’s music particularly lovely. The author does a wonderful job of showing society and culture of 18^th century Italy. This time period makes for a very interesting book, especially for young women, to see the choices and educational opportunities available to girls their age at that time in history.

Playing By Heart highlights something that’s near and dear to my heart – that we all have gifts from God and we should find ways to use these gifts to help others. I loved that these young women knew their talents were from God and they longed to use them in a positive way. I also really appreciated the underlying passages of jealousy. This is something we all can relate to, feeling envious of another’s successes. How Emilia deals with this and works through it is a wonderful example for readers to emulate.

This historic fiction, inspired by two real sisters who lived in 18^th Century Italy, would make a fantastic bookclub or classroom choice, full of many great topics for discussion.

 

Erin’s Ring by Laura H. Pearl

This was such an enjoyable book! I really liked how the novel alternated between a modern day story and the history of Irish immigrants that came to America in the 1800’s.

It begins when Molly – a modern day middle school girl, finds an engraved ring at her church. When she discovers it’s a traditional Irish ring, she decides to research the town’s rich Irish history for a school project. As she delves into her research, we are drawn into the world of the Irish immigrants that fled Ireland during the Potato famine to find a better life here in America.

This book is set in Dover, New Hampshire where many young women journeyed to work in the textile industry. The town became a place where Irish Catholics found a home even though there was no Catholic church available. This story provides a fascinating look into the struggles of the Irish Catholic immigrants – many of which were single young men and women who came over to work and sent money back to Ireland to support their families.

The historical parts were quite interesting and thought-provoking and the storyline in the modern-day chapters was quite touching as well. Erin’s Ring is a really wonderful story about the importance of family, friendship, and faith.

 

All these books can be found on Amazon. I’ve set links – just click on the highlighted titles. For those who don’t use Amazon you can also check Barnes and Noble online or www.indiebound.org where you can search for books and the local bookstores that might carry them or order them directly from the website. You can also ask your local bookstore or library to order the books for you.

Next month I’ll be reviewing three more Christian/Catholic teen novels. But if you’d like more reviews before then you can always check out my recommendation section on my website: YA Recommendations.

If you’ve come across this post on Facebook and would like to get my monthly reviews sent directly to your inbox, you can sign up on my website – www.LesleaWahl.com.

Until next month – Happy Reading!

Welcome to my monthly book review post!

This month’s book reviews are for the younger boys that enjoy teen fiction – late elementary to early high school. Many teen/tween books seem to be geared to girls, so I’ve compiled a list just for the boys, with wonderful male lead characters. Having said that – girls would thoroughly enjoy these books as well.

SORRY….

Before we go any further I would like to take this moment to tell you that last month I was having some technical difficulties with my website. Some posts did not send and others were sent with no information. I apologize and think (hope) all the glitches have been ironed out. Because of this my March book reviews and my quarterly update did not send to my subscriber list. Some of you may have seen these on Facebook but if you missed them and would like to see these blogs, you can click on the links below.

March Book Reviews – Contemporary Religious Books

Quarterly Update and New Book Reveal 

In case you are new to my blog… every month I post about 3 YA books that I’ve read, each month in a new genre. So, if you’re not interested in other teen books you can skip past this Book Review Post. I’ll still be sending out posts marked UPDATES regarding news about my own work every other month.

But for those of you who have kids or grandkids or you yourself like teen books (like me!), each month I’ll introduce some of my favorite Christian and Catholic YA books.

I’ve decided to provide more reviews because there are a few things I’ve learned since I had my first book published:

1 – So many of the teen books published by the big publishing companies contain messages that don’t match the values of many families.

2 – There are a lot of fantastic, clean, faith based books out there. Books that are entertaining yet wholesome and reflect Christian values.

3 – These types of books can be really hard to find. So, I’d like to introduce you to a few new adventures.

 

Books for Younger Teen Boys

The Other Side of Freedom by Cynthia T. Toney

This middle grade historic fiction novel is set in the 1920’s and told from the point of view of a middle school age boy – Salvatore. The author effortlessly delved into the mind of a young boy who lived in Louisiana during the tumultuous Prohibition years, weaving together a fascinating tale of hardship, corruption and the importance of family and faith. This intriguing, coming of age story focuses on the difficult choices and decisions one Italian immigrant family must face while desperately trying to keep their family together.

I didn’t know much about this interesting time in our history when Italian/Sicilian gangsters terrorized American communities, but was fascinated by this story and how these crime sprees affected law-abiding families of Italian descent. Besides being a captivating story, this book provides plenty of discussion topics including the repercussions that can arise when trying to do what is right, as well as the issues of: prohibition, segregation and immigration.

