Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists!

The saying goes that there are two topics you should never bring up in conversation because more likely than not, it will start an argument. Those two topics are religion and politics. They just seem to push people’s hot buttons–maybe because both subjects tend to be closly tied to a person’s identity and individuality. As a teenager, religion and spirituality are just one of the many different issues you will experiment with, and hopefully these books will help you in understanding your experimentations a little better. There are no “Answers to the Universal Questions” in these pages, only teens that may be going through the same spiritual convulsions as you. So whether you pray, meditate, or reincarnate, there should be something in the following titles that appeals to you.

Aslaug, homeschooled and raised wild in the rural woods of Maine, never knew who her father was. She tried asking her mother, a strange woman obsessed with plant lore and pagan religions, but the muttering odd woman took that secret to her grave. After her mother’s death, Aslaug, desperate for answers, hunts down the rest of her family, an aunt and cousins who live in the neighboring town. She hopes they will be able to tell her where she came from, but to her dismay, Aslaug discovers that in many ways her aunt’s house is just as strange as the home she just left. The secrets multiply until Aslaug doesn’t know what’s real and what is only a dream. But even as she plans her escape from the safe haven that has become her prison, the two people closest to her leave first–by dropping dead. And Aslaug is accused of their murder. As she enters the confusing and terrifying world of the legal system, the only source of comfort she has left is the Divine. But not even God may be able to help Aslaug now. This brilliant, densely written amalgamation of botany, religion, murder mystery, courtroom drama and dark family secrets is the twisted brainchild of newbie author Christina Meldrum. Now, I read a LOT of YA fiction, and this one stopped me dead in my tracks with its utter bizarreness. So if you want a challenging read that’s so far off the beaten track it’s practically in the MILKY WAY, dig up Madapple at your local library or bookstore.

Mena can’t believe it. In one fell swoop, she’s lost all her friends, been banned for life from her church youth group, and forever grounded by her parents. Why? Because she dared to do the RIGHT THING (more on that later). Only two things are getting her through her miserable days at school: her new hot lab partner, Casey (he of the swoon-y eyes and curly dark hair) and her radical science teacher, Ms. Shepard (she of the rumpled suits and venti Starbucks). Ms. Shepard’s interesting lectures on evolution and Darwin have really got Mena’s brain cells blazing. There’s just one problem—her former church friends. Every time Ms. Shepard mentions the “e” word, they all turn their chairs in protest. Mena is miserable. Just because she believes in God, does that mean she can’t believe in evolution? And if her old friends are such good Christians, why can’t they forgive her for doing the RIGHT THING (sorry, you’re just going to have to read the book to find out what that was—but it involves Mena helping an LGBT kid who refuses to bow to Christian peer pressure to “reform”) In EM & OFN, Robin Brande explores what it means to have faith—in God, in nature, in friendship, but most of all, in yourself. This is one articulate, well-written debut. Bravo to Brande for writing such a balanced, timely tome that humorously and sensitively addresses the current debate between intelligent design and evolution. 4 stars!

When minor demon Kiriel “borrows” the body of Shaun, a teenage boy who is supposed to die when he accidentally walks into the path of an oncoming truck, he becomes fascinated by all the mundane human acts we take for granted, like seeing, breathing, and eating. But Kiriel knows he has to cram in as many Earthly experiences as possible before the Creator calls him back to his demon-ly duties. So he revels in the taste of ketchup, enjoys kissing his first girl (although he would have liked to do more) and tries to plant a few seeds of caution among the high school bullies and power brokers, in hopes that he won’t have to make their acquaintances later…downstairs. A.M. Jenkins’ inspired portrayal of a sympathetic demon and his longing to stay human, so that he might actually be NOTICED by the all-powerful (an apparently, all-too-busy) Creator, is funny, thought provoking, and surprisingly deep. Not only will you come away with a new appreciation of ketchup, but also your radical, amazing adolescence, which only happens once and will be over and done before you know it…

Sixteen year old Jason Bock is getting pretty sick of the Teen Power Outreach, or TPO sessions his father is making him attend at their Catholic church. So Jason decides to create his own religion called The Church of the Ten Legged God, based on the town’s ten legged water tower as his chosen object of worship. His disciples are called Chutengodians, and include his friends Shin, Dan, Magda and Henry. Together, they decide that Tuesday will be their Sabbath, and that Chutengodians discriminate against morons, terrorists and intelligent fish. Of course, their religion includes a pilgrimage to the top of the water tower, which is where they get nailed by police for defiling the town’s water supply by swimming in it! But Jason’s got even bigger problems. He learns that not only has Shin has been compiling a book of Chutengodian mythology, but he’s actually starting to believe in it! What started out as a lark is now getting out of hand, and Jason isn’t sure what or even if he can do anything about it. Jason is learning the hard way that when you create something, you’re also responsible for it, whether you like it or not. A short, somewhat silly spiritual novel with a serious message that you can probably finish in just one Sunday (or Tuesday!) afternoon.

Forget WWJD–instead, think What Did Jesus Do when he was a rock and roll teen way back in the day? According to his best friend, Biff, J.C. was a happening guy. All the girls dug him, even though he couldn’t really date, seeing that he was the son of God and all. And he really did perform all those miracles–but Biff will be sure to fill you in on all the early ones that umm, backfired a little bit. Filling where the Bible leaves off (for those of you not in the know, the Word never gives any detail about Jesus as a teenager) author Christopher Moore has provided us with a highly irreverent and completely hilarious behind the scenes view of Jesus–the sort of guy who, according to the all-too-human Biff, is almost impossible to be best friends with, because he’s, well, perfect!

