The Song at the Scaffold
Recommended. Age: 14+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
This short novel is about fear and what grace does with it. The Carmelites of Compiegne offer their lives, and the weakest sister becomes the proof that courage is God's gift. It is one of the finest Catholic novellas of its century. The reservation: the heroine is invented, and the guillotine and the mob are real, so it suits high schoolers.
For parents
Independent reading from 14; read aloud from 13 for a mature listener. Mother of Divine Grace assigns it in grade 9 and Seton in grade 11. Tell your teen Blanche is fictional and the sixteen martyrs are real. Ask: is being afraid a sin? Where does Blanche's courage come from?