Roland West, Loner by Theresa Linden

This is a Catholic YA novel centered around the relationships between brothers and friends. This book is especially great for Middle School and High School boys. Linden knows boys well and writes from this perspective perfectly.

I absolutely loved the development of the friendship between Roland and his neighbor Peter. I also enjoyed the character of Caitlyn and the sweet relationships she had with both boys. Even though it’s titled Roland West, Peter had his own very interesting storyline and issues to overcome. The author fused the two boys’ storylines together brilliantly through an adventure they embark on together.

There is a deeply religious part of the story, about saints and relics that was brought up in a very intriguing way. This is a subject I’ve never seen addressed before in YA fiction and I think the readers will find it as interesting as I did. Linden does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into Roland’s life. At times I wanted to scream in frustration with how he was treated by his manipulative brothers.

The best news is that this is the first in a series of books for teens about Roland and his brothers.

 

Mission Libertad by Lizette Lantigua

Mission Libertad is the story of Luisito, a young teenage boy who escapes Communist Cuba in 1979 with his parents. This is such a wonderful book with so many interesting aspects to it. First of all, it is a fabulous historic fiction for middle school and high school age kids about a time in history that I haven’t seen much written about. There is also an intriguing mystery aspect to the story that keeps the reader engaged and anxious to find out what will happen next. In addition, it has a beautiful religious element about this young Catholic who finally is able to explore and understand his faith.

However, my favorite part of the book is how the very likable main character experiences America for the first time. Lantigua does a masterful job of showing the heartbreak and devastation of a communist society through the eyes of this sweet and caring young man. Hearing about the difficulties of an oppressed society is one thing but seeing it through the eyes of this character is extremely powerful. Not only would this novel make a great tool for a meaningful discussion but it also shows teens how fortunate we are to live in America.

 

I’ve included links for all the books on Amazon, but for more information, they can all also be found at www.CatholicTeenBooks.com.

For those who don’t use Amazon you can also check Barnes and Noble online or www.indiebound.org where you can search for books and the local bookstores that might carry them or order them directly from the website. You can also ask your local bookstore to order the books for you.

Next month I’ll be reviewing three more Christian/Catholic teen novels. But if you’d like more reviews before then you can always check out my recommendation section on my website: YA Recommendations.

If you’ve come across this post on Facebook and would like to get my monthly reviews sent directly to your inbox, you can sign up on my website – www.LesleaWahl.com.

Until next month – Happy Reading!

 

Welcome to my monthly book review post!

This month’s book reviews are for the younger boys that enjoy teen fiction – late elementary to early high school. Many teen/tween books seem to be geared to girls, so I’ve compiled a list just for the boys, with wonderful male lead characters. Having said that – girls would thoroughly enjoy these books as well.

In case you are new to my blog… every month I post about 3 YA books that I’ve read, each month in a new genre. So, if you’re not interested in other teen books you can skip past this Book Review Post. I’ll still be sending out posts marked UPDATES regarding news about my own work every other month.

But for those of you who have kids or grandkids or you yourself like teen books (like me!), each month I’ll introduce some of my favorite Christian and Catholic YA books.

I’ve decided to provide more reviews because there are a few things I’ve learned since I had my first book published:

1 – So many of the teen books published by the big publishing companies contain messages that don’t match the values of many families.

2 – There are a lot of fantastic, clean, faith based books out there. Books that are entertaining yet wholesome and reflect Christian values.

3 – These types of books can be really hard to find. So, I’d like to introduce you to a few new adventures.

 

Books for Younger Teen Boys

The Other Side of Freedom by Cynthia T. Toney

This middle grade historic fiction novel is set in the 1920’s and told from the point of view of a middle school age boy – Salvatore. The author effortlessly delved into the mind of a young boy who lived in Louisiana during the tumultuous Prohibition years, weaving together a fascinating tale of hardship, corruption and the importance of family and faith. This intriguing, coming of age story focuses on the difficult choices and decisions one Italian immigrant family must face while desperately trying to keep their family together.

I didn’t know much about this interesting time in our history when Italian/Sicilian gangsters terrorized American communities, but was fascinated by this story and how these crime sprees affected law-abiding families of Italian descent. Besides being a captivating story, this book provides plenty of discussion topics including the repercussions that can arise when trying to do what is right, as well as the issues of: prohibition, segregation and immigration.

Roland West, Loner by Theresa Linden

This is a Catholic YA novel centered around the relationships between brothers and friends. This book is especially great for Middle School and High School boys. Linden knows boys well and writes from this perspective perfectly.

