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.

Sister Aloysius Comes to Mercyville By Linda Etchison, Illustrated by Denise Plumlee-Tadlock

A young nun teaches children how to offer up their daily irritations to God.

Desperate Forest: The Forest Tales Series, Book 1 By Cece Louise

This RomCom fantasy adventure explores a princess discovering the realities of life outside of her kingdom and what true love is really made of.

A Spiritual Odyssey By Brian O’Hare

A wonderful testament to the love of God and how He never abandons us, even when we say no to Him for decades.

Shooting At Heaven’s Gate, by Kaye Park Hinckley

How does an ordinary boy become a mass murderer?

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle By Lynda Rozell

Grow in deeper appreciation of the Eucharist by exploring the symbolism and craft of tabernacles.

Gifts Visible and Invisible

If you are looking for a cozy read to get into the Christmas cheer, this collection has it all.

Milestone to Manhood: A Christian Rite of Passage to Help Your 13-Year-Old Son Make the Leap from Boyhood to Manhood by David Arms and Steven Arms

One father’s quest to help his sons learn what it means to be a man – and how you can start your own tradition.

King of the Shattered Glass by Susan Joy Bellavance

An orphan maid braves the wrath of the King when she breaks his precious glassware but realizes true beauty of forgiveness and broken glass.

Where to begin with J. R. R. Tolkien?

Beyond the adventure, the way to read The Lord of the Rings is not as an allegory but as a meditation on the human Story we are each caught up in, and in which we each have our part to play, our temptations to resist, and our task to accomplish.

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

“Virtue, the good life, tempted him in the dark like a sin.”

The Book of Saints and Heroes By Andrew & Lenora Lang

Ancient tales of Saints and Heroes retold for Victorians, reprinted for us.

3 Mistakes New Catholics Make (& 2 Remedies)

Five common errors new converts make and how to avoid them from a convert 16 years in who did all of these so you don’t have to.

Cinder Allia by Karen Ullo

A political fantasy epic bildungsroman where Allia’s feminine heart becomes as powerful a force has her sword.

Earthquake Weather by Kevin Rush

The mist that settles over San Francisco hides the ugly parts of her world. Can Kristine find the courage to see with unclouded eyes?

Fair Now Later Rain, by Jeremy Long

We cannot escape loss, but God offers us hope.

Nightside The Long Sun by Gene Wolfe

A groundbreaking classic that conveys the practical need for ritual and a Priesthood to a secular world.

Saving Cinderella: What Feminists Get Wrong About Disney Princesses And How To Set It Right by Faith Moore

Love the Disney movies you grew up with but don’t know how to defend them in the face of the modern critics? This book is for you.

The City Mother By Maya Sinha

She didn’t believe in good and evil, until she became a mother…

Welcome Courtney Guest Kim, Our New Classics Editor!

Courtney Guest Kim joins us to help readers figure out where to start in the long and renowned roster of Catholic Literary Classics!

The Doha Experiment by Gary Wasserman

For a Catholic reader, the Doha Experiment offers a unique opportunity to understand both the Jewish mind and the Qatari culture.