I had all four of my kids with me at the library for the first time in a long time. I use the term kids loosely since one is an adult. That 21-year-old, who was home from college on fall break, had been my library buddy since before he could crawl.
I took him, and subsequently each of his siblings, to Books & Babies, Book Buddies, Chewsy Readers, and an endless series of weekly story times throughout childhood. When they outgrew storytimes, the kids took on the role of volunteer reader (at least until the pandemic ended those opportunities).
The kids grew nostalgic walking through the stacks, pulling books from shelves, and seeing an employee who knew them all from infancy because I brought them in so often.
And then we entered the YA area, searching for a specific book. While scanning the shelves, we came upon their display of witch books, replete with pentagram cover art. On the shelf opposite, my daughter quickly found their banned books display with several LGBTQIA+ books prominently displayed--all in an area designed exclusively for teens.
The warm fuzziness of nostalgia was quickly replaced by discomfort and sadness. The place where we’d had so many positive encounters both with literature and other families is no longer a place we feel entirely comfortable. If I were a new mom, I don’t think I’d bring my children to the library much. Maybe I’d request books online and pick them up.
Maybe we’d still do the summer reading program. Probably not. The last several years, rewards and points were earned by watching LGBTQIA+-promoting videos or celebrating books or days in opposition to our values. Lately, we’ve made it a point to avoid libraries during Pride month.
I lamented this state of affairs with a mom of young children who formerly worked as a librarian. She sympathized and said that her family has created a home library. We’ve done that to some degree as well, adding good books to our shelves that don’t undermine our values or offend our faith.
Filling that need for wholesome books is why Catholic Teen Books exists. We want families searching for well-written books that edify while they entertain to discover contemporary authors writing with their families in mind. We want parents and grandparents to be confident in choosing books, knowing that they’ll not only find a good story but one that reflects a Catholic worldview.
If you haven’t checked out our books, please do. Browse the genres. Check out the content reviews. If you’ve enjoyed one or more of our books, share them and the Catholic Teen Books website with a friend or family member. Just leaving a review on a retail site helps more readers discover our books.
Build your library.
About the author: Carolyn Astfalk resides with her husband and four children in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where it smells like either chocolate or manure, depending on wind direction. She is the author of the contemporary Catholic romances Stay With Me, Come Back to Me, Ornamental Graces, and All in Good Time, and the coming-of-age story Rightfully Ours. Carolyn is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild, Catholic Teen Books, Pennwriters, and is a CatholicMom.com contributor. True to her Pittsburgh roots, she still says “pop” instead of “soda,” although her beverage of choice is tea.
image created with AI on Canva
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