
Young Adult Books
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Books are listed alphabetically by author within their categories. Click here for s election criteria:
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This list contains some books with content for mature, older teens. This may include violence, demonic activity and non-graphic sex. However, these subjects will be treated in an appropriate manner for Catholics and be valuable as a warning of what sinful activity can lead to. We believe that our young adults need truthful information on the evil present in the world to counteract the misleading presentation of these subjects in most of today’s secular young adult literature. An asterix at the end of the entry is a warning about mature content.
The first date in an entry is the publication date. The second date indicates the historical period the story is set in for your convenience in curriculum planning.
Underlined font indicates a link to amazon.com
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Animal Stories:
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Burnford Sheila: The Incredible Journey, 1984.
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Gibson, Fred: Old Yeller, 1953. Texas, post Civil War..
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Savage Sam, 1962. Sequel to Old Yeller.
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George , Jean Craighead: Julie of the Wolves, 1973.
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Moody Ralph: Come On, Seabiscuit, 1963. Great Depression.
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Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan: The Yearling,1938. Florida backwoods, 1930s.
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Suares, Jean Claude, editor: The Literary Cat, 1977. A compilation of writings about cats by famous authors.
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World History:
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Chang, Jung: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, 1991.Communist China. *
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Ciszek, Walter J., S.J. With God in Russia. Ignatius, 1964. Soviet Russia. *
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Douglass, Frederick: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 1845. Biography of former slave
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Dumas , Alexandre: The Count of Montechristo, 1815. Napoleonic France, 1815.
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Gallico, Paul: The Snowgoose, 1941. England , World War II, Dunkirk.
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Hugo , Victor: Les Miserables, 1862. France, Uprising of 1832.
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Moody Ralph: Come On , Seabiscuit, 1963. Great Depression.
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Quezada, Ruben: For Greater Glory: The True Story Of Cristiada, 2012. 1920s Mexico.
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Robinson, Lawrence Damian: Traces in the Sand, 2007. First century Rome.
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Szablya, Helen M.: The Fall of the Red Star, 1996. Hungarian uprising against Soviets, 1956.
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Shaffer, Mary Ann and Annie Barrows: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, 2009. Britain, World War II.*
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Tikhon, Archimandrite: Everyday Saints and Other Stories, 2012. Soviet Russia.
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Undset, Sigrid: Catherine of Siena, 1954. 14th century Italy.
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Weintraub , Stanley: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, 2002. World War I.
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Van Der Post, Laurens: A Story Like the Wind and its sequel A Far Off Place, 1972. Botswana, Namibia, 1960s.
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Van Stockum, Hilda: The Borrowed House, 1975.. Nazi occupied Netherlands, World War II.
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Yolen, Jane: The Devil's Artihmentic, 2004. USA today with flashback Auschwitz, Poland, World War II.
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Life in America:
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Aldrich, Bess Streeter: A Lantern In Her Hand, 1928. Early Nebraska Pioneers, 1850s.
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Berry Wendell: Jayber Crow, 2001. Small town Kentucky, 1930s to 70s.
Hannah Coulter, 2005. Same time and place as above.
Nathan Coulter, 1960. Same as above.
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Bruchac, Joseph: Sacajawea, 2008. Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-6.
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Clark , William and Meriwhether Lewis: The Lewis and Clark Journals ( Abridged Edition), edited by Gary E. Moulton, 2004. 1804-6.
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Cather , Willa: Death Comes For the Archbishop, 1955. About the first Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico,1853-85
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Craven, Margaret: I Heard the Owl Call My Name, 1960. Vancouver Island,Canada , 1960s.
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Lee, Harper: To Kill a Mocking Bird, 1960. Racism in Alabama, 1936.
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Moody, Ralph: The Fields of Home, 1953. Massachusetts farm life, 1912.
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Quezada, Ruben: For Greater Glory: The True Story Of Cristiada, 2012. 1920s Mexico.
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Fairy Tales, new interpretations:
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Doman, Regina: The Shadow of the Bear, 2008. Snow White and Rose Red in New York City.
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Mendell, Anna Maria: The Golden Princess and the Moon: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Angelico Press, 2016.
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Yolen, Jane: Snow in Summer, 2013. Snow White in the Appalachians.
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Fantasy:
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Brightley, C.J.: The King's Sword (Erdemen Honor Series 1), 2013.
A Cold Wind (Erdemen Honor Series 2), 2013.
Honor's Heir (Erdemen Honor Series 3), 2014.
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Funke, Cornelia: Ink Heart Trilogy. Scholastic, 2004.
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Tolkien, J.R.R: The Hobbit, 1934.
The Fellowship of the Ring, 1937.
The Two Towers, 1937.
The Return of the King, 1937.
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White, John: The Archives of Anthropos, six books. 1986.
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Vincent, Anastasia: The Annals of Orbis I: Adrastea, 2020.
Legend and Myth:
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Crossley-Holland, Kevin: The Norse Myths, 1981.
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Graves, Robert: The Greek Myths,
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Tolkien, J.R.R.: Beowulf, a Translation and Commentary, Together With Sellic Spell. Publishes posthumously, 2014. Sellic Spell is an early version of the Beowulf story.
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Mystery/Thriller:
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Wahl, Leslea: Where You Lead, 2019.
Halloween:
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Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Hound of the Baskervilles.
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Poe, Edgar Alan: The Murders in the Rue Morgue, 1841.
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Stevenson, Robert Louis: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886.
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Shelley, Mary Wolstoncraft: Frankenstein, 1880.
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Wilde, Oscar: The Picture of Dorian Grey, 1890.
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Wilde , Oscar: The Canterville Ghost, 1887.
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​Dystopia:
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Brown, Jacqueline: The Light, 2016. Book 1 of 5. Young adults experience conversion to Catholicism in the aftermath of an EMP attack. Sequels: Through the Ashes, From the Shadows, Into the Embers, Out of the Darkness.
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Linden, Theresa: Chasing Liberty, 2015, Book 1 of 3. A young woman named Liberty seeks freedom in a USA under environmentalist totalitarianism. Sequels: Testing Liberty, Fight for Liberty.
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Young People Today:
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Cahill, Thomas: A Saint on Death Row, 2009. Texas today.
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Doman, Regina: The Shadow Of the Bear . Regina Doman, 2008.
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Farasiotis, Dionysios: The Gurus, the Young Man and the Elder Paisios, 2009 * Demonic Encounters in India and Greece..
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Johnson , Abby: Unplanned, 2010. Conversion of Planned Parenthood Clinic Director
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O’Brien, Michael D.: The Fool Of New York City . Ignatius, 2016. Story of a modern young Fool for Christ saving a lost young man.
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Saada, Tass: Once an Arafat Man: The True Story Of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life, 2010. Middle East, USA today.
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Salzman, Mark: Iron and Silk, 1987. Young American teaches English and studies Kung Fu in 1982 China.
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Adventure/ Wilderness Survival:
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Meader, Stephen W.: Traplines North. SouthernSkies, 1956.
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Van Der Post, Laurens: A Story Like the Wind and sequel A Far Off Place. A Harvest Book, Harcourt, 1972. Botswana, Namibia, 1960s
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Friendships
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Gallico, Paul: The Snowgoose, 1941. England , World War II, Dunkirk.
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Saints And Holy People, Historical or Fictional:
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Ball, Ann: Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th Century Mexican Martyr, 1996. Mexico 1920s.
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Dunlop, Eileen: Tales of St. Patrick,1995. Ireland, 4th century.
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De Wohl, Louis: The Quiet Light: A Novel About Saint Thomas Aquinas, 1950. 13th Century, Italy, France.
