Teen Read Week – 21 Nonfiction Books for Teens

Celebrate Teen Read Week this week by giving your teens a great book for deepening their faith and changing their life from the inside out! Teen Read Week is a literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and is held annually the third week in October. Libraries across the United States will be celebrating Teen Read Week with a variety of events aimed at encouraging teens to read for pleasure. Teens have so many options for entertainment, so why not put in their hands a great book from trusted Christian writers? Here are some of our favorite nonfiction teen reads from the FaithGateway Store:

Save 20% off any of these books for one week only using coupon code TEEN20 at checkout at Store.FaithGateway.com.

For Deepening Faith

Make Every Day Count – Teen Edition
Make Every Day Count shows readers how to deal with each day—no matter what it throws at them. Real-life teen stories, biblical accounts, and inspiring “Daylifters” teach and encourage teens to be grateful for the life they have and to make each day count for God.

Live to Give
Inspired by the biblical story of the feeding of the 5,000, Live to Give delivers a message of hope that we all have something to give. A teenage philanthropist who has built a high school, two medical clinics, and a dormitory in Africa—all before the age of 16—Austin Gutwein shares how to take what may seem like the simplest of talents, gifts, and interests and use them for something Jesus can use to move mountains.

Undaunted
In Undaunted: Student Edition, Christine Caine uses her dramatic life story to show teens how God rescued her from a life where she was unnamed, unwanted, and unqualified. Her personal stories inspire teens to hear their name called, just as Christine heard her own—“You are beloved. You are the hope. You are chosen”—to go into a dark and troubled world, knowing each of us possess all it takes to bring hope, create change, and live completely for Christ.

Not a Fan – Student Edition
If someone asked, ‘Are you a fan of Jesus?’, how would you answer? The truth is Jesus isn’t looking for the “fan” response. He’s looking for people who are actually willing to sacrifice in order to follow him. In this student edition of Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman uses humor, personal stories, and biblical truth as he challenges you to look at what it means to call yourself a Christian and follow the radical call Jesus presents.

The Circle Maker – Student Edition
Prayer can sometimes be a frightening thing—how do you approach the maker of the world, and what exactly can you pray for? In this student adaptation of The Circle Maker, Pastor Mark Batterson uses the true legend of Honi the circle maker, a first-century Jewish sage whose bold prayer saved a generation, to uncover the boldness God asks of us at times, and what powerful prayer can mean in your life.

The Story – Teen Edition
God has gone to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people. That is what The Story for Teens is all about—the story of the Bible, God’s great love affair with humanity. Condensed into 31 accessible chapters, The Story for Teens sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation.

Devotionals

Jesus Calling – Teen Edition
After many years of writing in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever she believed He was saying to her. It was awkward at first, but gradually her journaling changed from monologue to dialogue. She knew her writings were not inspired as Scripture is, but journaling helped her grow closer to God, and from that experience Jesus Calling came to be. This version includes the beloved original content, but with a modern cover that will appeal to a younger audience.

Impact: The Student Leadership Devotional
Teens want to make a difference in the world, but sometimes they don’t know how. Impact: The Student Leadership Devotional will help them discover their inheritance as children of God, grow spiritually, seek and recognize opportunities to serve others, and use everyday challenges as a way to equip themselves for the mission of changing the world.

Soul Surfer Devotions
In this devotional, Bethany shares stories of women to admire, prayers to focus on, and wipeouts to avoid. Girls will hear thoughts on friends, family, faith, gossip, and peer pressure—Bethany covers it all.

Streams in the Desert for Graduates
For years, the beloved classic devotional Streams in the Desert has sustained and replenished God’s weary desert travelers. Now, bursting forth like a sparkling clear river of wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration, this updated edition of Streams in the Desert promises to revive and refresh today’s generation of faithful sojourners, providing daily Scripture passages from the popular New International Version and modern, easy-to-understand language that beautifully captures the timeless essence of the original devotional.

True Images Devotional
Based on the popular True Images Bible, the True Images Devotional features ninety, brand-new daily devotions on anxiety, bullying, body image, and more, as well as relevant Bible verses and prayers. Discover how God truly sees you and how the decisions and actions you make every day can help shape who you are, so you can become the person you were created to be.

Once-a-Day Devotional for Teens
The Once-a-Day Devotional for Teens provides 365 devotions written specifically for teens, and centers around a reading plan that touches on the entire Bible over the course of the year. With a daily verse and topic, a prayer, and options for further reading, you can dig deeper into the Bible and see exactly how God’s Word applies to your life today, every day.

