7 Riddles to Nowhere by A.J. Cattapan

A selectively mute seventh-grade boy tries to save his Catholic school from closing by winning a riddle-solving competition that leads him and his eclectic group of friends through the churches of Chicago.

Themes: bullying, friendship, sacrifice, grit and determination

Free discussion guide available on author's website.  Details for free books for teachers, click HERE.

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Saving Mount Rushmore: Saint Michael the Archangel Academy, Mission 1 by Andrea Jo Rodgers

John Jenkins is shocked when he learns he’s been accepted to a top-secret school for kids with special gifts, but then devastated when he discovers he was admitted due to a clerical error. As John and his schoolmates track down clues and solve puzzles in order to save Mount Rushmore, he discovers that everyone has special God-given gifts, including him.

Themes: faith, friendship, courage, patriotism, adventure, history, God-given gifts, good vs. evil

Discussion questions and educational resources are included in the back of the book.

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The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl

An Olympic snowboarding superstar with an ego and a high school journalist with a chip on her shoulder must team up to solve the mysterious happenings in their small Colorado town.

Themes: discovering God's will, using your talents to help others

Discussion questions available on author website. Free 2-chapter download.

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Roland West, Loner by Theresa Linden

A fourteen-year-old boy finds himself friendless at a new school and the subject of cruel rumors. Struggling to trust new friends, secrets, rumors, and an unusual inheritance put him on a journey that just might have the power to change the life of this loner. 

Themes: loneliness, sibling bullying, family relationships, friendship, having a sibling/friend with disabilities, Communion of Saints, miracles, mercy, and forgiveness

Book club discussion questions and student study guides available on author website.

 

6 Dates to Disaster by Cynthia T. Toney

When Wendy's stepfather loses his job, the family’s plan to visit Alaska on vacation is ruined, and Wendy may never see Mrs. V and Sam again. When help arrives in the form of tutoring a classmate, Wendy’s money problems appear to be solved—until the arrangement takes a turn that gets Wendy into trouble like never before. And in the final months of ninth grade, she might lose everything she counted on for the future.

Themes: academic honesty, communication with parents, earning money wisely, complications of romance/dating, risking one’s future

Discussion questions and resources are located at the back of the book, and visit the author’s website.

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Treachery and Truth by Katy Huth Jones

A novelization of the brief life of Saint Wenceslas (the “Good King” of the Christmas carol) through the POV of his faithful young servant, Poidevin. While both boys and girls will enjoy this fast-paced historical novel, boys especially will find several strong role models. Even as a young teen, Wenceslas (portrayed here by his Czech name, Vaclav) showed great faith, courage, humility, and compassion.

Themes: the meaning of suffering, fidelity to Christ, loving our enemies

Discussion questions located in the back of the book.

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Saint Magnus, the Last Viking by Susan Peek

Come back in time 900 years, to the fierce and desolate Northern lands, where Norsemen ruled with ax and sword. A dying king, a shocking death-wish, his heirs divided with an oath of blood . . . A fast-paced historical novel about Saint Magnus Erlendson, a young Viking prince involved in a feud with his cousin Hakon. Based on true historical events.

Themes: forgiveness, courage, accepting God's will, sacrificial love, family ties, family feuds, putting duties of state above personal inclination

 

The Destiny of Sunshine Ranch by T.M. Gaouette

Relays the personal journeys of the Credence foster children and their struggles to overcome past and present pain and adversity. In this novel, the confidence of the devoted is challenged, but an even deeper understanding of God and His love are revealed.

Themes: includes overcoming past adversity, grief, loss, foster care, the power of prayer, friendship, faith, forgiveness, courage. Appropriate for students studying Christian morality. Free book study questions on author’s website.

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Secrets: Visible & Invisible by Corinna Turner, Cynthia T. Toney, Theresa Linden, Susan Peek, T.M. Gaouette, Carolyn Perpetua Astfalk, Leslea D. Wahl

CatholicTeenBooks.com's first anthology: In a dystopian future, an innocent picnic turns deadly! Elijah knows nothing of the elderly stranger's secret past--until her disappearance changes everything. A mysterious, ever-changing painting alarms a group of teens. The cannonball took Dario's legs . . . Will he lose his soul too? The arrival of a mysterious girl challenges everything about Jason's life. An unlicensed driver. His dad's truck. What could possibly go wrong? An old tale of murder and forbidden love leads to a modern day treasure hunt.

Themes: faith, family, conversion, charity, self-sacrifice, romance, vocations, discernment of how to use God’s gifts. Discussion questions available here.

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Where You Lead by Leslea D. Wahl

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. 

Themes: faith, courage, God's will, God's plan, recognizing and having the courage to answer God's call in big and small ways.

 

Freeing Tanner Rose by T.M. Gaouette

What happens when a superficial starlet, addicted to Hollywood is forced to live in the world of a boring, kung fu-loving, Christian boy? Will Gabriel's faith encourage Tanner to change her partying ways or will her wild undertakings and addicting vices tempt him to do things he'd never, ever considered before?

Themes: includes temptation, addiction, drug use, grief, loss, fame, premarital chastity, dating, modesty, power of prayer, strength in faith.

Appropriate for students studying the Theology of the Body or Christian morality. Free book study questions on author’s website.

*Recommended for TFG Generations Book Club

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Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon by Corinna Turner

Mandy Lamb is the world's only half-sheep girl, thanks to a spot of well-meant but ill-advised genetic tinkering. She's grown up happily in the Valley of Worth with friends both sheep and human—and one who is neither.
Now she's off to senior school in the nearby town. And she's about to meet James, a rather strange orphan who smells, to Mandy, distinctly like a dog, and who has a bad habit of running off at the full moon. 
With danger on the way, will James prove friend or foe?