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.

I, Claudia By Lin Wilder

Will the extraordinary events lead the wife of Pontius Pilate, Claudia Procula, to the Son of God?

Old Man & The Void by Karina Fabian

When Dex decides to catch the treasure of a century, he is pulled into a black hole and must fight the robotic ghosts of an alien war.

A Distant Prospect by Annette Young

Lucy has been broken by the horrors of polio and the war for Irish Independence. Can Australia offer her a new life and a new home?

Brother Wolf by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Swept into a werewolf hunt with two nuns, a dashing guardian and a jolly priest, Athene Howard applies her intellectual skills to unravel this mysterious new Papist world.

For Eden’s Sake by T.M. Gaouette

Life is precious whether it’s planned or not.

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?

680 Miles Away By Tara J. Stone

Will Evie run away for good, or will she fight for Finn?

Spooky Catholic Reads

Books with the themes of the All Hallows season grouped according to scariness level.

Why Flannery O’Connor is Too Dangerous for Catholic Book Stores (And why I love them both for it)

Why the promotion of religious fiction is just as important as the promotion of nonfiction and Apologetics.

The Last Monks of Skellig Michael by Philip Kosloski

The Christian monastic roots of Star Wars’ Jedi Knights.

Paul’s Prayers by Susan Anderson

A mother reveals with honesty and authenticity the difficulties of raising a child with autism and the struggles that child faces every minute of every day.

The Monks’ Daily Bread by Sylvia Dorham

A nursery rhyme for toddlers showing them the daily life in a monastery.

Announcing Our New Historical Fiction & Fantasy Editor

Get to know the new editors joining the search for Catholic literature’s best

The Wish Thief by C.D. Verhoff

Glory steals an unusual gem to save her family but winds up threatening an entire world.

The River of Life by Diana González Tabbaa

The death of little Anthony’s father shakes his faith until a heaven-sent friend helps him find his way back to God.

Roland West Loner by Theresa Linden

When his evil brothers lock Roland up in a dungeon he finds a locked box hiding a mysterious treasure.

My Name is Saul by Lin Wilder

How does a man become a monster? How does a monster become a saint?

Night Prayer by Brother Bernard Seif, SMC, Ed.D., DNM

The Motto Suaviter Sed Fortiter (Gentle But Strong) informs this historical mystery novel about the founding of the Salesian spiritual family and its various branches.

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.

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.