Teen Book Review: Charting the Course

Charting the Course by Leslea Wahl

Today, I’ll be sharing about my latest faith-based teen adventure—Charting the Course.

Summary:

Hang on tight as the twists and turns of this high-seas adventure leave you bracing for the next wave of intrigue.

Ever since Liz’s parents divorced, she and her father have endured a strained relationship. So, she’s surprised when he invites her to spend part of the holidays with him on a Caribbean cruise. However, this is not just any cruise but his 30th high school reunion. While Liz dreamt of such a vacation, being stranded on a ship with her estranged father is not her idea of a merry holiday.

While an anonymous note, an onboard mystery, and a cute boy help turn the tide on the unwanted trip, Liz and her father drift even further apart. Then when Liz’s reckless actions create a tsunami of unintended consequences, she recognizes that she’s drowning in pent-up hurt and anger. As her carefully created façade begins to ebb away, she turns to her faith and sets off to chart a new course for her life.

Set amid the beauty of the Caribbean islands, Charting the Course delves into the topics of fractured families, generational high-school dramas, taking responsibility for your actions, and focusing on faith to keep us anchored.

Behind the Scenes:

Through this novel, I was able to bring together several elements that I’d wanted to write about for years—a mystery aboard a cruise ship, a parent’s high school drama, and a non-Catholic discovering the faith.

A cruise ship with its secluded setting always seemed like an ideal location for a mystery. Throughout the story, I also include several real incidents that my family experienced on cruises, such as many family card games, shore excursions, a favorite piano player, and an onboard scavenger hunt.

One of the interesting aspects of the story is the class reunion that Liz’s father is attending while on the cruise. For years I’d thought it would be fun for a teen character to get a glimpse into the adolescence of a parent to see that many issues that teens deal with today are ones that their parents also struggled with. Liz and her father have a strained relationship due to divorce, so this was the perfect story for that element.

The main character Liz is the best friend of Josie, the main character in my novel, Into the Spotlight. Liz was a relatively small character in the first book, but over the years, I thought about her often and eventually decided it was time to explore her story. Liz is not Catholic but has attended Catholic church with Josie in the past. When Josie gives Liz a novena to pray while on her trip, Liz begins to learn more about the Church. I actually wrote more about Liz’s conversion in my short story, Finishing the Journey, which is part of the CatholicTeenBooks anthology, Ashes: Visible & Invisible.

All my teen novels include an underlying theme. For this book, that theme is the importance of forgiveness. I hope you journey along with Liz on this faith-filled adventure.

Amazon Link

https://www.amazon.com/Charting-Course-Leslea-Wahl/dp/B0C87M9TZW

A note from Reviewer:

As a writer and a mother, I’m always searching for wonderful Christian books for teens of all ages. I truly believe one way we can encourage teens in their faith is through fiction with positive messages, embedded in great stories. There are many fantastic Christian and Catholic teen novels out today but they can be hard to find. I’m excited to share some of these books with you. For more book suggestions for the whole family visit my website or join my News, Clues and Reviews updates.

Leslea Wahl

www.LesleaWahl.com