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BOOK REVIEWS
HIGH SCHOOL NONFICTION
100’s—Philosophy & Psyschology
Love ya like a sister : a story of friendship
: from the journals of Katie Ouriou,
edited by Julie Johnston. LCCN
98061728. Toronto, Ont.: Tundra Books,
1999. ISBN 0887764541, PAP, $7.95.
177.62. Ouriou, Katie, 1980-1996--Correspondence;
Friendship. 201 p. High school.
Katie was a lively, Canadian sixteen-year-old
who died while with her family in France.
While on the plane taking Katie’s body back to
Canada her mother, Susan, read Katie’s journal
and felt it would be worthwhile to share with
others. Katie’s sister, Christelle, also contributes
poignant comments in the book. In Love Ya Like
a Sister: A Story of Friendship, Susan explains
that the family went to Paris, France, for one
year to show the children their father’s heritage
and to improve their French. Each journal entry
is Katie’s note to a friend (Heather, Ashley, and
Maude) or personal reflection. Later the entries
are the emails that she sent to her friends. The
correspondence is very typical for teenagers.
Examples of topics Katie discusses are boys,
virginity, drugs, friends, books (she really liked
Embraced by the Light), advice, and everything
else teenagers talk about with their friends. She
tells about the minutia of her days in Paris and
other parts of France. She spends considerable
time trying to explain the differences between
French and Canadian culture. Since the reader
knows from the first pages that Katie will die, it
is difficult to not want to tell Katie to see a
doctor when she starts writing to her friends
about her fatigue and general malaise.
The editor, Julie Johnston, has done a
remarkable job in permitting Katie’s voice to be
heard in the book. This book is very emotional.
There are sections in French but the translations
are quite appropriate with only a few slightly
suggestive sentences. The only objectionable
word is used when Katie and Christelle are in
the park and a bird makes a mess on Katie.
There are pictures to chronicle the brief life of
Katie, and the photo of her just one week before
she dies is very touching. This book will be of
interest to a wide variety of ages and levels of
interest.
Bianca Elliott, Educator, Linwood, Kansas
200’s—Religion
God’s will, God’s best for your life, by
Josh McDowell and Kevin Johnson.
LCCN 00009924. Minneapolis: Bethany
House, 2000. ISBN 0764223283, PAP,
$9.99.
248.8’3. Teenagers--Religious life; God--Will. 153 p.
High school.
Josh McDowell and Kevin Johnson have
teamed up to write a short, easy to read book
dealing with how a young person can know the
will of God in his or her life. There is almost an
attitude of camaraderie, as if Josh and Kevin
were sitting across from a young person at a
local fast food chain. The causal language and
typical situations are the backdrop for biblical
counsel addressing issues such as God’s plan,
life to the extreme, love, meaningful career, and
a life that matters. Each of the eight chapters
compares and contrasts what the world offers
young people with what God offers young
people. There is an abundance of current
examples and references for the young person to
identify with in the chapters. The issues are
germane to the young person/early adult.
The chapters are relatively short and the tempo
is quick and upbeat. The discussion becomes
frank in a few places but never goes over the
edge of appropriateness.
Bianca Elliott, Educator, Linwood, Kansas
Help! My friend’s in trouble! : supporting
your friends who struggle with..family
problems, sexual crises, food addictions,
self-esteem, depression, grief and loss, by
Susie Shellenberger. LCCN 00027408.
Ann Arbor, Mich.: Vine Books, Servant
Publications, 2000. ISBN 1569551650,
PAP, $10.00.
248.8’3. Youth--Religious life; Problem youth--
Religious life; Friendship--Religious aspects--
Christianity; Christian life; Conduct of life. 209 p.
High school (Middle school).
Susie Shellenberger offers a guide that libraries
can make available to teens who may be facing
a variety of difficult situations. Without being
preachy, she offers solid biblical advice in
contemporary teen situations. The timely
advise, appropriate for both junior and senior
high, describes what it means to be a friend, and
then presents situations teens might face, e.g.
eating disorders, unwanted pregnancy or
pressure to have sex, wondering if one is gay,
being depressed, having no date, and coping
with illness.
Help! My Friend’s in Trouble comes from the
co-host of Focus on the Family’s weekly
national radio teen talk show, Life on the Edge:
Live. She is editor of Brio monthly magazine
for girls and author of twenty-five books,
including the recent Dear Diary (Zondervan,
2000). She also loves burnt hotdogs and old
Mary Tyler Moore reruns.
Church shelves, libraries, youth counselors,
camps—anywhere where teens are, will be a
perfect place for this warm, caring book.
Leroy Hommerding, Director, Fort Myers Beach P.L. District, Fort
Myers, Florida
Old enough to know : what teenagers need
to know about life and relationships, rev.
ed., by Michael W. Smith & Fritz
Ridenour. LCCN 89005276. Nashville:
Tommy Nelson, Thomas Nelson, 2000.
ISBN 0849975875, PAP, $9.99.
248.8’3. Adolescence; Conduct of life; Christian life;
Smith, Michael W. (Michael Whitaker). 152 p. High
school.
This book, Old Enough to Know, is in its third
edition since 1987. In this book Michael W.
Smith takes the lyrics from his album The Big
Picture and relates them to the questions and
situations that occur in young people’s lives. He
adds the letters and questions he receives from
his listeners to further explain his points. He
presents an evangelical attitude towards the
young people and his singing. The chapters
cover issues such as self-esteem, drug use,
making decisions, etc. Woven in the book is
Smith’s testimony of becoming a Christian and
living a Christian life. He admits to drug use
when he was younger but he never glamorizes it.
Smith’s honest, candid responses will strike a
chord in the young people who read this book.
There is a note section at the end if the reader
needs more information. Especially helpful is
the nine page annotated listing of clinics and
hotlines that can help any teenager in trouble or
need. Also in the listings are the internet
addresses as well as the traditional phone
numbers to these sites. Smith’s book closes with
a page that invites the reader to write to him.
Bianca Elliott, Educator, Linwood, Kansas
Real life begins after high school : facing
the future without freaking out, by Bruce
and Stan. LCCN 99086973. Ann Arbor,
Mich.: Vine Books, Servant Publications,
2000. ISBN 1569551553, PAP, $12.00.
248.8’3. Young adults--Religious life; High school
graduates--Religious life; Young adults--Conduct of
life; High school graduates--Conduct of life; Christian
life. 208 p. High school.
Teens ready to graduate or having just, will
benefit from the wit and wisdom of Bruce and
Stansís Real Life Begins After High School.
There are twelve chapters with titles like:
Custom Design Yourself : Who Do You Want To
Be? More Than Friends : Dating and Beyond,
Money Matters : Your Fiscal Fitness Program,
Those Things You Do : What God Wants For
You. These subject areas become useful as a
guide for future college entrants looking for
insightful information to help them make
educated decisions. The book winds it all up
with a helpful bibliography. Definitely written
S P R I N G 2 0 0 1 5 4 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L