Gifts: Visible and Invisible is the latest offering from the talented writers of CatholicTeenBooks.com. This collection of eight Christmas stories for teens offers enjoyable tales for fans of contemporary, historical, and dystopian genres.
The Outlaw’s Friend by Susan Peek takes place in 1896 Wisconsin where a young man with an unexpected fortune is preparing to leave his family three days before Christmas.
In the Steps of a Saint by Katy Huth Jones is a contemporary story in which Andrew Nowak learns some important lessons from the example of Good King Wenceslas.
A Perfect Christmas by Carolyn Astfalk is set in present day Pennsylvania. Marigold is 15 with a slew of younger siblings. She’s dreaming of a perfect Christmas, but her father is away and her mother is overwhelmed. Marigold’s definition of “perfect” may need some readjustment.
Theresa Linden’s Operation Gift Drop is set in the not-too-distant dystopian future. A group of underground rebels work to deliver gifts to those who don’t believe celebrate Christmas.
Christmas Angel by Leslea Wahl features Megan, a teenager contemplating how best to keep Christ in Christmas.
Cynthia Toney takes readers back to 1925 Louisiana in Signs of Christmas. Antonina misses her friend Sal who had to leave Louisiana three months earlier to escape the mafia. Caring for a poor girl named Lucy may help take her mind off of her own loss.
Just Jesus by T.M. Gaouette highlights a group of teens who learn an important message about Christmas from an unlikely source.
The last story in the collection is A Very Jurassic Christmas by Corinna Turner. It’s Christmas break and Joshua and his Uncle Z are working to save a starving allosaur and her babies.
These short works of Catholic fiction make for wonderful leisure reading for the Advent or Christmas seasons. These authors are skilled at conveying important messages without ever being preachy. Gifts: Visible or Invisible would make a great gift for a teen in your life.
