Honey for a Teen's Heart

by Gladys M. Hunt, Barbara Hampton

Help Your Teen Catch the Lifelong Reading Bug. Honey for a Teen’s Heart spells out how good books can help you and your teenager communicate heart-to-heart about ideas, values, and the various issues of a Christian worldview. Sharing the adventure of a book lets both of you know the same people, see the same sights, face the same choices, and feel the same emotions. Life spills out of books--giving you plenty to talk about! But Honey for a Teen’s Heart will do more than strengthen the bonds between you and your son or daughter. You’ll also learn how to help your teen catch the reading habit and become a lover of good books. Gladys Hunt’s insights on how to read a book, what to look for in a book, and how to question what you read will challenge you and your teenager alike. It’s training for life! And it’s fabulous preparation for teens entering college. Including an annotated list of over four hundred books, Honey for a Teen’s Heart gives you expert guidance on the very best books for teens.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Books About Books, Education, Christian, Reference, Kids

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Gladys Hunt was a well-known author and speaker. Her books include Honey for a Woman’s Heart, Honey for a Teen’s Heart, and Honey for a Child’s Heart (revised edition). She also wrote numerous Bible study guides for the Fisherman and Lifeguide series. She lived with her husband, Keith, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Reviews

[Teri Pardue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this today after a couple months of reading through each of the 400 recommended books in the second half!
I felt like Hunt & Hampton started off incredibly well! I was copying out quotes, sharing insights with my spouse, and generally impressed with their thoughtfulness about reading to and with your teens. A word to parents about teens on page 15 is incredible! Really hits home how teens need us as parents but we often aid them in filling their schedules so full they never see us and distance themselves from us. We stop understanding them - and they, us.

That intrigue, though, lasted through about page 65, at which point it became a bit redundant, dry, and lacking in intellectual challenges.

I was also quite disappointed with the book list. I would say the vast majority of books listed were written in the 70s and 80s (numerous ones, the authors even admit to being out of print or hard to track down). It was a bit lacking in great classics or modern classics, as well as more recent books (I understand it was last updated in 2002, but even the 90s are quite underrepresented). I was also pained to see so much Christian Historical Romance, a genre I don't find to be especially enlightening, nor would I choose to read it aloud with my teens!

I do want to conclude with some of my favorite quotes, worth thinking over even if you don't want to read the book in its entirety.

"Try to encourage a teen to see books for what they are - an expression of the worldview of an author who thinks this is the way the world is. Asking questions about books as we read together sets a child in gear to keep on asking questions and making evaluations about what is true and good" (p. 60-61).

"No book will hurt you if you know how to evaluate it and have developed a principled and moral life view. If teens lack the principles to protect themselves, then no rules can keep them safe, because there is too much "out there" with destructive potential. Rules like "Don't read that; don't go there; don't do that" - are never as effective in guarding life as an inner decision to choose what is good... Only the garbage can accepts everything put into it. It reminds me of the man who said that he believed in an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out" (p.61).

"In good writing, the morality of a story is not laid on top of the narrative; it is woven into the fabric of the story so that whatever is true comes out of the characters' actions and the plot of the story. In a fallen world, people are mixtures of good and evil, not one or the other, and the plot of any story should reveal this complexity" (p.63)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! The long reading list is excellent, and I’m excited to read more that’s listed to my teens/pre-teens. Part 1 of the book, which lays the case of how/why/when to read with our teens (or whole families), was inspiring. The author walked the walk with her teens, and has heartwarming stories to share. I also appreciate that she broke down her recommendations based on early teens, middle teens, late teens, and general “all family” reading. Recommended!

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hunt and Hampton talk about teaching teens how to choose the best books, and to not believe everything they read. They then say not to judge a book you haven't read. They never really delve into the fact that, as Christians, especially, we don't have to always read a book to know that it's not worth reading. Often, we can gather enough information from the title, author, ad-copy, table of contents, others' reviews, or maybe a quick skim through it to learn that a book will not bring glory to God and isn't worth our investment.

I was very disappointed to see a book recommended which the authors admit contains "explicitly sexual" content. They claim this pick is for the "most mature" of readers. I would argue that no teenager is the most mature of readers, and that a truly mature reader would be wise enough to abandon books with such content. As Christians, is any book worth reading that offends the Spirit of God in us?

Their answer to inappropriate content of any kind seems to be: "Skip over it." But that doesn't acknowledge the reality that in order to "skip" something while reading, you actually have to read it first, at least in part, in order to know that it needs to be skipped. Like it or not, that information is getting into your mind and we are always influenced by what we take in.

