Bettendorf Public
Library Teens' Page 
Higher Powers : spiritual fiction for teens
compiled 6/16/03
Where the Truth Lies by Lucy Babbitt
YA F BABB
Three young people--one from an atheistic city, one from a country that believes in many gods, and one from a land that worships the one "real" God--set out on a mission to end the war that has been perpetuated by these disparate beliefs.
The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi
NEW YA F BARD
Raised in an isolated fundamentalist sect, Mary Fred Anderson experiences upheaveal in her life when circumstances leave her in a foster home that opens her eyes to an alien world and a violent act that changes everyone involved.
I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale
NEW YA F BEAL
After her mother unexpectedly leaves her with her uncle's family, members of a fanatical Christian cult, Kirby tries to learn what has become of her mother and struggles to cope with the repressiveness of her new surroundings and to maintain her own identity.
Asylum for Nightface by Bruce Brooks
YA F BROO
A deeply spiritual fourteen-year-old takes a radical step to save himself from the fanaticism of his parents who find religion while on vacation.
A Stone In My Hand by Cathryn Clinton
NEW YA F CLIN
Eleven-year-old Malaak and her family are touched by the violence in Gaza between Jews and Palestinians when first her father disappears and then her older brother is drawn to the Islamic Jihad.
Brides of Eden by Linda Crew
YA F CREW
In this story, based on true events, sixteen-year-old Eva and her female friends become obsessed with a charismatic young man who comes to Corvallis, Oregon in 1904, claiming to be a Christian prophet.
From the Outside Looking in: Short Stories for LDS Teenagers
YA F FROM
Short stories for teens from the perspective of Latter Day Saints.
Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
YA F HADD
After joining her new friends in the religious group called Fishers of Men, Dorry finds herself immersed in a cult from which she must struggle to extricate herself.
The Shakeress by Kimberley Heuston
YA F HEUS
While searching for her true self and for the way to meet the needs of her personal sense of spirituality, an orphaned teenaged girl joins a Shaker community in mid-nineteenth century New England and learns about a new religion called Mormonism.
Susannah by Janet Hickman
YA F HICK
After her mother's death, fourteen-year-old Susannah is taken by her father to live in a Shaker community in Ohio, but she does not find the same sense of peace there that he does.
I Believe in Water
YA F I
These are stories of young people questioning their religion, and not just Christianity, either. There’s stories about Buddhism, Muslim, Judaism, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Jess Mowry’s excellent story “Esu’s Island” tells of the spiritual coming of age ceremony on a fictional Haitian island. A great collection.
The Singing Mountain by Sonia Levitin
YA F LEVI
While traveling in Israel for the summer, seventeen year-old Mitch decides to stay and pursue a life of Jewish orthodoxy, forcing him to make some important decisions about the family and life he is leaving in southern California.
Drummers of Jericho by Carolyn Meyer
YA F MEYE
A fourteen-year-old Jewish girl goes to live with her father and stepmother in a small town and soon finds herself the center of a civil rights battle when she objects to the high school band marching in the formation of a cross.
The War of Jenkins Ear by Michael Morpurgo
YA F MORP
What would you do if your friend told you, in all seriousness, that he was the second coming of Christ?
Send Me Down A Miracle by Han Nolan
YA F NOLA
A sleepy, God-fearing southern town erupts in chaos when a flamboyant artist from New York City returns to her birthplace for an artistic experiment.
Last Safe Place on Earth by Richard Peck
YA F PECK
Fifteen-year-old Todd sees his perfect suburban world start to unravel when his little sister has her mind poisoned by a member of a fundamentalist sect, and he begins to notice signs of censorship in his community.
Miriam’s Well by Lois Ruby
YA F RUBY
When Miriam develops bone cancer, a battle follows over whether or not she must be treated.
A Fine White Dust by Cynthia Rylant
YA F RYLA
The visit of the traveling Preacher Man to his small North Carolina town gives new impetus to thirteen-year-old Peter's struggle to reconcile his own deeply felt religious belief with the beliefs and non-beliefs of his family and friends.
Soul Searching
NEW YA F SOUL
Presents thirteen stories that explain some of the world's religions with stories about adolescents who face life-changing dilemmas that challenge their beliefs
With All My Heart, With All My Mind
YA F WITH
An anthology of original short stories about Jews coming of age by thirteen well-known Jewish authors. Each story is followed by an interview with the author.
Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville
YA F YOLE
Fourteen-year-old Marina and sixteen-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to await the end of the world atop a remote mountain, where they try to decide what they themselves believe.