LEAP OF FAITH:
Titles for teens who are soul searching

Fiction - Non-Fiction

FICTION:

The Garden
Aidinoff, Elsie (YA AIDINOFF)
Eve loves the world, loves learning from the Serpent, isn't particularly impressed with God, and is annoyed by that obnoxious Adam. And she wants to know what's outside the Garden....

Bless Me, Ultima
Anaya, Rudolfo (FIC ANAYA)
“...the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood.”

The Book of Fred
Bardi, Abby (YA BARDI)
Mary Fred has never watched TV, been to a market, or read more than her sect’s propaganda. When she ends up in a foster home, how does she deal with junk food, daytime TV & her foster family?

I Am Not Esther
Beale, Fleur (YA BEALE)
One day your mom dumps you with relatives you’ve never heard of. They’re members of a religious cult. They change your name to Esther. They make you follow their weird Rules. Soon you’re not even sure who you are or what’s real.

Parable of the Sower
Butler, Octavia (FSF BUTLER)
“The only lasting truth is change.”

The Calling
Clinton, Cathryn (YA CLINTON)
“I heard that some folks play games and such at reunions, but the closest thing we have to a game is horseshoe pitching and outhouse
tipping. And those two things aren¹t games; they are serious business, depending on where you are standing or sitting.”

A Stone in My Hand
Clinton, Cathryn (YA CLINTON)
“We are fighters. The stones speak. The soldiers will have to listen.”

What Child is This?
Cooney, Caroline (YA COONEY)
It’s Christmas, the season of miracles, joy & hope. Is that spirit strong enough to bring about the impossible?

Brides of Eden: A True Story Imagined
Crew, Linda (YA CREW)
Corvallis, Oregon, is a sleepy town in 1903. An ordinary town.Then Joshua arrives, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Good Omens
Gaiman, Neil & Terry Pratchett (FSF GAIMAN)
Armageddon’s on its way! Lots of those on both sides are looking forward to it, but some few are doing what they can to prevent it. Can they?

Leaving Fishers
Haddix, Margaret Peterson (YA HADDIX)
New girl Dorry is flattered & excited when she’s invited to join the Fishers of Men—until she’s forced to make greater and greater sacrifices.

Godless
Hautman, Pete (YA HAUTMAN)
How cool & hilarious would it be to start your own religion! All you need is a god—like the town’s water tower—and a couple of followers.

Siddhartha
Hesse, Herman (FIC HESSE)
“The true profession of man is to find his way to himself.”

I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion
Singer, Marilyn (YA IBE)
“God is not politically correct, but she’s right.” Twelve stories about the dilemmas of faith.

Buddha Boy
Koja, Kathe (YA KOJA)
“I was still watching Jinsen: calm gaze and careful hands, working on his print as if it were any day, as if yesterday's bad news or the great news today were all just...part of everything, and he was just taking everything as it came, how could he do that? How could he keep on doing that? Balls? Luck? Karma?"

Left Behind
LaHaye, Tim (FIC LAHAYE)
The Rapture has come and gone and those left behind must battle the Antichrist.

A Ring of Endless Light
L’Engle, Madeleine (YA LENGLE)
Vicky’s summer is filled with darkness, death & even romance. Will the darkness overwhelm—or will she discover that past the darkness of tragedy comes the light of joy?

The Cure
Levitin, Sonia (YA LEVITIN)
You’re branded a deviant, so you’re given two choices: be recycled, or get “cured” by living the life of a persecuted Jew in the 17th century during the Black Death.

Life of Pi
Martel, Yann (YA MARTEL)
After a tragic accident, Pi is stuck in a lifeboat for seven months--his only companion is a hungry Bengal tiger.

Gideon’s People
Meyer, Carolyn (J MEYER)
“Your people have a lot of rules...Can’t eat this, don’t eat that. Don’t you ever get fed up with the rules and want to leave it all?”

The Outside World
Mirvis, Tova (FIC MIRVIS)
What happens when two people from very different faiths are thrown together into love and marriage?

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
Moore, Christopher (YA MOORE)
“The first time I saw the man who would save the world he was sitting near the central wall in Nazareth with a lizard hanging out of his mouth.”

When We Were Saints
Nolan, Han (YA NOLAN)
His grandfather’s last words to him: “You are a saint.” Is it prophecy? Delusion? Wishful thinking?

The Last Safe Place on Earth
Peck, Richard (YA PECK)
“We have no intention of allowing books in this school to destroy the innocence of children with their language & their unchristian messages.”

