The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas

Antonia wants two things out of her life.  She wants to be kissed, and she wants to be the first living saint in Catholic history.  Neither one of these goals seems very likely for her.  She’s been petitioning the Vatican to add new saint specialties and offering herself as a candidate for sainthood for the past half-dozen years, and she rarely even gets so much as a rejection letter.  And there’s no Patron Saint of Kissing, and Antonia’s sure that she won’t get a first kiss without some kind of saintly intercession.  The boy she likes, Andy, barely knows she’s alive, and a boy she doesn’t really like happens to really like her.  So the only kissing she gets to do is kissing the skinned knees and elbows of neighborhood kids, and the forehead of the woman who hasn’t walked in years.  But her kisses seem to heal.  But is it possible for Antonia to be a saint while still being a normal fifteen year old girl?

Review by Kathleen

Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

When Abby gets kicked out of her public middle school for cutting a bully with a pocket knife, she has three choices – she can go to the “alternative” school, her parents can home-school her (not likely since they never listened when she tried to tell them about being bullied), or she can go to the Catholic school.  It’s a bit strange for Abby because her family’s agnostic.  But she starts taking religion classes at her new Catholic school, and she gradually starts making some friends, and she finds a place for herself in the drama class.  And she finds she likes the religion she’s learning, and not entirely because it’s a way to annoy her parents.  So she decides she wants to become Catholic (or at least, she decides to want to want to become Catholic).

Leap of Faith should not be used as a primer or a book of Catholic catechism, because even some of the prayers used in the book are incorrect.  But Bradley does capture some of the feel of a Catholic mass, as well as the sense of wonder at discovering a new religion.

Review by Kathleen

The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Caroline has never been very religious.  Her mom comes from a Jewish family, but her dad doesn’t.  But when Caroline’s grandmother dies and leaves her a Star of David necklace, Caroline starts to wonder what it means to be Jewish, and if she should have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony like her best friend, Rachel.

The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah is geared toward younger teen readers.

You can visit Nora Raleigh Baskin at her website.

Review by Kathleen

Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah

Amal is a pretty normal Australian high school student who just happens to be Muslim.  She’s at a new public school after having gone to an Islamic school for several years.  While her parents don’t pressure her about religion, Amal decides she wants to be go “full-time,” wearing the traditional Islamic hijab whenever she’s in the presence of anyone other than women and her family.  That means wearing the hijab to her snobby prep school.  And that means facing her principal’s arguments about it being against tradition and not in compliance with the regulations concerning uniforms.  But while she wears the hijab, she learns some things about being true to herself, being a good Muslim, and still being a fairly typical teenager with an almost-boyfriend.

Randa Abdel-Fattah’s novel takes a look at stereotyping and prejudice from both sides without seeming preachy.  Yes, Amal learns some lessons while people judge her in a post-9/11 culture, but she realizes that she’s judging other people too.

Review by Kathleen