The Song of Bernadette
Recommended. Age: 15+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A Jewish refugee hiding in Lourdes vowed to tell this story if he escaped the Nazis, and he kept the vow with love. Bernadette's humility and stubborn honesty under questioning are the heart of it. The reservation is that this is a novel. Werfel invented a suitor's unrequited love and moved people around, so pair it with a true life of the saint.
For parents
Independent reading from 15, because of length; read aloud in parts from 12. Seton assigns it in grade 10. Tell your teen which parts Werfel invented. Ask why Bernadette never argues, only repeats what she saw. Ask what 'I am the Immaculate Conception' means (CCC 491).