Finding Faith in Young Adult Literature, a Guest post by Carrie Dalby

 

Fifteen-year- old Mary Lou Weber is suffocating in her sister’s shadow. Though she struggles to break into the light and claim her own identity—and the attention of the cutest guy in school—something always seems to pull her right back down into the role of Barbara’s little sister.
Down the street lives seventeen-year- old Ben Thomas, a lonely introvert who is captive to a sensory condition that makes it nearly impossible for him to stand in sunlight, much less talk to people whom he thinks could never understand his difficulties.
A new year kindles the friendship between a guy who pushes away the world and the girl who’s striving to find her place in it. Can the relationship help Mary and Ben find balance in a world that frequently seems too much to handle?

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About Carrie:

Born and raised in California, Carrie Dalby has lived in Alabama for nearly two decades but still has trouble with the humidity of summer. When she’s not writing, Carrie homeschools her three kids and splits her time between family, reading, knitting, concert going, and volunteering. Sharing her love of literature for young adults and children is one of her favorite things to do, and her volunteer hours reflect that. Her local church congregation, the Mobile Writers Guild, SCBWI, and the Metro Mobile Reading Council are where she loves to spend her “free time.”

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So let’s hear from Carrie Dalby herself with …..

Finding Faith in Young Adult Literature

Dark. Angsty. Self-centered. Those are typical terms associated with young adult novels. Often this literary category is dismissed as being riddled with love triangles, shallow emotions, and paranormal tricks. Over the last few decades, it’s been proven that the YA books with staying power are the ones linked with faith and hope—universal truths that can be related to by readers of many ages. Writers who understand pre-teens and teens know these readers are searching for truth, seeking to find their way in the world, and constantly reach out to feel that they are not alone. They want to understand the world, both the good and the bad, but no matter how dark the story goes, it needs to end with hope. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Long before there was a “Christian Teen” section in bookstores, writers like Madeleine L’Engle wove their deep-rooted Christian beliefs into their plots. In the stories of the Murry, O’Keefe, and Austen families in L’Engle’s books, there are Biblical imagery, morals, and symbolism. The characters weren’t afraid to talk of God or to priests and ministers. Before L’Engle, there was C.S. Lewis and his contemporary, J.R.R. Tolkien. They are the solid roots to the tree of Christian novels for youth.

With my second Christian novel for teens, Corroded, I hope there will be at least a small branch on this noble tree with my name on it. With Mary and Ben both learning to be themselves in a world with different ideals, there is room for them to bloom spiritually and emotionally. Being accountable for your actions rather than letting the opinions of others eat away your resolve is a major theme, as is allowing yourself to grow into who you were meant to be. May Ben’s and Mary’s journeys be ones readers can relate to and appreciate, that is the prayer of this author. Who are your favorite Christian writers for teens?

For more on the Corroded blog tour, click here!