On Christian Relationships and Dating

The Truth about Breaking Up, Making Up, and Moving On
With much-needed humor and honest advice, bestselling author and speaker Chad Eastham helps you think through tough but necessary relationship issues such as:

• Why some people find happiness, while others find heartache
• Why pain hurts so much
• When to break up
• When to make up

Chad’s conversational tone, facts, and advice encourage young people to rethink life’s conversations, even the difficult stuff like heartbreak. There is nothing in life that is too big, too painful, or too difficult that God cannot make better and use to teach us about love.

Wait for Me: Rediscovering the Joy of Purity in Romance
Everyone longs to be loved deeply by someone, and Rebecca St. James is no different, as demonstrated by her hit song “Wait for Me.” In this revised and updated version of the 2002 release, Rebecca challenges young people in today’s society with the call to remain sexually pure until marriage.

For Young Women

From Blah to Awe
Everyone, especially teenagers, struggles with being bored with God from time to time. Sometimes church services and Bible reading don’t seem that exciting, and it’s easy to get busy and not make time to pray . . . but when this happens, we are missing out! Jenna Lucado Bishop shares her testimony and others’ stories to see what a radical, living relationship with God looks like. But this book is not just based on feelings. The Bible gives steps that will help girls hunger and thirst for more of God.

Redefining Beautiful: What Gods Sees When He Sees You
Not feeling very beautiful? Learn what beauty is from God’s perspective. Through conversational “girl time” Jenna Lucado reveals that when we look to God as our Father, He can change our focus, our look, and our lives.

Girl Talk with God
Most Christian teens don’t know how to pray. And when they do pray, they don’t know how to discern God’s voice. In Girl Talk With God, author Susie Shellenberger shows teens how to pray and challenges them to deepen specific areas in their lives through a series of conversations between God and a teenage girl.

And, of course, we can’t forget our Teen Bibles!

Teen Bibles

NIV Teen Study Bible
This bestselling Bible will help you discover the eternal truths of God’s Word and apply them to the issues you face today.

Features include:

• “We Believe” unpacks the Apostles’ Creed to reveal the biblical foundation of faith
• Topical index helps with in-depth Bible study
• Book introductions
• Highlighted Bible verses to memorize
• Q&As to test Bible knowledge
• 4 full-color pages include a presentation page and information about the Apostles Creed
• 8-page full-color map section
• Biblical advice about friends, family, school, and other issues
• Easy-to-read font size
• Complete text of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.

Extreme Teen Study Bible, NKJV
The Extreme Teen Study Bible is about discovering who God is, what He’s doing in the world, and what He promises for your future.

Features include:

• Book Introductions provide you the who, what, when, where, and why of each Bible book
• Character Profiles give you the inside info about specific people who stood a head above the rest to change their world
• World App and Life App articles help you examine real-world issues from a biblical perspective
• What’s It Mean? notes serve up bite-sized explanations of specific words or phrases you read that might not be as obvious today as they were in Bible times
• God’s Promises articles focus on the hundreds of reasons in Scripture that you can always count on Him
• More than 250 Make It Real articles help you apply what you’re reading to your own life
• Three different Bible-Reading Plans provide you with a road map to reading God’s Word
• The Quick-Reference Finder is the place to turn when you need to find God’s answers to your questions

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens
Discover constant and concrete truths rooted in the unchanging love and promises of God. Rock Solid Faith features include:

• Rock Solid TRUTHS: Examines Christian beliefs and explorations of other religions
• Rock Solid PRINCIPLES: Applies the Bible to daily decisions and challenges
• Rock Solid PROMISES: Calls out what is (and is not) promised in the
• Bible Rock Solid PLANS: Explores God’s plan and will for your life
• Unshaken PEOPLE: Provides scriptural examples of overcoming difficulties
• Unshaken GOD: Points out God’s unyielding attributes
• Reading plans, 8 pages of color maps, book introductions, and more!

NIV Once-a-Day Bible for Teens
The NIV Once-A-Day Bible for Teens organizes the New International Version Bible—the world’s most popular modern-English Bible—into 365 readings. Each Scripture reading includes verses from both the Old and New Testaments plus a portion from either the Psalms or Proverbs along with a summary to help you reflect and apply the Bible each day. This Bible also corresponds to readings in the Once-A-Day Devotional for Teens, giving you a deeper look at verses that apply to your life today.

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Join the Conversation

What are your favorite nonfiction books for teens? Share your thoughts and comment on our blog. We’d love to hear from you!