It feels nearly impossible to find a truly clean teen book, even the Christian ones. Here’s the details:
I’m fostering a very sensitive DV/SA pre-teen this summer. She’s had a hard life so far and has been exposed to too much violence, sex and cussing and is triggered by typical teen books. She believes in God but finds that the Christian books she’s been picking up have “hot scenes” or foul language.
She’s hoping to find books that are reality based (meaning not Percy Jackson or Harry Potter), is accessible for 15 year old to read and avoids the triggers above.
Some books she enjoyed were Sketchy Behavior by Christa McGee and everything that Jenny B Jones has written.
Thanks!
by Shhshhshhshhnow
10 Comments
What about something like The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew?
Good on you for fostering a child.
Maybe the *Biggles* stories, and that sort of thing? Not explicitly Christian per se, but there are many ‘boys adventure’ stories which are deeply rooted in the Muscular Christianity vein. Or *Sherlock Holmes*, etc?
When I was around that age, I loved the St. Clare’s and Malory Towers series, and the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. I found them comforting and exciting at the same time, and I think they became classics for a reason.
How about middle grade chapter books? Something like The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. Or books by Kate di Camillo.
Try some classic literature, especially by female authors — the Brontes, for example. Most that happens there is some guy wears the wrong hat to lunch and is shunned for it.
What about Madeleine L’Engle? I really liked her books when I was growing up. Meg in A Wrinkle in Time is 13, so around that age, and is 14 in the next book A Wind in the Door. She also wrote a series with less sci-fi/fantasy elements, about the Austin family, and Vicky Austin is 15 in the 4th of those books, A Ring of Endless Light. L’Engle was also a Christian and those themes come through strongly. Sex is discussed at times but not in titillating ways.
I second a wrinkle in time, though it is modern scifi, not strict realism
Book of the Dun Cow being good, but its a story about animals not people.
If she has any interest in a love story, I’d suggest Makeover by Shannon Guymon. I read it as a teen and loved it – it’s very clean, no foul language, definitely geared toward a young audience. The characters are also Christian, if I recall correctly. The book does touch on some heavy topics, like emotional abuse and abandonment, but the main character is positive and spunky and displays a lot of bravery in the face of these issues, and also has a support system of other strong women to pull her through. I think it could be a source of strength and inspiration for your girl!
*Wonder* by Palacio
*The Incredible Journey* (if she likes animals)
Non-Fic memoirs: *Invincible Louisa* by Meigs (Louisa May Alcott)
*Fifth Chinses Daughter* by Wong
If she doesn’t mind historical books, there is always the Anne of Green Gables series (starting around 1895) and the later Besty-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace which were written in the 1940s and 50s, but focus on the early 1900s. The series begins when she is 6, but you don’t have to read them to appreciate the later books when she becomes a teen, which starts with Heavens to Betsy.
And written from the 1940s-the early 1970s, Betty Cavanna wrote wholesome teen romances with a bit of adventure.
Phyllis A Whitney, a prolific writer wrote a lot of YA suspense fiction in the 1960s and 1970s. She also wrote adult fiction, but even that was pretty tame.