I absolutely loved the development of the friendship between Roland and his neighbor Peter. I also enjoyed the character of Caitlyn and the sweet relationships she had with both boys. Even though it’s titled Roland West, Peter had his own very interesting storyline and issues to overcome. The author fused the two boys’ storylines together brilliantly through an adventure they embark on together.

There is a deeply religious part of the story, about saints and relics that was brought up in a very intriguing way. This is a subject I’ve never seen addressed before in YA fiction and I think the readers will find it as interesting as I did. Linden does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into Roland’s life. At times I wanted to scream in frustration with how he was treated by his manipulative brothers.

The best news is that this is the first in a series of books for teens about Roland and his brothers.

 

Mission Libertad by Lizette Lantigua

Mission Libertad is the story of Luisito, a young teenage boy who escapes Communist Cuba in 1979 with his parents. This is such a wonderful book with so many interesting aspects to it. First of all, it is a fabulous historic fiction for middle school and high school age kids about a time in history that I haven’t seen much written about. There is also an intriguing mystery aspect to the story that keeps the reader engaged and anxious to find out what will happen next. In addition, it has a beautiful religious element about this young Catholic who finally is able to explore and understand his faith.

However, my favorite part of the book is how the very likable main character experiences America for the first time. Lantigua does a masterful job of showing the heartbreak and devastation of a communist society through the eyes of this sweet and caring young man. Hearing about the difficulties of an oppressed society is one thing but seeing it through the eyes of this character is extremely powerful. Not only would this novel make a great tool for a meaningful discussion but it also shows teens how fortunate we are to live in America.

 

I’ve included links for all the books on Amazon, but for more information, they can all also be found at www.CatholicTeenBooks.com.

For those who don’t use Amazon you can also check Barnes and Noble online or www.indiebound.org where you can search for books and the local bookstores that might carry them or order them directly from the website. You can also ask your local bookstore to order the books for you.

Next month I’ll be reviewing three more Christian/Catholic teen novels. But if you’d like more reviews before then you can always check out my recommendation section on my website: YA Recommendations.

If you’ve come across this post on Facebook and would like to get my monthly reviews sent directly to your inbox, you can sign up on my website – www.LesleaWahl.com.

Until next month – Happy Reading!

 

Welcome to my quarterly update!

1 – I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of my soon to be released book – Where You Lead.

What ya think?

The release date has been pushed back but I’ll keep you posted when I find out when it’s available.

Here’s a little preview though:

A vision from God leads to the adventure of a lifetime.

Sixteen-year-old Eve Donahue’s lonely existence changes in an instant when visions of a mysterious stranger haunt her. Certain God is calling her for a mission, she bravely says yes and begins her quest to meet this young man. 

Thousands of miles away, Nick Hammond has been dealing with his own unusual experience, an unwavering certainness to convince his father to run for political office.

When these two unlikely teens finally meet, their belief that God has called them to work together sets them on a journey of faith to untangle a web of deception involving international trade agreements, lost confederate gold, and a blossoming romance. As they follow century old clues, they realize God can call us all in big and small ways. We just need to listen and say, “Yes Lord, I will go where You lead.”

The inspiration for Where You Lead began over 25 years ago with a brief moment in a restaurant when a fleeting thought felt like an intriguing beginning of a book. Two decades later, that tiny spark of an idea turned into this novel about having the courage to say “yes” to God’s calling. This book has been bouncing around in my mind for a long time and I can’t wait to share it.

2 – My book, An Unexpected Role. was chosen to be part of the Sabbath Rest Book Talk, as one of the August books. You can find the full list of great books HERE.

3 – As you probably know, I’ve been sharing monthly book reviews here on my website but I also share reviews monthly on the Reading with your Kids Podcast and will soon start sharing for two additional blog sites as well. I’m thrilled to be able to spread the word about fantastic Christian and Catholic books to teens everywhere.

CatholicTeenBooks.com is a collaborative website that I’m blessed to be part of, so love to share any news for my fellow authors.

1 – My friend Carmela Martino is conducting a giveaway for her incredible YA historic fiction – Playing By Heart.

You can join the giveaway HERE.

Read the my review of her book HERE

And the Amazon link for Playing By Heart.

2 – Theresa Linden – has a new book coming out in her West Brothers Series. I’ve had the privilege of reading an advance copy and think it’s her best one yet! I honestly couldn’t put this one down – romance, mystery, faith – what’s not to love!

Here is the Amazon link for Anyone But Him

3 – Susan Peek’s fantastic book about St. Magnus, now has an audio version.

You can find the information HERE.

And my review of The Last Viking HERE.

That’s it for this month! Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter.

Welcome to my monthly book review post!

