Good books for God's children

The Question

Christopher J.

"It seems that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good books for young readers which foster virtue. My friend is looking for a website of good books lists for various age groups which are appropriate for young Catholics. Can you please offer a suggestion? His son is in 7th grade, I suggested The Lion Witch and Wardrobe and Lord of the Rings. Do you have any suggestions of where to find good reading lists and what you would suggest for a 6th grader off the top of your head?

"My thought would be to stay with the classics such as Sherlock Holmes, Huck Finn, Moby Dick, Count of Monte Christo, etc., but finding classics for 6th graders might be difficult."

MXM

This is a great question. I don't have a great answer. :o(

Brainstorming: Mark Twain, Winnie the Pooh, westerns, military history, biography. Growing-up stories. Harry Potter (problematic). Science fiction? Science documentary? Nancy Drew. Bobsy Twins. Tom Swift (!). The Hardy Boys. Little Women. Some Dickens? Brothers Karamazov. Anna Karenina. War and Peace. Tolkien, CS Lewis (Narnia and Space Trilogy), The Inklings, Dorothy Sayers. Fr. Brown by G. K. Chesterton. HHGG. Books from Mom and Dad: Air Escape and Evasion, a book about Medal of Honor winners, and a third (?) with the story of the Swamp Fox of the Revolution in it.

Catch-22. 2001: A Space Odyssey. Isaac Asimov. Dune Messiah.

Go to a bookstore with your kids. See what attracts them. Take some chances. Read what they read. Help to teach them how to read a story critically.

Wizard of Oz: written by an atheist, but I watched it every year on TV with my family in black-and-white. It didn't turn me into an atheist (thanks be to God!).

The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll--a family favorite.

Flatland by E. Abbot.

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain (!).

Kathy C.

One of our listeners, Kathy C., called in and wanted to give some suggestions as per the request for book recommendations during Fr. Moleski’s show last week. She recommends looking into Ignatius Press. It has a number of great series available for all ages and they’re listed by age, so not only are these decent, good books, but you can more easily find something age appropriate, as well. She also recommends Bethlehem Books – they’re historical fiction and a series her son really enjoyed.

MXM: I love Ignatius Press and I see that it has a section for Teens and Children. That's good. I think Ignatius Press is completely reliable in terms of orthodox Catholic teaching.

John D.

I would suggest Madeleine L'Engle has written many good books. She was Episcopalian, not Catholic but nonetheless wrote books that are great reading for young people of any age. A Wrinkle in Time is perhaps her most famous work, A Swiftly ... Tilting Planet is one of my all time favorites. Her protagonists were often young people dealing with issues about growing up and/or good and evil generally woven very well together.

Tom D.

I would recommend Brian Jacques' Redwall (and the series which that book starts). Similar to Lord of the Rings, it's not about Catholics, per se, but it does celebrate the virtues that Catholics hold dear: love of goodness, family, sacrifice, work, vocation, responsible freedom, and the joy of living. Similarly, the "patron" of Redwall Abbey (Martin the Warrior) comes to the characters in dreams and (in a sense) answers their prayers. They revere him in much the same way that a saint is revered, and they follow his guidance without question. Their trust in Martin (and their other deceased ancestors) is near-absolute. It's reminiscent of a religion focused on the Communion of Saints without any understanding of the Triune God.

The characters are delightfully straight-forward; the protagonists tend not to have moral dilemmas of "good or evil", but more often "good or mischief" or "good or complacence." The evil characters are unapologetically selfish, cruel, and ambitious. Poetry, song, and beauty all play a role, and food (and drink!) plays a central role in the story. It's hard to get through a chapter without the characters talking about a sumptuous feast (or a delectable drink).

If it weren't Christmastime I'd probably have a few more titles thought up, but I thought I'd write up this one while I was on my lunch break.

A.M.D.G.!

Websites

• http://www.catholicity.com/novels/

Bookstores

• Friends of mine run The Book Nook in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area; they've also got a Facebook page for the store. I've been to their parish, but not to the bookstore.
• Catholic bookstores.
• Christian bookstores.

Other resources

• Catholic schools.
• Public libraries.
• "Great books" reading lists.