Fiction
Stories from Chesterton
by G.K. Chesterton
adapted by Nancy Carpentier Brown
Young readers can now delight in Chesterton's wit and storytelling in these adaptations of 4 popular Father Brown stories:
- "The Blue Cross,"
- "The Strange Feet,"
- "The Flying Stars," and
- "The Absence of Mr. Glass."
In each story Chesterton includes a delightful twist and the clever sleuthing of Father Brown.
The Father Brown Reader II is also available.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 148 pages
Mostly Boys by Fr Francis J. Finn, S.J.
New Faces and Old by Fr Francis J. Finn, S.J.
Tales of the Angels by Fr Frederick William Faber, D.D.
Written in the 1800s, Mostly Boys and New Faces and Old showcase the classroom, pastimes, and life in general at the turn of the century. Father Finn teaches many valuable life lessons such as the importance of honesty, a spirit of honor, obedience, kindness and many more. He provides countless hours of fun and enjoyable reading for the entire family!
While introducing the readers to new characters and situations, the short stories in Mostly Boys and New Faces and Old bring back some familiar characters whom the readers have met in other Father Finn books including Claude Lightfoot, Tom Playfair, and Gerald O'Rourke. In one story Father Finn mentions Father Faber's Tales of the Angels which is included as a bonus in this three-in-one book!
Hardcover, 304 pages
Alert in Rome
by Fr Albert M. Hublet, S.J.
When Pierre arrives for vacation in the Eternal City, little does he know what hair-raising adventures await him there.
The unexpected friendship he forms with Giovanni, the unwilling pickpocket, leads to a showdown with a very dangerous gang of Roman thieves and cut-throats, headed up by Giovanni’s wayward cousin, Paolo.
When the gang accidentally comes into possession of top-secret papers originating from the Belgian Embassy where Pierre’s father works, a race against time begins. Will Monsieur Le Vallier manage to recuperate the documents before the crooks can hand them over to a foreign power in exchange for large sums of money? Monsieur Le Vallier’s career, the reputation of the Belgian government and more than one life all hang in the balance.
This is a story of friendship, loyalty, honesty, courage and daring. It is also a perfect way for children to get to know the Eternal City, its geography and its principal monuments. Following Pierre and Giovanni on their crazy Roman adventure, young readers will be given a tour of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum and other famous sights and sounds of the Capital of Christendom. Throw in a little Italian vocabulary too, and this book is the perfect gift for fun-loving Catholic children!
Age 11+
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 140 pages
by Fr Albert Hublet, S.J.
A travelling prelate arrives before the snow-capped turrets of the Castle of Rougement one evening just before Christmas. He has come from Rome on an important mission: the preaching of a new Crusade. His host, Count de Rougement, and the Count’s visiting friend, Baron de Croisy, are both convinced to join the holy venture.
But they are not the only ones who yearn to free the Holy Places. Alan, Baron de Croisy’s 14-year-old son, dreams of accompanying his father. But to the boy’s immense disappointment, he is told that he is too young.
One night, just when his dreams seem to be farthest from coming true, Alan is visited by a mysterious white knight who entrusts him with a mission of his own. He too is to go on Crusade…but a very different kind to the one he had imagined.
Age: 12 year +
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 220 pages
by Rev. Henry S. Spalding, S.J.
The year is 1669. In French colonial Quebec, Paul Guibeau has won fame for his bravery in fighting the Iroquois, and now he hopes to turn this success into a military career. When he overhears Count Frontenac commissioning Louis Joliet to chart the location of a fabled island in Lake Superior containing a rich supply of copper, Paul is determined to achieve glory by being the first to return with news of this mineral wealth. He sets off in a race across the wilderness with his friend and ally, a Huron Indian named Red Bear, in search of this island…but he does not count on the incursions of the Miami Indians into the lands now vacated by the fierce Iroquois. An unexpected struggle for freedom and for life itself now stands between him and his dreamed-of glory...
This book is the first of a pair that follow the discoveries of Marquette and Joliet in the 17th century. In The Race for Copper Island, we find Joliet and his companions setting off westward into the upper Great Lakes, in search of rich copper deposits that had been reported by missionaries in that region. At a Jesuit Mission near Sault Sainte Marie, Joliet meets with Father Marquette, whose observations and detailed maps of the shores of Lake Superior prove invaluable to his quest. At the same time, Father Marquette tells Joliet of his great desire to explore the Great River the natives have told him of—a river they call the Mississippi—the fulfillment of which will follow in the next volume, The Marks of the Bear Claws.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 150 pages
A Saint Nicolas Tale
by Aaron Separd and Wendy Edelson
Why not give more?
Van Amsterdam the baker was well known for his honesty as well as for his fine Saint Nicholas cookies. He always gave his customers exactly what they paid for -- not more and not less. So, he was not about to give in when a mysterious old woman comes to him on Saint Nicholas Day and insists that a dozen is thirteen!
The woman's curse puts an end to the baker's business, and he believes it would take Saint Nicholas to help him. But if he receives that help, will it be exactly what he imagined?
Find out in this inspiring legend from Dutch colonial New York about the birth of an honored American custom.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 8.5", 40 pages
Our Boy
by Fr Albert M. Hublet, S.J.
It is May 1940 and the Second World War has broken out. A bomb from a German air-raid has just destroyed a Limousine passing through a French village, killing its occupants … except ten-year-old Jacky.
Claire Arcueil, a Belgian nurse who has been trapped in the village since the outbreak of war, rescues the boy from the wrecked car and nurses him back to health. A tender affection forms between the two and when things settle down after the Armistice, Claire brings the boy back to Belgium with her.
Jacky immediately settles in and becomes part of the Arcueil family. Then, a rich couple from Brussels unexpectedly claims guardianship over the little orphan. In his new luxurious Brussels home, Jacky is confronted with comfort and boredom – everything inclines him to compromise on what Claire has taught him. Will he resist and make the correct choices, or will he give in to the surrounding corruption?
Father Albert Hublet was a Belgian Jesuit who wrote novels for children.
Age-group: 10 years and up.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 272 pages
A Novel of the Time of Saint Paul
by Louis de Wohl
In this historical novel first published in 1957, beloved author Louis de Wohl draws readers into the life and times of St. Paul, painting an unforgettable portrait of both the man himself and the first-century world to which he preached the gospel.
Through Paul’s eyes and those of his friends, we follow the great apostle from his role in persecuting Christians, through his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, to his eventual journey to Rome, the center of imperial power. Along the way, we encounter the sights, sounds, and characters of ancient Rome and Judea; witness the quiet spread of the new Christian faith; and are taken behind the scenes into the halls of power, where we meet Herod, Agrippa, Nero, and others.
The result is a vivid picture of a world not so different from our own, a world caught up in materialism, power politics, and paganism, yet yearning for the light of Christ. Readers will come away from this book with a new understanding of New Testament times—and a new appreciation for the singular personality that was Paul of Tarsus. A page-turner and an inspiration to today’s Christians, it is sure to capture the attention of readers both young and old.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 451 pages
by Brother Ernest, C.S.C.
Millet was born in 1814 in Gruchy, France. He was a peasant boy who spent much time int he fields working on the family farm. His grandmother was the first to recognize his artistic talent and with the help of their parish priest Millet was sent ot study painting in Paris. His struggles were many! Reading this story can encourage us to follow in the footsteps of Millet who perservered despite hardship and used his talents to bring glory to God.
Level 1
Paperback, size 8" x 6", 30 pages
by Robert Louis Stevenson
'Fifteen men on the dead man's chest –Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!'
When young Jim Hawkins finds an old map showing the location of a hoard of buried treasure, he joins the crew of the Hispaniola who set sail to find it. But they soon have a mutiny on their hands, led by the duplicitous pirate Long John Silver. As the quest turns murderous, Jim’s bravery is put to the test, and he discovers much about friendship, loyalty and betrayal on this daring voyage.
Treasure Island was serialised in the children’s magazine Young Folks before being published in 1883. It has come to be regarded as one of the greatest adventure stories ever told.
Paperback, size 7.75" x 5.2", 235 pages
by Nicolas C. Prata
The year is A.D. 1565 and the tiny island fortress of Malta, defended by an anachronistic crusading order called the Knights of St. John Hospitallers, is all that stands between the war machine of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and the very heart of Christendom. Pitifully outmatched and against impossible odds, the indomitable Grand Master Jean Parisot de La Valette nevertheless inspires his knights to "strike a blow for Christ" and sacrifice their lives to halt the invading Turks at the gates of Europe. Nicholas Prata relates the actual events of the Great Siege in riveting and graphic prose which brings the extreme heroism of the knights and the horror of combat sharply into focus.
Age range: 12 years up
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 292 pages
My Name is Ivan
by Fr Albert M. Hublet, S.J.
Pierre Cartigny is back from the War in which he has served courageously. The former Lieutenant is now living with his mother and brothers and sisters in the Belgian countryside where he distinguishes himself as a doctor to the local poor.
One day just before Christmas, Pierre discovers a little boy in the snow, almost dead from cold and exhaustion. When the young doctor brings him home to take care of him, he soon discovers to his astonishment that the boy is a Russian, called Ivan. He then realizes that Ivan is on the run from the Bolsheviks who are mysteriously determined to capture and kill him.
The future is uncertain for the little Russian. Will he manage to escape from his enemies and will he ever meet his dear mother again? How will his sudden arrival in the Cartigny household change the lives of Pierre, Agnès, Gerald and Roger?
In this beautiful tale, Father Hublet makes adventure blend with everyday life, and the ordinary with the extraordinary, while heroism and virtue struggle against cowardice and weakness.
Father Albert Hublet was a Belgian Jesuit who wrote novels for children.
Age-group: 12 years and up
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 262 pages
by Madeleine A. Polland
After the Norman invasion, King Malcolm of Scotland sweeps through Northumbria leaving death, destruction . . . and orphans in his wake. He also finds a queen, Margaret, sister of Ætheling, who seeks to tame his vengeance and make reparation for the damage his sword has wielded. Two Saxon orphans, Merca and Dag, are adopted by her court, and while Dag accepts his new life and the safety it brings them, Merca is bent on revenge on the cruel King who ripped her old life from her. Merca stands in the shadow of the blessing cup that Margaret raises to the civilizing of the Scottish court. Will she learn forgiveness from her saintly Queen Margaret?
The tale continues in To Kill A King.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 178 pages
by Madeleine A. Polland
In the late 1500s, young Patrick O'Flaherty comes to the remote walls of Grainne O'Malley's pirate fortress on the west coast of Ireland, determined to enlist the aid of his heroine queen in freeing his family, prisoners of the British. "Patch" stays to become a page in Grainne's bewildering "court" and accompanies her and her men as they plunder the ships of Elizabeth I and wage bloody raids on the countryside. To Grainne, Patch represents the future of her beloved Ireland and the tragedy of all Irishmen, torn between loyalty to her cause and the fear that her resistance to the British will cost many Irish lives. Should she submit to the English Crown as the other lords, including her own husband, were doing?
No matter her choice, Patch is by her side. A true story, vividly told as only Madeleine Polland can do!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 162 pages
by Alfred J Church
Relates in vigorous prose the tale of Aeneas, the legendary ancestor of Romulus, who escaped from the burning city of Troy and wandered the Mediterranean for years before settling in Italy. Patterned after the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Aeneid was composed as an epic poem by Virgil, to glorify the imperial city of Rome.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 176 pages
by Caryll Houselander
Tales about Catholic children to form your own little ones in holy wisdom and piety.
Caryll Houselander is best known for the intensity of her vision of the suffering Christ and His immeasurable love for us, a theme that she frequently spoke of with breathtaking luminosity in her many books about Him.
Few know, however, of the many remarkable stories she wrote for Catholic children — delightful tales that are simple but not shallow. Indeed, like her books for adults, they manifest a tender love of Christ and His little ones not commonly found among us these days.
Here are twelve of Houselander's best tales, charmingly illustrated with Renée George's lively drawings of pirates and princesses, castles and kings.
Through the tale of Jack and Jim, even young children will grasp the meaning of Christ's suffering; in Racla the Gypsy, they'll discover the charity which is at the heart of the Eucharist; in the The Curé's Guest, they'll see how Christ makes up for the sins of others.
All the stories touch on Catholic themes, but these tales are not really catechetical. Yes, they do take for granted that Catholicism — especially prayer and the Mass — plays a large role in the lives of these children, but they do something more . . . and more important.
Tale after tale introduces children to the tender love that Jesus has for each of them, and to the fire of love for Him that can burn in the hearts of Catholics — even in the hearts of little ones like themselves.
There is no better gift you can give to a young child.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 160 pages
by Jean Henri Fabre
Great French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre (1823–1915) devoted hours of rapt attention to insects while they hunted, built nests, and fed their families. Working in Provence, in barren, sun-scorched fields inhabited by countless wasps and bees, he observed their intricate and fascinating world, recounting their activities in simple, beautifully written essays.
This volume, based on translations of Fabre's Souvenirs Entomologiques, blends folklore and mythology with factual explanation. Fabre's absorbing account of the scarab beetle's existence, for example, begins with the ancient Egyptians' symbolic view of this busy creature, eventually leading to a careful discussion of its characteristic method of rolling a carefully sculpted ball of food to its den. Elsewhere, he discusses with infectious enthusiasm the physiologic secrets behind the luminosity of fireflies, the musical talents of the locust, the comfortable home of the field cricket, and the cannibalism of the pious-looking praying mantis, among other topics.
These charmingly related stories of insect life are a rare combination of scientific study and literary classic that will delight entomologists, naturalists, and nature lovers alike.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 168 pages
A Novel of the Priest Hunters and the Brave Young Men Who Fought Them
by Henry Garnett
England, 1585: Queen Elizabeth's spies lurk everywhere, searching out Catholics who refuse to attend the non-Catholic services of the State religion. Officers of the law huntdown and kill Catholic priests, and imprison those who shelter them.
In these perilous times, fifteen-year-old Nicholas Thorpe discovers that his widowed mother has become Catholic, and he soon joins the Church she has come to love.Thus begin Nicholas s adventures in the Companions, a pious underground army of resistance that shelters priests and leads them in strict secrecy andgreat danger from one estate to another, so the Catholic faithful can continue to receive the Sacraments the law now forbids.
In this adventure for all ages, author Henry Garnett brings to life the drama of a nation where unjust laws forced good men and women to choose between their country and their Faith, and young people heard early andwell the call to heroism that Christians must be ever ready to heed.
Age range 10 - 17 years
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 208 pages
by Henry Garnett
It was fall 1570, and rumors of an invasion by the Turks were spreading throughout Venice. Down by the docks, Guido Callata listened to the sailors as they discussed past battles and speculated about more fighting in the future. From the altar of St. Mark's, a message from His Holiness Pope Pius V had been read, calling for crusade to repel Turkish advances. A fleet of Venetian and Spanish vessels would be assembled, and Guido's father, like other wealthy Venetians, had agreed to build and equip a galley for the Christian fleet. Secretly, Guido hoped to sail to battle with his father's crew; instead, he was whisked off to the safety of a monastery, far from the excitement of the Venetian waterfront. How Guido finally manages to join the fleet and help to defeat the Turks in the memorable Battle of Lepanto is a colorful tale of danger, suspense, and adventure in sixteenth-century Italy.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 186 pages
More Stories from Chesterton
by G. K. Chesterton
adapted by Nancy Carpentier Brown
Sequel to the popular Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton.
Includes adaptations for young readers of four of Chesterton's Father Brown murder mysteries:
- The Invisible Man,
- The Mirror of the Magistrate,
- The Eye of Apollo, and
- The Perishing Pendragons.
In these stories, the notorious criminal Flambeau has reformed and is now a great detective. He is often aided by his friend and confidant Father Brown.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 174 pages