Fourteen year old Zimmerman is sort of different from other guys his age in that, well, he’s pretty on fire for God. But not in a sanitized- organized-religion-kind-of-way, more like a historical-philosophical-why-are-we-all-here-kind-of-way. Which strangely enough, gets him in trouble with his rich yuppie parents who keep wondering why he doesn’t cut loose and go completely crazy like a “normal” teenager. Then, Zim’s parents get “born again” into this kooky island religion that Zimmerman sees through instantly. Suddenly, they are proclaiming that he was right all along and want to cast him in the role of “teen Messiah.” Well, Zim’s having no part of that, and what he does to throw them off his track is totally surprising. This book will leave you pondering whether the difference between right and wrong is absolute, or really just depends on the circumstance.

Todd has totally fallen for Laurel, his little sister Marnie’s babysitter. She is preppy, distant and completely mysterious. But when Marnie starts having bad dreams about evil and hellfire, Todd realizes that it’s because Laurel is filling Marnie’s head with her own special brand of Christian fundamentalism. Todd finds himself torn between his desire for Laurel and his distaste with her personal convictions. Things heat up even more when a local church group, of which Laurel’s mom is a member, pressure the school to remove certain books from the library. Todd starts thinking long and hard about his views on religion, censorship and individual responsibility. The implications and consequences of this novel will hurt your head (but in a good way).

It’s pretty hard being a preacher’s daughter. Between dealing with her hardcore, Bible-verse-spouting dad and making excuses for her mid-life-crisis mom, Charity Pittman is just plain tired. Then artist Adrianne Dabney swirls into town from New York City and ends up turning Charity’s whole world upside down and back to front. Adrianne locks herself up in her house for a month in complete darkness as part of a “sensory deprivation” project that she hopes will enhance her artistic vision. But the only vision she ends up having is one of Jesus Christ sitting in her living room chair. Well, when that little news item gets out, all hell breaks loose-literally. The little town becomes sharply divided between those who want to worship the “Jesus chair” and those, including Charity’s dad, who believe the chair is an instrument of the devil. Charity finds herself in the awkward position of being somewhere in the middle, since she wants to support her dad, but has also fallen under Adrianne’s intoxicating spell. A little book with a big message that suggests we’re responsible for making our own miracles.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of a sudden the meaning of life became completely clear to you? Like, for once you finally understood the purpose in your body and soul being placed on this planet? That’s how 18 year old Mitch feels when he travels to Israel for the first time on a class trip. Suddenly, his Jewish heritage is more than just window dressing. Mitch decides that he wants to stay in Israel and study Judaism, maybe even switch over his citizenship. But Mitch’s friends and family in the United States are terrified that he has been brainwashed by some extreme Jewish group, especially his cousin Carlie. So Carlie and Mitch’s mom go to Israel in hopes of luring Mitch into coming back home, and what happens to them there changes everybody’s lives forever. A good solid story about how much identity can be shaped by religion.

Dorry didn’t just wake up one day and find herself somehow changed into a religious fanatic. She got that way through the insidious and careful coaxing of a group called Fishers of Men. The Fishers are a radical Christian cult that lure new-kid Dorry into their midst with bright smiles, accepting arms, and best of all–a sense of belonging in a new and bewildering high school. Dorry loves being a part of the Fishers–at first. Then she starts to notice how much the Fishers are really asking of her. She is constantly hounded to convert new members, to follow a rigid caste system within the group, even blow off homework to attend numerous Fisher meetings. Suddenly, Dorry’s not sure if she’s a devoted believer or a crazed fanatic. When Dorry is fired from her babysitting job for scaring the kids with stories of hell, she re-thinks the whole Fisher thing and decides she’ll take spirituality on her own terms–not someone else’s. An excellent read with a timely warning–that you can’t always judge a cult by its cover.

Marina and Jed are at the top of a mountain waiting for the end of the world. Sounds kinda romantic, doesn’t it? It would be if it wasn’t for the fact that their families are part of a religious group that believes the end is near and has sequestered all “true believers” on top of Mount Weeupcut to wait…and wait…and wait. Along with stirrings of interest in each other, Jed and Marina are also staring to feel stirrings of doubt that the world is actually going to end like their fearless leader, Rev. Beelson, has predicted. And Marina REALLY starts to feel uneasy when she notices that the camp supplies include guns–lots of them. Even though Jed has never totally been sure that the world is going to crash and burn, he is starting to feel like he’d rather be somewhere else if it does. But before either of them realize it, the eve of Armageddon is upon them and they have fallen in love. Who will live? Who will die? And will the world REALLY end? Find out in this two-cool thriller co-authored by teen lit. laureates Jane Yolen (Marina’s voice) and Bruce Coville (Jed’s voice).

A gentle and fun intro. to Buddhist principles, Mango claims to be the “recently discovered” journal of “J.”, an aimless young botanist who has been sent by The Man to scout out an island paradise for the purpose of building a fruit packing plant on it. But instead, J. falls in the love with the beautiful island of Sakahara and its inhabitants, especially the village wiseman, Katchumo. Katchumo’s teachings turn J.’s capitalist sensibilities into introspective musings, and J. decides to damn The Man and seek life’s answers for himself. Call it kinda a Jonathan Livingston Seagull for the 90’s.