Fresh Christian Fiction
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-- School Library Journal, 8/31/2006
There are a handful of authors currently dominating the teenage Christian fiction shelves due to their prolific serial output—Melody Carlson, Robin Gunn Jones, Stephanie Perry Moore, Laura Peyton Roberts, and Martha Finley among them. For readers who may be growing tired of their favorite series, the following titles will provide some different voices in the genre.
Let us know your suggestions for more read-alikes like this.
FARNES, Catherine. The Slide. JourneyForth. 2003. pap. $7.49. ISBN 1-57924-967-1.
Gr 9 Up–The last thing teenage Taren wants is for her prodigal father to butt into her life. She goes on her church's youth group camping trip with the hopes of avoiding any thoughts or discussion of him. Guess who shows up? This action story with a sometimes-heavy message on reconciliation and redemption will be appreciated by young evangelicals looking for some physical as well as spiritual tension.
MACKALL, Dandi Daley. Love Rules. Tyndale House. 2005. pap. $9.99. ISBN 0-8423-8727-7.
Gr 9 Up–Emma is left behind in her small Midwest town when her best friend Mattie and her brother Jake go to Freedom College in California. She asks them to send her one postcard a week with a tip on how to find love. Guided by faith, Mattie discovers that her ability to become anyone is her way of avoiding herself. At the same time, Jake finds out that his feelings toward Mattie are changing when he becomes the ghostwriter for the campus jock who wants to woo her. Funny and not preachy.
MACLEAN, Christine Kole. How It's Done. Flux. 2006. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-7387-1029-6.
Gr 10 Up–Grace has managed to get along in her fundamentalist household by adhering to her father's strict rules and steering clear of controversy. She lives vicariously through her friend Livvy, who is largely ignored by her alcoholic parents. When a charming young professor takes a romantic interest in Grace, she begins to question her upbringing and convictions and decides to break a few rules of her own. MacLean delivers a gently redemptive, compelling story of a young woman who wants to grow up too fast.
Remarkable Reads are produced by the editors of NoveList, NoveList K-8, and Book Index with Reviews (BIR), leading resources for readers' advisory services and collection development. For more information, see epnet.com.
