Reformers Recommends: Books for Teenagers Part 2

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Books for teenagers are not just found in the children’s section. Expand their (your) reading by finding some easy-to-read “adult” books (general books!) and seek for teenagers to be built up in maturity in Christ - moving from milk to solid food.

What I frequently hear from people is “there doesn’t seem to be many good books for teenagers”. At an age where teens are moving from childhood to adulthood, it’s difficult to know what books would be beneficial. Here is Part 2 of my selection of books for teenagers (click here to read Part 1).

PRESSURE POINTS

The Gospel. Purpose. Emptiness (the void). Sex. Romance. Parents. Friends. Culture. FOMO. Shelby Abbott delves in to the stressors that are faced heading in to university (college) life, for those entering or in that shift to adulthood. Scripturally-rooted and littered with personal experience, this book is a great aid in the midst of surrounding pressures.

DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE

This is one of those “new classic” books that needs to be read. As you read the book you can hear John Piper’s Minnesotan accent through each page as he gives emphasis of living for God’s glory and not mediocre pursuits of comfort and fleeting passion. This is a call to lose yourself in Christ, not without him.

CAN I BE SURE I’M SAVED (CRUCIAL QUESTIONS)

This is a small book by R. C. Sproul and it addresses this very question. Tackling the topic of assurance, it’s a booklet that’s certainly a good aid for teenagers questioning their salvation.

DISCIPLINES OF A GODLY YOUNG MAN

For guys, this book by R. Kent Hughes and W. Carey Hughes is a call to be ‘real’ and own their Christian life in a godly manner. It’s a call to maturity, and not the kind of immaturity we still see in tweens (those in their twenties that still have the maturity of a teenager).

THOUGHTS FOR YOUNG MEN

The time of youth is a seed-planting age that shapes an adults life. This late 19th century classic from J. C. Ryle is of vital importance for 21st century young men (and teenagers). This is a call to be sober-minded, flee from sin (put it to death!) and cling to the Lord always.

GROWING IN GODLINESS

Lindsey Carlson writes this book for young girls who are at the early stages of their teenage years, or just about to enter them. It’s a book about seeking after the heart of God, rather than following our own hearts. It’s a book pointing towards Christian maturity, through the surrender and submission to God through an active engagement of God’s sanctifying work in the pursuit of holiness. This is a great book calling young teenage girls to find their purpose in, their dependance on, their focus and prayers in, on, and for God.

ADVANCE

Another book in the Cruciform Quick series, Tim Challies calls and charges teens (and tweens) to advance, first, their inward life in submission, wisdom, stature and the favour of God to shape the rest of their lives.

ACTS: A VISUAL GUIDE

From sermons by Kevin DeYoung, this book is a brilliant aid for visual learners as you read through Acts!