Keeping Faith
Picoult, Jodi (FIC PICOULT)
Is Mariah’s daughter Faith sick and delusional...or is she actually talking to God?

The Chosen
Potok, Chaim (YA POTOK)
2 fathers. 2 sons. And the beliefs that drive them apart and throw them together.

Shylock’s Daughter
Pressler, Mirjam (YA PRESSLER)
A handsome aristocrat offers Jessica the life she desires...if she will abandon her family and give up her religion. Will the terrible price be worth it?

The Story of B
Quinn, Daniel (FIC QUINN)
Father Jared is sent to confirm that a man called “B” is the Antichrist. What he learns shakes his faith to its foundations.

The Rapture of Canaan
Reynolds, Sheri (YA REYNOLDS)
Concentrating on the Passion of Jesus cannot deter Ninah and James from their passion for each other, and the consequences prove both tragic and transforming for the entire community.

Never Mind the Goldbergs
Roth, Matthue (YA ROTH)
Hava’s a little bit punk, a lot Orthodox Jew & just cast to be the token Jew on a Hollywood TV show. Talk about culture collision!

Miriam’s Well
Ruby, Lois (YA RUBY)
“I had a police guard outside my door...a state social worker, a primary care physician, and an oncologist, for by 4:00 the next afternoon, they decided I had bone cancer.”

Archangel
Shinn, Sharon (YA SHINN)
The fate of all Samaria rests on the voices of the angel Gabriel and his rebellious human wife, Rachel.

Maybe a Miracle
Strause, Brian (FIC STRAUSE)
When Monroe finds his sister floating face down in a pool, he must decide what’s worth believing in, what’s worth fighting for, & who he is.

Blankets
Thompson, Craig (FIC THOMPSON)
A graphic novel story that explores the author's experiences with family, religion and first love and loss.

Night
Wiesel, Eli (YA WIESEL)
A terrifying account of the Nazi death camp horror that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized witness to the death of his family...the death of his innocence...and the death of his God.

Armageddon Summer
Yolen, Jane & Bruce Coville (YA YOLEN)
The world will end on July 27. That’s what the Believers say. Are they right? And how can the world end now just when Marina & Jed have fallen in love for the first time in their lives?

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NON-FICTION:

Teen Psychic: Exploring Your Intuitive Spiritual Powers
(131.0835 JOH 2003)
Learn to develop your intuitive abilities & apply them to your spiritual journey.

Looking Beyond: A Teen’s Guide to the Spiritual World
(133.9 VAN 2003)
A renowned psychic shares what he's learned from the spiritual realms.

Teen Sunshine Reflections: Words for the Heart & Soul
(158.1 TEE)
Mother Teresa, Gandhi, the Dalai Lama & others share their spiritual wisdom through poems, prayers & reflections.

What Are You Doing with Your Life?
(170.835 KRI)
Focuses on spiritual principles such as inner peace, harmony with self and others, and dealing with social constructs such as school, work & family.

Fire in the Heart: A Spiritual Guide for Teens
(204.4 CHO 2004)
Chopra offers a series of lessons via parables that give his perspective on major questions about the self and life's purpose.

I Believe in...Christian, Jewish & Muslim Young People Speak About Their Faith
(200.835 GAS 2004)
Offers interviews with young people from various faiths about their spiritual journey, as well as original poems & essays by teens on this topic.

Teen Spirit: One World, Many Paths: Your Guide to Spirituality & Religion
(248.84 GRI)
Presents advice, information, quotes, activities, suggested resources & more to familiarize teens with the major (and a few minor) religions of the world.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spirituality for Teens
(248.84 GRI)
Offers advice for getting in touch with your spiritual side--regardless of your religion.

The Thundering Years: Rituals and Sacred Wisdom for Teens
(291.4408 JOH)
Shares wisdom from cultures all over the world to help you survive your "Thundering Years" & successfully transition into adulthood.

Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young Buddhists
(294.3 BLU)
Shares the varied & tremendous experiences of young Americans who have embraced Buddhism.

Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens
(294.344 WIN 2003)
Introduces the basic tenets of Buddhism and offers a "new way to overcome life's challenges."

Soul Searching: Thirteen Stories About Faith and Belief
(808.831 SOU)
Stories that explore faith, belief, spirituality, new ideas & new worlds.

Black Elk Speaks
(970.0049 BLA)
Explores the mystical life of an Oglala Sioux holy man.

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