Shadow in the Dark & Sequel, The Haunted Cathedral

Historical Fiction / Mystery / Suspense

“Catholicism’s Nancy Drew for boys AND girls”

An attack by bandits in the middle of the night leaves a young boy with no memory of who he is or where he is from. Nursed back to health by the devoted monks in a Benedictine abbey, he takes the name Alexander, or Xan for short. Aided by the kindly Brother Andrew, Xan commits himself to finding out who he really is.

Does he have a family? Are they still alive? And who—or what—is the shadowy figure creeping around the abbey in the dead of night?

Embark on an adventure while reading Shadow in the Dark as young Alexander tries to recover his memory and, with his new friends, uncover the mystery of the shadowy figure in the dark.

Murder Most Picanté & If Wishes Were Dragons

Fantasy / Comedy / Mystery / Action Adventure

“Perfect for fans of The Princess Bride”

It ain’t easy being a Magical creature in the Mundane world.Vern, a Faerie dragon whose size, power and knowledge were diminished after battling St. George, has been called to emigrate to the Mundane. Living in the garage of Little Flower Parish and dealing with neighbors who accuse him of eating cats and ruining their gardens, he’s hard pressed to find a reason to be in our world. Then a field comes to life and starts killing farmhands. While Vern can sympathize with vengeful jalapenos, murderous magic must be managed. He and Father Rich team up solve the mystery. It’s a whole new world with geeky fans, paranoid parishioners, bumptious authorities, zoo incarcerations, and a snickering saint who just wants Vern to do the right thing.

McCracken & the Lost Oasis

Historical Fiction / Pulp Adventure

“McCracken is Catholicism’s Indiana Jones”

Autumn, 1919. At last, the Great War is over. McCracken and his family are safe to take a vacation on the Nile, hoping to see their friend Cristofero Campo di Serpenti the archaeologist. But the calm waters of the Nile seem more and more deceptive, as the McCrackens encounter Egyptian revolutionaries, find themselves trapped in an underwater tomb, captured by Bedouin tribesmen, chasing international jewel thieves, and facing the dangers of the Sahara Desert. In this latest McCracken adventure, you will find yourself catapulted into a world of ancient and mysterious ruins, singing sand dunes, mythological creatures and, above all, the elusive lost oasis, land of wonder and riches beyond imagining . . .

Above the 38th Parallel

Action / Nonfiction / History / Graphic Novel

“If your kid loves Superheroes this an absolute Must-Have”
Saint Michael: Above the 38th Parallel, By Shanti Guy is a full color 32 page Comic Book that tells the story of a Marine in the Korean War who finds himself behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, his only hope is a miraculous apparition of Saint Michael the Archangel.This comic is based on a letter written in 1950 by a young Marine to his mother while he was in a hospital recovering from the injuries he recently suffered. In it, he describes the fantastic events that befell him while on patrol. Navy chaplain Father Walter Muldy personally knew the Marine, the Marine’s mother and the sergeant in charge of the patrol at the time of the apparition. One year later, Father Muldy read the same letter to 5,000 Marines at the Naval Base in San Diego and assured anyone who asked that it all really happened.
 

Saving Mount Rushmore & Saving the Statue of Liberty

Action Adventure

“Heists & Espionage & Fun. Perfect for Artemis Fowl fans”

When John Jenkins’ parents ship him off to stay with his aunt, he’s certain it will be the worst summer ever—until he learns he’s been accepted into a top-secret school. St. Michael’s Academy is home to gifted students with extraordinary talents. Although John has no idea why he’s there, he’s assigned to Team Liberty, who assist authorities with solving low-level crimes. Their first mission: stop a trio of mischief-making teens from vandalizing Mount Rushmore.

John battles feelings of inferiority as he and Team Liberty compete against Devlin Black and his cronies to track down clues and solve puzzles at Mount Rushmore. Along the way, John makes several key contributions, and his self-confidence grows. When he discovers he was admitted to the school due to a clerical error, he’s mortified. Now, he’s strictly an “observer” until the mission’s end. But when his teammates run into trouble, John must summon up the courage to save Mount Rushmore, and he learns an invaluable lesson: every person has special God-given gifts—including him.

Will Wilder & the Relic of Perilous Falls

Action Adventure / Fantasy

Fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Peter Lerangis’s Seven Wonders series will embrace this epic adventure in a rollicking new series by a New York Times bestselling author.

 Will Wilder didn’t mean to unlock his otherworldly gift. But that is exactly what happens when Will “borrows” a sacred relic believed to protect the town of Perilous Falls for nearly a century. Even though his intentions are good, the impulsive twelve-year-old unwittingly awakens an ancient evil endangering all of Perilous Falls.

As boats sink and hideous creatures crawl from the rising waters, it is up to Will to confront a nightmarish enemy and set things right before it is too late. Along with his sweet—if lethal—great-aunt Lucille, the curator of a museum of supernatural artifacts, Will proves that the actions of one twelve-year-old boy can change the world.

Introducing Our New Romance & Poetry Editor Tiffany Buck

Poet Tiffany Buck joins the Catholic Reads team!

The Wolf, the Lamb, and the Air Balloon by Corinna Turner

A wolf, a lamb, an air balloon—what could go wrong?

September Books to Pray With: For the Cry of the Earth

Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of
environmental disasters and the climate crisis, making a personal commitment to care for the world
we inhabit.

The Glaston Secret by Donal Anthony Foley

Can three modern teens and a little black dog rescue a group of fleeing refugees in Nazi-occupied France?

Mary, Mystical Rose By, J.T. Frodin

Why is Mary called the Mystical Rose? An interactive children’s book.

Saint Magnus: The Last Viking by Susan Peek

A young Viking Prince evades a warlord while finding his own harrowing path to sainthood.

A Truly Clawful Christmas By Corinna Turner

Father Benedict must learn to embrace the adrenaline rush if he’s going to survive being a rural priest living alongside dinosaurs.

Books to Pray With: April, For the Role of Women

A book list with prayerful reflection on the gift of women in the church. Pray and read along with us and the Pope’s monthly reflections for 2024.

The Eighth Station by Deirdre McQuade and Friends

A wonderful devotional for the eyes and heart focusing on the eighth station of the cross

Silence by Shusaku Endo

The story that introduced faith to one of the most secular nations on Earth

House of War by Carlos Carrasco

With the government on the verge of outlawing Christianity, a group of Catholics launch a new Crusade.

The People’s Choice- Top 10 Genres in Catholic Literature

The book-geeks have spoken! Top favorite genres in Catholic literature July 2018- July 2019

Infinite Regress by Joshua Hren

Poetic justice when the victim of a predator priest finds freedom from his seducer.

Dying for Compassion by Barbara Golder

This is the feisty lady-doc origin story I have been waiting for. Golder proves herself to be an excellent character writer in the mystery genre.

North Pacific: A Story of Life, Love, Suffering, and Grace by Michael Steffan

Joseph & Miku’s love was already illegal. Then WWII began. Now home, disabled, and questioning God’s love, he still searches for her.

Unlikely Witnesses by Leslea Wahl

When four boys glimpse a crime in their Colorado town they end up in an interrogation cell of the FBI.

Three Last Things or The Hounding of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin by Corinna Turner

The last day of a convicted murderer’s life: Can he save his soul in time?

Theology In the Bottle: Where Cana Meets the Cross By A. P. Schreck

Prayerful meditations to pair with your journal and a glass of wine.

Shooting At Heaven’s Gate, by Kaye Park Hinckley

How does an ordinary boy become a mass murderer?