March’s theme is Contemporary Religious. What does that mean? I’m defining it as stories about modern-day teens that are a little more religious in nature. I chose this genre specifically for this season of Lent because this is a time of reflection and growing closer to God. All these books show that so beautifully.

In case you are new to my blog… every month I post about 3 YA books that I’ve read, each month in a new genre. So, if you’re not interested in other teen books you can skip past this Book Review Post. I’ll still be sending out posts marked UPDATES regarding news about my own work every other month.

But for those of you who have kids or grandkids or you yourself like teen books (like me!), each month I’ll introduce some of my favorite Christian and Catholic YA books.

I’ve decided to provide more reviews because there are a few things I’ve learned since I had my first book published:

1 – So many of the teen books published by the big publishing companies contain messages that don’t match the values of many families.

2 – There are a lot of fantastic, clean, faith based books out there. Books that are entertaining yet wholesome and reflect Christian values.

3 – These types of books can be really hard to find. So, I’d like to introduce you to a few new adventures.

All the books this month are very similar in that they are about young people who are dealing with tragedy in their lives. These heart-breaking events have sadly created dysfunctional homes for each of the teens. All three of the main characters are hurting but are touched in some way by God and His infinite love. God is of course the great healer in our lives and can help us deal with the pain of life, whether through the power of prayer, being open to God’s plan for you, or understanding we are not alone in our pain.

All three of these books are also powerful reminders of several things.

1 – No matter the struggles, we are not alone and God can help us.

2 – Our difficulties can be used to help others in need.

3 – Even if we are not facing major problems, we have the opportunity to be compassionate and sympathetic to those in our lives who are suffering.

Whether you read them during Lent or give them as gifts for Easter, these three books are all perfect for this Holy season.

 

Awakening by Claudia Cangilla McAdam

Awakening is one of those books that is hard to set aside. While reading, I had trouble putting it down, wanting to know what would happen next, and found myself wanting to read just one more chapter after one more chapter. Even after I finished the book, my mind couldn’t put it aside, thinking about this powerful and imaginative story long after I devoured it.

In a “Wizard of Oz” type of moment, modern American teen, Ronni mysteriously awakens in 33 AD finding herself in Jerusalem during Passover as Jesus and his followers come to town. She watches helplessly, knowing the horrors that are about to transpire. She struggles with this knowledge. Can she stop it from happening? Should she?

This compelling story is such a unique and moving way to view the Easter story that I think will appeal to teens. The author seamlessly adds entertaining, modern items that teens will relate to – tenuous friendships, unrequited crushes, complicated relationships with parents – with the Passion story, creating a hard to put down novel.

I love the many elements highlighting the time period, the historical details of Jewish and Roman culture, and experiencing firsthand what the disciples might have felt. I even learned some things that I hadn’t known about the Passion Story. Just when you think you know what will happen, some unique twists are thrown in to keep you wanting more, all while keeping to the facts of this Holy event.

 

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman

A Single Bead is about the power of prayer – most specifically the rosary.

This is a beautiful young adult novel that centers around a family in need and a special rosary that affects the lives around them. This engaging story touches on very real and difficult issues such as loss and depression while focusing on the power of prayer and the importance of family.

I was intrigued with the main character, Katelyn, and how she was influenced not only by the crisis of faith in her own personal family but also by the very strong beliefs held by her large, extended family. The journey that Katelyn is thrown into surrounding her grandmother’s rosary is mysterious, thought-provoking, and moving. What a joyful message for anyone, that our prayers can be so powerful and life-changing. A Single Bead would make a wonderful Easter or Confirmation gift.

 

The Gate by Nancy Carabio Belanger

This YA novel is written from the perspective of the grown-up Joshua, as he looks back and remembers a life-changing time in his past. The way the story is written I assumed several key aspects of the story, but I just couldn’t wait to see how it played out. I was so moved by the story of Josh and the elderly gentleman he reluctantly befriends, Pie.

The relationship between these two unlikely friends was incredibly touching. My heart went out to both of these characters – the snarky teen and the curmudgeony old man. The voice of the lead character, Josh, is fantastic. The smart aleck language – absolutely brilliant. I could just feel this young boy’s angst and anger as he continued his struggle over the death of his father.

This is such a powerful book about healing and how God’s love works within us and through those we meet. What an inspiring, thought-provoking novel.

 

All these books can be found on Amazon. I’ve set links – just click on the highlighted titles. For those who don’t use Amazon you can also check Barnes and Noble online or www.indiebound.org where you can search for books and the local bookstores that might carry them or order them directly from the website. You can also ask your local bookstore to order the books for you.

