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!).

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. Moleskiâ€™s show last week. She recommends looking into Ignatius Press. It has a number of great series available for all ages and theyâ€™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 â€“ theyâ€™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.

Friends of mine run a book store in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area. I've been to their parish, but not the bookstore.
Catholic bookstores.
Christian bookstores.