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Golder F.A.: Father Herman: Alaska's Saint, 1968. Alaska, 1794-1834.
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Houselander, Caryll: The Dry Wood. Sheed and Ward, 1947. London 1940s.
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Kenelly, Brian: To the Heights: A Novel Based on the Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, 2014.Early 20th century Italy.
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Lotti , Michael and Jennifer Serrano: St. George and the Dragon, 2014. Third century Rome.
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Mulligan, James: Saint Charbel Makhlouf, 2018. Late nineteenth century Lebanon.
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Murphy, James: Saints and Sinners in the Cristero War: Stories of Martyrdom from Mexico, 2019. Mexico, 1920s.
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Pekar, Atanasii: Our Martyred Bishop Romzha (1911-1947), 1977.Ukaraine, Bishop Theodore Romzha.
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Ravier, Andre: St.Bruno, The Carthusian, 1995. France/ Italy, 11/12th century.
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Robinson, Lawrence Damian: A Trace in the Sand: A Tale of the Early Martyrs St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2007.
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Roche, Aloysius: Christians Courageous, 1955. Exciting stories of 14 little known early Saints.
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Turner, Corinna: Friends in High Places I: The Boy Who Knew (Blessed Carlo Acutis +2006), 2020. London/Italy, contemporary.
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Undset, Sigrid: Catherine of Siena. 1954. 14th century Italy.
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Hemesath, Carolyn: From Slave to Priest: The Inspirational Story of Father Augustine Tolton, 2010. USA 854-1897.
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Wilkerson, David: The Cross and the Switchblade, 1986. New York City, 1950s to today.
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Catholic or Orthodox Faith:
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Houselander, Caryll: The Dry Wood,1947. London, 1940s.
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Palmer, Constantina: A Scent of Holiness . Greece today.
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Tikhon, Archimandrite: Everyday Saints and Other Stories, 2012. Russia, 1980s/90s.
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Widmer, Andreas: The Pope and the CEO, 2011. Vatican/USA, 1987-2011.
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Westerns/Mountain Men
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L’Amour, Louis: Sackett Novels:
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Ride the River, 1983. Echo Sackett, 1840s-50s, Cincinnati to Smoky Mountains.
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The Daybreakers, 1960. Tyrel and Orrin Sackett, Mountains to New Mexico, 1870-72.
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Sackett, 1961. William Tell Sackett, Sangre De Cristos Mountains, Colorado, New Mexico, 1874-5.
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Lando, 1962. Orlando Sackett, Tennessee Mountains to Mexico, 1873-5.
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Mojave Crossing, 1964. William Tell Sackett, Mojave Desert, California, 1875-9.
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McClung, Robert M.: Hugh Glass, Mountain Man, 1990. 1853.
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Wister, Owen: The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, 1902. Wyoming territory , 1880s.
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Manga/Graphic Novels/Comics:
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Chatton, Ray: Soldier of God: The Gripping Story of Maximilian Kolbe, 1982.
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Doman , Regina: Habemus Papam - Pope Benedict XVI, 2013.
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Gousidis, Christos: Stories From the Gerontikon, 2017. Ancient Middle East.
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Tintin in the Congo, 1930.
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Tintin in America, 1931.
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Cigars of the Pharaoh, 1932.
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The Blue Lotos, 1934.
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Laughlin, Corinna and Maria: Father Augustus Tolton: The First Recognized American Priest, 2015. USA1854-1897.
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Page, Phillip and Marilyn Pettit: Picture This Shakespeare: Macbeth, 2005. Graphic novel with excerpts of original text.
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Temesou, Max: The Shadow of His Wings: A Graphic Biography, 2016.
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Science in Stories:
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Heinrich, Bernd: One Wild Bird At A Time: Portraits of Individual Lives, 2016.
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Shakespeare:
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Page, Phillip and Marilyn Pettit: Picture This Shakespeare: Macbeth, 2005. Graphic novel with excerpts of original text.
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