Next month I’ll be reviewing three more Christian/Catholic teen novels. But if you’d like more reviews before then you can always check out my recommendation section on my website: YA Recommendations.

If you’ve come across this post on Facebook and would like to get my monthly reviews sent directly to your inbox, you can sign up on my website – www.LesleaWahl.com.

Until next month – Happy Reading!

New Year- New Blog Posts

This year I’ve decided to change up my book reviews posts. Instead of randomly posting, I’ll now post every month about 3 YA books that I’ve read, each month in a new genre. So, if you’re not interested in other teen books you can skip past this Book Review Post. I’ll still be sending out posts marked UPDATES regarding news about my own work every other month.

But for those of you who have kids or grandkids or you yourself like teen books (like me!), each month I’ll introduce some of my favorite Christian and Catholic YA books.

I’ve decided to provide more reviews because there are a few things I’ve learned since I had my first book published:

1 – So many of the teen books published by the big publishing companies contain messages that don’t match the values of many families.

2 – There are a lot of fantastic, clean, faith based books out there. Books that are entertaining yet wholesome and reflect Christian values.

3 – These types of books can be really hard to find. So, I’d like to introduce you to a few new adventures.

 

MYSTERIES

Mystery, Suspense, Whodunnit, oh my!

I’m starting with my favorite genre. I’ve always been drawn to mysteries and all the excitement and anticipation of figuring out the story. From Hardy Boys to Castle, I’ve been a mystery enthusiast. So, it’s not too surprising that I love to write mysteries as well. Here are my top 3 mystery recommendations.

The Perfect Blindside –  By Leslea Wahl

Yep, this is my book. Maybe it’s a shameless plug but it is one of my favorites and it has been received well, winning a Catholic Press Association First Place Book Award and an Illumination Christian Book Award Silver Medal. And it’s about an Olympic snowboarder – perfect to get you in the mood for the upcoming Olympics!

In case you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, this is the story of two teens. Jake, a Silver-Medal winning snowboarder, who along with his enlarged ego, moves to a small Colorado mountain town. Sophie, an aspiring journalist, is less than thrilled that the famous athlete will be moving to Silver Springs. A set of circumstances lead them to work together to uncover the mystery that is plaguing their small community. This adventure is filled with action, mystery, romance, humor and faith.

Sketchy Behavior – By Erynn Mangum

This book will always hold a special place in my heart because this story helped me to be the writer I am today. Years ago, when I had finished writing my first clean teen book (the above mentioned book!) and was searching unsuccessfully for a publisher, I came across this book in my local bookstore. It had all the elements I love in a great book – adventure, mystery, romance and humor. But it had another element that I didn’t expect – faith. A subtle message that just became part of the story but added something truly meaningful to this fun story. I realized this was what my mystery was missing – a deeper meaning – a message of faith. Once I added that element to my story, suddenly everything changed, and I found an interested publisher. But enough about me.

Sketchy Behavior is about a teen, Kate Carter, who is about as ordinary as they come. But when she discovers a talent for sketching faces based on a description, she finds herself helping the police track down a serial killer. This seemingly good deed fills her unassuming, simple world with complications and danger. Along the way she discovers a cute boy and a pull towards her faith at the local Baptist church. The premise might sound a little heavy, but the author adds lots of humor to keep this story moving along in a delightful way.

Past Suspicion – By Therese Heckenkamp

While the first two books have elements of humor in the story, this one is much more of a suspense novel. As a mystery lover I was excited to start reading this Christian suspense novel. The only bad news is that I enjoyed it so much that I finished it much too quickly. The author drew me into the spell of this book immediately. Her ability to build suspense made me nervous and anxious from page one. Somehow this quaint small town and its residents felt spooky and odd, filled with secrets. This sense of eeriness was so palpable that I found myself extremely frustrated when the lead character trusted the new people in her life immediately. I wanted to scream at her not to be so trusting but of course she was a lonely, heart-broken, vulnerable young lady without the knowledge that she was the main character in a suspense novel. 😊

 

All these books can be found on Amazon. I’ve set links, just click on the highlighted titles. For those who don’t use Amazon you can also check Barnes and Noble online or www.indiebound.org where you can search for books and the local bookstores that might carry them or order them directly from the website. You can also ask a local bookstore to order the books for you.

Next month I’ll be reviewing Christian/Catholic teen Romances, just in time for Valentine’s Day. But if you’d like more reviews before then you can always check out my recommendation section on my website: YA Recommendations.

If you’ve come across this post on Facebook and would like to get my monthly reviews sent directly to your inbox, you can sign up on my website – www.LesleaWahl.com.

Until next month – Happy Reading!