Chosen: The Books of History Chronicles—by Ted Dekker
BOOK REVIEWS FOR CHRISTIAN TEENS is a blog with reviews of books which we at CHRISTIAN TEEN PLACE recommend for teenagers. The editor and writer of BOOK REVIEWS FOR CHRISTIAN TEENS is Carolyn G. Miller, a former public high school teacher and currently a high school English and religion teacher at Ascension Academy in Amarillo, TX.
This blog site BOOKS REVIEWS FOR CHRISTIAN TEENS is part of the website christianteenplace.com, a place for teens to go for jokes, riddles, other kinds of humor, games, puzzles, humorus videos, polls and random surveys. Editor and manager of christianteenplace.com is Bob Miller.
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Chosen: The Books of History Chronicles—by Ted Dekker
If you like C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Series or Frank Perretti’s The Present Darkness, you will enjoy being caught up in Other Earth, where the evil Horde people have almost succeeded in conquering the Forest Dwellers, The Hordes are so vile that their evil “shows itself as a painful, scaly disease that covers [their] flesh. . .” Since evil is so strong on this earth, there are only a few places where those who have chosen Elyon can survive: 7 small forests surrounding 7 small lakes. The Forest Guard continuously keeps the Hordes from getting to these areas, but they face 400,000 men against their own 10,000. Only the supreme commander of the Forest Guard, Thomas Hunter, can try to subdue these evil ones by choosing the best of the youngest fighters. One who is a “chosen” must prove that he, along with three others, must “think with [your] heart and prepare to die—for you have been chosen.”
An adventurous story of good vs. evil from the Circle universe of A.D. 4,000 . You will want to read other books in this series.
Carolyn Miller, M.A.
HS English and Religion teacher
Ascension Academy, Amarillo, TX
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DATEABLE: ARE YOU? ARE THEY?
This blog site bestbooksforteens.com is part of the website christianteenplace.com, a place for teens to go for jokes, riddles, other kinds of humor, games, puzzles, humorus videos, polls and random surveys. Editor and manager of christianteenplace.com is Bob Miller.
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Dateable: are you? are they? By Justin Lookadoo and Hayley DiMarco
A cleverly written--with lots of scribbling along the sides of the pages--and honest disclosure about the “inside world of guys and girls.” One truth revealed is that “guys are males first and Christians second…And [their] first thought is sex.” Also, girls can use “a look, a touch, a little accidental peek to drive [a guy] wild”; however, guys really start “flipping over a girl who is confident, smart . . .and hard to get.”
The book features several insightful questions to girls about their type of man and guy questions about being a control freak. Other quizzes about crush-o-meters and comparisons between Girl World and Guyville point out some important perceptions in becoming dateable.
Some chapter titles: “Good Girls Go for Bad Boyz,” “Girls, Shut Up and Be Mysterious,” “Guys, Stand Up and Be a Man Already,” “If What You’re Showing Ain’t on the Menu, Keep It Covered Up,” and “The Way It Begins Is the Way It Will End.
The heart of this book focuses on the sexually charged dilemma in which guys and girls find themselves: how far to go on a date. There are four steps that both sexes can take as they make a deal with God. In discussing these steps and even having a “call for back-up” if temptations are too great, there is this thought: “You have made a commitment to God. That’s not something that you go back and negotiate because some guy (gal) wants to do more.”
Style of the book: witty, cleverly worded, especially for teens
Tone: Lighthearted and humorous on the surface, serious without being preachy
Carolyn Miller, M.A.
HS English and Religion teacher
Ascension Academy, Amarillo, TX
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"Do Hard Things" by Alex & Brett Harris
This blog site bestbooksforteens.com is part of the website christianteenplace.com, a place for teens to go for jokes, riddles, other kinds of humor, games, puzzles, humorus videos, polls and random surveys. Editor and manager of christianteenplace.com is Bob Miller.
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Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris
Are teens involved in a rebelution today? Definitely, according to the teenage authors of this book.
But this is a rebelution against low expectations for adolescents and teenagers. On their blog, Alex and Brett Harris published a series of articles called “The Myth of Adolescence,” which debunked the idea that teenagers shouldn’t do much of anything but have a good time and goof off. The response on the blog was overwhelming, with comments such as this from a 16-year-old: “Everyone I know at school is shackled by low expectations.”
As word of these articles spread, the two 16-year-old authors were selected to serve as interns at the Alabama Supreme Court, an experience which helped them focus on the three pillars of their Rebelution: character, competence, and collaboration.
This book has a plethora of examples from teens who have voluntarily decided to face the “hard things” because they know that starving children have to be fed or that abuse has to be stopped or that someone needs to help run a political campaign for an honest candidate. The Harris twins declare, “Our uprising won’t be marked by mass riots and violence, but by millions of individual teens quietly choosing to turn the low expectations of our culture upside down.”
What a refreshing story of heroism and courage of not just two—but dozens—of Christian young people who care enough about their world to do something—now!
Carolyn Miller, MA,
Highschool English Teacher,
Ascension Academy, Amarillo, TX
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adsense
"The Great Eight"--Autobiography of Scott Hamilton
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BOOK REVIEWS FOR CHRISTIAN TEENS is a weekly blog with reviews of books which we at CHRISTIAN TEEN PLACE recommend for teenagers. The editor and writer of BOOK REVIEWS FOR CHRISTIAN TEENS is Carolyn G. Miller, a former public high school teacher and currently a high school English and religion teacher at Ascension Academy in Amarillo, TX.
This blog site bestbooksforteens.com is part of the website christianteenplace.com, a place for teens to go for jokes, riddles, other kinds of humor, games, puzzles, humorus videos, polls and random surveys. Editor and manager of christianteenplace.com is Bob Miller.
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"The Great Eight"--Autobiography of Scott Hamilton
A story about an adopted kid who fell flat on his back the first time he tried to skate. Growing up, he was so ill that he showed up at the skating rink with a plastic feeding tube "snaking out of [his] nostril." Later he won an Olympic Gold Medal for figure skating.
This is one of the most inspiring stories about overcoming fear and pain--especially that of overcoming two types of cancer--that you can read. Hamilton talks about trusting the "Almighty Coach," along with the many coaches who influenced him.
He answers this question: "What's the best response to someone who's trying to make you unhappy? Be happy." He has used comedy and humor in his shows and in facing health problems in his life.
Very upbeat--from a guy who was called "too short, too bald, and too goofy to win a gold medal" to an optimistic guide of how to be happy!
You can see Hamilton on TV shows such as the "Today Show," "Entertainment Tonight," and "Inside Edition"; he will also be covering all of NBC skating broadcasts, including the Winter Olympics in 2010.
Especially good for older teens and youth workers.
Reviewed by Carolyn Miller, B.A., M.A.
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