Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul: Stories to Open the Hearts of Christian Teens (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
Gr. 6-12. With its familiar mix of the inspirational, the sad but heartwarming, and the sweetly funny, the Chicken Soup series turns to the audience of Christian teens. Grouped by subject ("On Faith," "On Loss and Grieving," "On Gratitude"), the stories, poems, and cartoons offer hope, comfort, and more than a few tears. Throughout, there's an emphasis on God working in surprising ways. In one selection, an anonymous teenager develops a stutter after a terrible beating but then discovers a calling as a music therapist as a result of the speech impediment. Many teens will relate to an anecdote about a young woman's struggles after being dumped by her boyfriend, though the connection between the breakup and Christianity is never made literal in her postbreakup search for comfort and meaning. Like the best selections here, her story is inspirational without being condescending or message heavy. The teenage writers' pieces will connect with the audience better than the selections written by adults, but even the grown-ups' nostalgic recollections have the air of authentic feeling.John GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved