Fiction
by Fr James Tierney
This book is suitable for all members of the family to read or have read to them. Full of adventure and fun, Father Tierney's Bush Boy series captures everyone's imagination. Set in the Australian Bush it introduces the reader to real Australian culture and humour.
Paperback, size 7.1" x 4.4", 492 pages
by Fr James Tierney
The twins Squiggles and Squinter live on a family farm in Victoria. Nearest neighbours are newly arrived, desperate for help, yet hours away by foot or behind a horse. The world of 1875 is a world of hard work (without the modern conveniences we are used to). There are no cars, mobiles, nothing electric, but lots to eat, fun in the creek, chopping down trees with father, mother's school on the kitchen table, and board games by candlelight -- the world of 1875. A world with bushrangers and new adventures as the twins encounter them with lots of action in this fast-moving story of boys and bushrangers. "Squiggles and Squinter is very easy to like. It is exciting from the beginning to the end, making it easy for younger children to read. It is fun for both boys and girls." Carrie, age 15. It is set in the bushranging towns of Greendale, Ballan, Gordon, Mt Egerton and Bacchus Marsh.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.7", 100 pages
by Fr James Tierney
Two books in one volume
BUSH BOYS: Peter and John Cumberland from the suburbs enjoy the first week of their spring school holidays with their cousins, Greg and Bernie Cumberland at The Hills of Home in the Wild Bush Mountains. There is a lot of camping fun and excitement with a nasty group of older boys. Peter and John learn lots of bushcraft - and so does the reader.
CUTHBERT JOINS THE BUSH BOYS: Cuthbert B. Bishop is nearly kidnapped by crooks demanding a ransom from his rich father. He is sent into hiding at his cousins' Greg and Bernie Cumberland, at The Hills of Home in the Wild Bush Mountains, for the spring school holidays. Greg and Bernie with their other cousins, Pete and John, help make Cuthbert into a real bush boy.
Paperback, size 7.1" x 4.4", 516 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
Commando Angel
by Fr Albert M. Hublet, S.J.
Separated from his parents and relatives while fleeing the German invasion of Belgium, young Bernard is picked up by a British commando unit led by Lieutenant Frank Goodheart. Lieutenant Goodheart promises to help the young boy find his family, but events take a sudden turn and the unit is forced to return to England. Bernard goes with them.
The little “daredevil” wins the hearts of the unit’s rough men and joins them in palpitating adventures – parachute jumps, perilous expeditions and much more!
But despite the passing time and his adventures, Bernard has not forgotten his parents. Are they still alive? Will he ever see them again? He knows that Frank is a man of his word, but will the Lieutenant be able to work a miracle?
Age 12 and up
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 198 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
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
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 Fr Gerald T Brennan
These Angel Food books, frosted with Christ-like charm, simplicity, and attractive truths, are here served for the additional delight of the many who have enjoyed other Father Brennan books.
Volume II includes: "The Orphan's Plea", "A Surprise for a King", "Half Past Three", etc...
Each volume also has a topical index relating various subjects in the stories to chapters in the Baltimore Catechism (No. 2).
Hardback, size 7.25" x 5.5", 125 pages
And What Came of It
by Fr Francis J. Finn, S.J.
This book features Claude and many other characters from Claude Lightfoot. Again, Fr. Finn covers a host of Catholic topics, giving a ringing defense of the game of football and presenting a great picture of the All-American boy. See the Catholic Faith woven into everyday life, the way it should be. Puts the right kind of role models before the eyes of our boys!
Interesting to read, enthralling, hard to put down -- not only for young people, but for adults as well!
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 262 pages
Catholic Stories For Boys & Girls III
by Catholic Nuns in America
Continue your family’s reading adventures with Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls, Volume III! In the penultimate volume of this four-part series read:
- “Begga’s Bracelet”—The Irish Princess Begga’s promise to live for God alone - St Begga
- “In the Tower of London”—The story of St. Edmund Campion, with the disguises he used and dangers he faced as a priest to keep the Catholic Faith alive in England
- “Joseph”—A fictional account of the life of Saint Joseph from boyhood to his holy, happy death
- “Louise”— The story of how Louise’s generosity and kindness from childhood led her to sainthood - St Louise de Marillac
Written to be read aloud for the entire family’s entertainment, Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls offers four volumes each holding a handful of happy and courageous stories, compiled and written by Catholic nuns in the 1930's. Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls appeals to the whole family by using simple vocabulary to engage children but also providing well-developed plots to captivate adults’ interest.
Each story highlights a different virtue, and, to reinforce the virtue, every chapter closes with a two-line rhyming verse that provides both a chapter summary and a pithy message, all underlining the books’ main theme—the Church gives life to the soul through grace. Excellent when read by children, and even better when read to children by parents and older siblings, these timeless stories show the reward of virtue by the wondrous events that occur when one is generous with God.
As taken from the front cover of the book, the stories herein are republished in the hope that in a small way the Faith, Culture, and Tradition of the Holy Catholic Church may be preserved for our most prized possession, our children.
Our prayer for these books is the same as Baltimore’s first Archbishop, the Most Reverend Michael J. Curley, prayed when these books were first published:
“May our Divine Lord bless each boy and girl who reads these stories, as well as every one who helps to place them in their hands.”
Hardcover, size 7" x 4.75", 141 pages, Illustrated
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 Msgr Robert Hugh Benson
Big children and small will be inspired by the rhymes and the profuse use of line drawings, to make it both simple and smart, throughout the book. The child is invited to “learn by heart” the whole Rule, not only a part. The beautiful line drawings follow a brother and sister throughout their day, when they awake, go to Church, eat their meals, learn their lessons, and have family time. The simple yet charming rhymes will teach a child how to act in Church, what to do when tempted, what to do when troubled, and much more. A real treasure for young and old!
Paperback, size 10.5" x 8.3", 26 pages
Also available in Hardcover.
by Mother Mary Loyola
The King of the Golden City is an allegorical tale which has stood the test of time because of the beauty of its symbolism and the richness of its spiritual advice. Written for children yet beloved by all, the only complaint lodged against it has been that its main character is female, leaving many boys to feel that this tale is better suited for girls.
Encouraged by the original French translators of this book, who created parallel editions for boys and girls, we have now remedied this single fault!
In this brand new edition adapted especially for boys, readers will find the tale of Dilectus and his friends every bit as charming and instructive as before--and now boys as well as girls will find it easy to become the hero of the story and make it their own!
Softcover, size 8.5" x 5.5", 130 pages
In the Sadows of Rome Vol 2
by Sophie de Mullenhein
A Lion for the Emperor is the second volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (6 books total).
Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .
Maximus and Aghiles join their friend Titus on his father’s expedition to capture a magnificent lion in the forests of North Africa. After surviving the dangers of the hunt, the three friends face a perilous voyage back to Rome. Their mission: present Emperor Diocletian with a priceless beast that will be used to satisfy the pagan appetite for violence during games in the Colosseum.
Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships—and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of the Rome.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 224 pages
In the Sadows of Rome Vol 3
by Sophie de Mullenhein
The Mysterious Goblet is the third volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (6 books total).
Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .
Maximus, his slave Aghiles, and their friend Titus are again caught up in exciting and dangerous events—this time when Titus discovers a rather ordinary goblet in his sack. Where did it come from? Who put it there and why? The plot thickens when a man is killed outside Titus' house. The boys must decide, and quickly, what to do about the goblet before somebody else gets hurt.
Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships—and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of Rome.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 240 pages
In the Sadows of Rome Vol 5
by Sophie de Mullenhein
The Secret Tomb is the fifth volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (6 books total).
Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .
Titus' father thinks his son is a coward and arranges a stay with the police to make a man out of him. Soon, Titus finds himself hunting down Christians and trying to discover where they've hidden the body of Peter, Apostle of Jesus, who died 250 years earlier. Meanwhile, his friend Maximus is given the mission to find Peter’s tomb before it’s destroyed. Will their friendship survive the test of their loyalties?
Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships—and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of Rome.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 208 pages
A Story of Monsignor Ronald Knox
by Brother Edward Overstreet, C.S.C.
Ronald Knox was born in England in 1888, and he grew up in the Church of England. After much study and prayer, Ronald decided to join the Roman Catholic Church in 1917. Ronald was ordained a priest in 1919. Father Knox was a brilliant writer who published many works, but he saw a great need in the English-speaking Church: the need for a new translation of the Bible.
Level 3
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 145 pages
A Novel of the Priest Hunters and the Brave Young Men Who Fought Them
by Henry Garnett
England, 1585: Queen Elizabeths spies lurk everywhere, searching out Catholics who refuse to attend thenon-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 thathis widowed mother has become Catholic, and he soon joins the Churchshe has come to love.Thus begin Nicholas s adventures in the Companions, a pious underground army ofresistance that shelters priests and leads them in strict secrecy andgreat danger from one estate to another, so the Catholic faithful cancontinue 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 choosebetween 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 A Sister of Notre Dame
This collection of First Communion day stories has remained popular among children ever since they were first published in the early 1920s. They have stood the test of time for two simple reasons: they are wonderful stories, and they are all true. Even those that are sad have the power to inspire young and old with renewed love for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Originally published as two separate books, True Stories for First Communicants and First Communion Days, they were reprinted in 1949 with new illustrations by Rosemary de Souza. Years later, in 2003, this 1949 impression was brought back into print by Neumann Press. We have gone back to the original books, combined both sets of stories under one cover, and have restored the original black and white illustrations by Wilfrid Pippet.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 198 pages