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Saturday, 10 October 2020

The Boy Who Knew - Corinna Turner Friends in High Places Book 1 Carlo Acutis

The Boy Who Knew: Carlo Acutis

Friends in High Places Book 1

Corinna Turner
Unseen Books

Zephyr Publishing

ISBN 9781910806463

eISBN 9781910806470

ASIN B08KHP7G43

I have been a fan of Corina Turner’s work since I first encountered I Am Margaret 5 years ago. Since then I have read her books a total of 27 times, and her contributions in two Catholic Teen Books Anthologies. I am a fan of everything I have read. She has many excellent books and great series. And this is the first volume in a new series. The title of the series is Friends in High Places and is about friendship and devotion to specific saints and beatified. And this first volume is about a young man named Carlo Acutis who was beatified the week after the publication. Carlos was declared venerable on 5 July 2018 and beatified on 10 October 2020.

Daniel is a young man who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. He has had some tests and is awaiting the results. His mother goes to church, but his father has not for years. Daniel sheds the news of his diagnosis to Fr. Thomas, their family priest, while getting out of the house because his parents are arguing. The priest gives him a prayer card with a link to a novena to Carlo Acutis. And this a whirlwind adventure of 9 days begins. The chapters in this volume are:

Diagnosis Day

Sunday: Day 1

Monday: Day 2

Tuesday: Day 3

Wednesday: Day 4

Thursday: Day 5

Friday: Day 6

Saturday: Day 7

Sunday: Day 8

Monday: Day 9

And at the end of the book we have the following sections:

Prayers

Discussion Questions

More Information

Friends in High Places

The story is wonderfully written. We follow Daniel from diagnosis through a 9 day novena until he heads to get his test results. The story is fast moving. And the characters very relatable. And it brings alive the life the witness of Carlo Acutis. We follow Daniel as he does the novena to Carlos. As he learns more and more about Carlos, the more he tries to emulate his example. He finds he is praying more, and his faith is becoming real to him in a new way.

This is a story any tween, teen or adult could relate to. As a parent I can see myself in the parent’s responses. And see ways to do better with my own children. It brought to life the story of this holy young man to me in a new way. It is an excellent read and the beginning of what looks like another amazing series from Turner’s masterful pen.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by and about Carlo Acutis:

Blessed Carlo Acutis - Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo

The Boy Who Knew Carlo Acutis - Corinna Turner

…

Books by Corinna Turner:
I Am Margaret Series:
0.0 The Underappreciated Virtues of Rusty Old Bicycles (A prequel)
0.5 Brothers (Prequel)
1.0 I Am Margaret
1.5 How Snakey Got His Name (Short Story)
2.0 The Three Most Wanted
3.0 Liberation
4.0 Bane's Eyes
5.0 Margo's (Attempted) Diary & Notebook
5.5 An Unexpected Guest
6.0 The Siege of Reginald Hill
6.5 Buttons (Short Story)
7.0 A Saint in the Family
I Am Margaret The Play - Fiorella de Maria

...

Yesterday and Tomorrow Series:
Someday
Tomorrow's Dead
...

unSPARKed Series:

Prequel Short Stories:

Liam and the Hunters of Lee'Vi

0.1 Breach

A Truly Clawful Christmas

0.2 A Mom with Blue Feathers

0.3 A Very Jurassic Christmas

0.3a A Very Jurassic Lent

0.4 A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo

Three Clawsome Tales

A Very Jurassic Hallowtide

...

Novels:
1.0 Drive!
1.0a Please Don't Feed the Dinosaurs

2.0 A Truly Rapror-Ous Welcome
3.0 Panic!
4.0 Farmgirls Die in Cages
5.0 Wild Life

6.0 A Right Rex Rodeo

7.0 FEAR

8.0 A Different Kind of Camouflage

9.0 A Different Kind of Freedom

10.0 What’s Done is Done

11.0 Weigh the Odds

12.0 A Nest of Piranha’saurs

...

Mandy Lamb Series:
Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon

The Wolf The Lamb and the Air Balloon

...

Friends in High Places:

1.0 The Boy Who Knew: Carlo Acutis

1.5 Do Carpenters Dream of Wooden Sheep?

2.0 Old Men Don’t Walk to Egypt: Saint Joseph

3.0 Child, Unwanted: Margaret of Castello

4.0 A Lion for a Tomb: Ignatius of Antioch

5.0 The Higher We Go Pier Giorgio Frassati

...

Elfling Series:

Elfling

The Most Expensive Alley Cat in London

...

