Gifts: Visible & Invisible (Catholic Teen Books Visible & Invisible Anthology Series) - Softcover

Peek, Susan; Huth Jones, Katy; Astfalk, Carolyn; Linden, Theresa; Wahl, Leslea; Toney, Cynthia T.; Gaouette, T.M.; Turner, Corinna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0997971851 ISBN 13: 9780997971859

Publisher: Catholic Teen Books, 2019

Synopsis

Gifts: Visible and Invisible is a collection of short stories by eight CatholicTeenBooks.com authors.

THE OUTLAWS' FRIEND: Setting out in a raging blizzard with nothing but an outlaw's trunk and a heart clenched with dread, Barney leaves the warmth of his family for the cold unknown. Will he find the courage to obey the command?

IN THE STEPS OF A SAINT: What could an ancient Christmas carol possibly have to do with Andrew's life? He's about to find out!

A PERFECT CHRISTMAS: No tree, no cookies, no gifts. Not a single flake of snow. With sick siblings, Dad stranded, and Mom overwhelmed, will Christmas come at all to Marigold's topsy-turvy home?

OPERATION GIFT DROP: In a dystopian future, Bolcan wants to prove his skills as a rescuer but this is a crazy mission: deliver gifts to Aldonians by stealth and at risk of capture.CHRISTMAS ANGEL: Meg’s unforgettable Advent journey begins when four simple words challenge her idea of a perfect Christmas.

SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS: Christmas without her friend Sal isn't the same, but Antonina finds a new friend whose circumstances have her rethinking the value of a gift.

JUST JESUS: Christmas had always made sense to Vanessa, until her yuletide festivities are called into question by a new kid named Luke and a mysterious wood carving.

A VERY JURASSIC CHRISTMAS EVE: Joshua's perfect Christmas Eve is upended by the plight of a starving mamma dino and her babies. Meanwhile, Darryl and her family risk their lives for a holiday guest in the perilous, raptor-infested mountains.

About this title

Review:

No cartoon characters "saving Christmas" by making sure presents happen, or mistletoe moments with less substance than a snowflake here. These 8 stories entertain and edify the young-adult reader and satisfy that Christmas craving for something more, which can only be fulfilled by Jesus. Each story stands alone, but many are connected to other work by the authors from Catholic Teen Books.

Barb Szyszkiewicz, Managing Editor, Today’s Catholic Teacher and Editor, CatholicMom.com

God bless these talented Catholic authors for putting together short stories, that are set in vastly different time periods, yet bring home the significance of humility, forgiveness, and the spirit of Christmas throughout the year. The thing that Catholics all over the world are taught to do is to live like Jesus, and lead with Love! If a smile or kind gesture will change a life, I know reading this book will change yours. Yes, Catholic families everywhere will need this in their collections!

Emily Davis, Catholic Blogger

Wow! What an amazing collection of Christmas stories! I know not everyone likes short stories, but I love them, and this collection is amazing! Short stories are a different art form than novels. For a short story to be good, the writing needs to be tighter and crisper. And each of the 8 in this collection are very well written. One of the things I normally love about reading anthologies is discovering new authors. But that was not the case this time. I have read books by all of the contributors and had high expectations for this collection. I loved the anthology Secrets Visible & Invisible from the authors at Catholic Teen Books.

For fans of the authors in this collection, you need to pick this book up to read their contribution. For readers who love remarkable stories, this collection is also for you. If you want some great reads that are clean Catholic\Christian fiction focused around the holidays, this is the book for you... (Full review on BookReviewsAndMore.ca)

Steven R. McEvoy, BookReviewsAndMore.ca

About this edition

• Publisher: Catholic Teen Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0997971851
• ISBN 13: 9780997971859
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 241