Book Review: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha:Courageous Faith is the most recent book in the Encounter the Saints Series.  With the recent canonization of St. Kateri, the arrival of this book was quite timely.  As soon as my eleven year old spotted it sitting on the kitchen counter she exclaimed that St. Kateri is one of her favorite saints and she asked if she could read the book.  I was happy to see her excitement to read about another saint.

My daughter devoured this book over the course of two evenings.  We then discussed the book and she told me all about St. Kateri.  Her excitement over the book had not ebbed.   In fact, I think she has gained and even greater appreciation for this favorite saint.  Prior to reading this book she knew relatively little about St. Kateri aside from the couple page story she had read in her Saints for Young Readers for Every Day book.

As with other books in the Encounter the Saints Series, this book offers pronunciation guides for many of the names of persons and places which may be foreign to the reader.  I think this feature is so very helpful.  The book also has a handy glossary in the back making it a nice addition especially if you plan to use this book in a homeschool setting.  There is also a lovely prayer to St. Kateri at the end of the story.

I found this book to be well written and interesting enough to keep young readers turning pages.  The book is targeted to children between the ages of nine to twelve, but I think that a stronger reader in the second grade could probably read through this book.  In fact, I'm contemplating having my seven year old [second grader] give this book a try in the near future.  I think this book also has potential as a read aloud story for younger school aged children.

Overall, I think Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is a nice addition to the Encounter the Saints Series.  Young readers who pick up this book will get a chance to know St. Kateri better.

I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher, Pauline Kids, in exchange for my honest review.  Visit Pauline Books and Media for more information on this book or to purchase a copy.