Last Things Series:

Three last things or The hounding of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin

A Changing of the Guard

…

Other Books:
The Raven & The Yew
Man or Beast
...

Contributed to:
Secrets: Visible & Invisible 7 Amazing Stories - Catholic Teen Books
Gifts Visible & Invisible 8 Christmas Stories for Teens
Treasures: Visible & Invisible 8 Stories for Teens

The Christmas Lights

Ashes Visible & Invisible 10 Stories for Teens

A Foul Christmas

A Saint Nicholas Eve Carol

The Gift of the Angel Tree

Shadows Visible & Invisible 7 Stories for Teens

A Lack of Christmas Spirits

Alien Family Traditions

Pilgrim Tales An anthology of fiction by the Catholic Writers Guild

...

Author profile and interview with Corinna Turner

Prayer of the Day A Hunter's Prayer.

Sunday, 8 August 2021

Old Men Don't Walk to Egypt - Corinna Turner Friends in High Places Book 2 Saint Joseph

Old Men Don't Walk to Egypt: Saint Joseph

Friends in High Places Book 2

Corinna Turner

Unseen Books

Zephyr Publishing

ISBN 9781910806227

eISBN 9781910806234

ASIN B097HQZNMZ

I love this third story in Corinna Turner’s latest series. I have been a fan of Corina Turner’s work since I first encountered I Am Margaret 6 years ago. Since then I have read her books a total of 42 times, and her contributions in two Catholic Teen Books Anthologies. I am a fan of everything I have read. She has many excellent books and great series. And this is the second novel in a new series. The title of the series is Friends in High Places and is about friendship and devotion to specific saints and beatified. And this second volume is about Saint Joseph. And this was a very timely read for me. The beginning of the description of this novel states:

“Katie has everything she thinks she wants—friends, popularity, and a gorgeous athletic older boyfriend. But the more time she spends with Shaun, the more miserable she feels.

When freaky Daniel suggests Saint Joseph for her research project, her supposedly perfect life spirals out of control. Will the carpenter from Nazareth destroy everything she thinks matters—or give her even the things she didn’t know she wanted?

Old Men Don’t Walk to Egypt is the second book in the Friends in High Places series, but can be read on its own.”

The story is told in two parts. First Is Katies story and the second is a series of dreams she has about the life of Saint Joseph. As a father of daughters reading parts of Katies story really hit home. Pressure to be physical with her boyfriend, pressure to share selfies. Her being manipulated. There is so much in this story. And Turner handles it in a masterful way.

Katie is working on two projects for school, one on Saint Joseph and a wood working project. With the help of Daniel and his friend, she starts to see a way out. But it will not be easy.

At the end of the story are a few extra sections:

Saint Joseph: What We Know

More Information

Discussion Questions

Prayers

The Complete Scriptural Account

Be sure to read through to the end. Some of the prayers have become ones I now pray daily. This is another story from the masterful pen of Turner that any tween, teen or adult could relate to. As a parent I can see myself in the parent’s responses. It brought to life the story of Saint Joseph in a new way, and the importance of devotion to him. It is a great.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of other books about Saint Joseph click here.

Other reviews and articles about Saint Joseph:

Consecration to St. Joseph - Fr. Donald Calloway
Favorite Prayers to St. Joseph Compiled from Traditional Sources- TAN Books
Prayer to Saint Joseph Prayer of the Day
Joseph of Nazareth - Federico Suarez
Devotion to St. Joseph - F. Declaux
Go to St. Joseph: Do Whatever He Tells You - Brian Kiczek
Saint Joseph: Help for Life's Emergencies - Kathryn J. Hermes
Feast of Saint Joseph 2018 Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary Principal Patron of Canada
Companion to Saint Joseph - J.B. Midgley - CTS Companions Series
Saints of the Roman Canon - Julien Chilcott-Monk - CTS Living the Liturgy Series
Seven Saints for Seven Virtues - Jean M. Heimann

Saint Joseph Prayers and Devotions - Donal Anthony Foley

Model of Faith - Leonard J. Delorenzo

St. Joseph and His World - Mike Aquilina

Do Carpenters Dream of Wooden Sheep?

Old Men Don’t Walk to Egypt: Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph the Protector - Father Mark Goring - A nine-day preparation for entrustment to St. Joseph

Nine Days with Saint Joseph - Andrew Offer, O.P. and Jonah Teller O.P.

Who is St Joseph? - Herbert Cardinal Vaughan - CTS Onefifties