Bookslut

Roma Eterna, by Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg, one of the giants of the SF community, has for decades been writing stories set in an alternate Earth where Christianity never rose, and the Roman Empire never fell and now covers the globe. Now he's interwoven these stories in Roma Eterna, a sprawling saga of the Empire, spanning 4,000 years. It's a fabulous set of stories, including my favorite, as we see a small band of Hebrews, still smarting from the Pharaoh catching up to Moses at the Red Sea and returning them to slavery, planning a Second Exodus to the stars.

Shoeless Joe, by W.B. Kinsella
You know it as the movie "Field of Dreams," but this novel is even better (not dumping on the movie - I do think it's a fine adaptation). Lyrical and full of the truths about baseball and life that in a rush-to-work kind of world we're reluctant to admit, this is the kind of book that could have been corny as all get-out, but Kinsella makes it work beautifully, tap-dancing on a balancing beam between melodrama and sappiness.

The Iowa Baseball Confederacy, also by Kinsella
The kind of novel it's almost impossible to describe, it's basically about a man and his sons and their belief, brought on by a bolt of lightning, that the Chicago Cubs actually played the Iowa Baseball Confederacy in the 1908 World Series. Probably the most overt novel about baseball and religion, this has everything from home runs to heavenly choirs, musing on the nature of life without being preachy. And frankly, it's just a fun read.

Troublemakers by Harlan Ellison
Ellison is sometimes known as a crank, or an imp, but he is first and foremost a writer. This may sound like a silly way to start a synopsis, but sometimes the legend of Ellison overshadows that he is in many people's opinions (including my own), one of the finest writers of the second half of the twentieth century. For the first time, he has collected some of his stories for a young adult audience, ones that are more suitable in tone and language for that age group. Always challenging, this is perfect for the teenager who's become bored with everything they're reading in middle school.

The Earthsea Trilogy, by Ursula K. Le Guin
The dark and moving saga of a young wizard named Sparrowhawk, who lives in the world of Earthsea, a continent-size grouping of islands. This would be the first choice for a teenager interested in Harry Potter, as its theme is of a young boy learning wizardry and going through the pangs of adolescence. Darker than the Potter series, these three novels are true classics, and I'm continuously surprised that teachers looking for summer reading don't seem to recommend these. There is also a companion collection of stories, Tales From Earthsea.

The Narnia Chronicles, by C.S. Lewis
Readable as both on-the-surface adventure and morality stories, or as an allegory for Christianity (incidentally, you can take the opportunity to teach your child what an allegory is), these are some of the best books for young adults ever, as we see the entire history of the land of Narnia through the eyes of seven British children who stumble into the land and become entangled in its disasters and joys. You'll fine more and better-presented morals on a page here than in the entire preachy treacle that is Bennett's The Book of Virtues for Young People. Do note that the books actually start with The Magician's Nephew, not The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe; the American publisher messed with the order on the original publication.

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle The first book in what is known as The Time Quartet, this is the story of Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Calvin. Meg and Charles's father has been missing for years, Meg gets in fights at school, and Charles, though intelligent as can be, is ostracized as weird by the rest of the town. Everything changes when the three receive a strange visit from three odd women who take them on a quest through time and space to defeat a Dark that is spreading through the universe - and to hopefully save their father. More religious than most children's novels (L'Engle has been connected for years with the library of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York), there are some very serious discussions of love and spirituality in this novel, but never in a promoting a particular religion sort of way. A wonderfully charming book that kids will read again and again.