Despite the problems I have with the book, I did still manage to find over 30 books to add to my to-read list, and those will keep me plenty busy. (I only read the recommendations for Late Teens; there were others for Early- and Mid-Teens, and All Ages.)

Note: The authors give spoilers for some books, which is frustrating.

[Becca Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Such great parenting advice and I know I’ll be re-reading this in the years to come. I noticed some people don’t like that the book recommendations are older, but I like that because I can find a lot of these books at my library or on eBay for cheap.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book was very good with good points and ideas for relating to teens with books. I was not so impressed with the booklist. Some books were older and seemed like they might be hard to find. Also if you are picky what your kids read, I wouldn’t trust all the recommendations— some seemed to me borderline—but I haven’t read all the books on their lists either. Honey for a child’s heart was definitely better.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Anthology of book recommendations comes highly recommended! While deciding which books to assign to my teens to read for years, this book, as well as others in the series, were extremely helpful in choosing wholesome, classic, and great choices by genre as well. The brief descriptions of the books were valuable and time saving!

[Rachel Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great treatise on the value of literature in the lives of all of us from a Christian perspective, followed by hundreds of book recommendations.

I was delighted to see that I had never read the vast majority of them, giving me a list to peruse for years.

The first part feels a little dated, since the book is twenty years old, but the principles remain the same.

[Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was after some good historical fiction books to dovetail with homeschooling in Australia but once you get past the classics (most of which I had already noted) most of the books seem to be American and not the pre 18th Century stuff I was hoping for. All up a bit of a boring read for me. If Im not interested in the novels listed fat chance of them interesting my kids.

[Arlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always nice to read about reading. I appreciate Hunt's down-to-earth perspective on book, quality, reading, and morality. I wish I had read this when I was still teaching high school

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/3 of the book is a huge reading list with reviews, definitely a good reference tool. Got it via ILL though, so I'll have re-request it or buy it to actually finish.

[Melanie Tillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting to like this book more than I did. I always wanted to read Honey for a Child's Heart, but I waited too long, and now my kids are older, so I got this instead. Maybe Honey for a Child's Heart is better?

While I agreed with some of it, other parts straight up made me angry. It had a little bit of a "book snob" tone, which was off-putting. I was a high school English teacher for five years, and some of these attitudes actually turn teens OFF of reading rather than inspire them. I couldn't believe the way she portrayed the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, hands down one of the favorites of my students. She made it seem like the book just glorifies violence, which tells me she missed the whole point. Did "stay gold, Ponyboy" not make sense to her? I also didn't like the snobbish way she spoke of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. She did say that reading can also be for pleasure, but she said it almost in a way that implied it's a lesser reason.

I also thought there was way too much emphasis on book awards. My opinion, as both a teacher and an avid reader, is that sometimes awards like Newberry are more about the opinions of adults than the opinions of young people. In a lot of ways, Newberry tells us what adults thinks kids SHOULD like rather than the kind of books they ACTUALLY like. There are exceptions to this, of course. (Holes by Louis Sacchar immediately comes to mind.) However, I have often found Newberry books too slow-paced, too issue driven, and just too dang depressing for most kids. A LOT of the recommended books in Honey for a Teen's Heart were depressing, actually. There were other recommended titles that were great, but in my opinion, it was a very small number. Having said that, I'm a sucker for book lists, so I will keep this on my shelf as a reference for titles that I would like to try. I'll read them first, though, before I use them in my homeschool.

I think a better title for this book would be, "Books Every Teen Should Be Forced to Read Before They Graduate."

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was excellent! Although I didn’t agree with everything the author said, there was a lot of truth about the importance of reading and discussing books and ideas. I am including my favorite quotes at the end of this review.
The second half is an extensive booklist. I suspect it will be hit and miss, as it includes some of my favorites, but also some of my least favorites. It also seems skewed toward older books, many of which are out of print.

“Reading together provides opportunities for the discussions every family needs. Books are about someone else; that means we can look objectively at the characters choices and actions and discuss them. In addition, books delight, quicken the imagination, widen our world, and live in our hearts. Reading is not a luxury, but a necessity.” (p. 16)

“Fiction is not untrue just because it is called fiction. Good fiction contains truth.” (p. 42)

“Good fiction does not always have a happy ending, but it always shows possibilities of how to act or resolve the conflict. It ends with hope, with some possible good in sight, some redeeming vision.” (p. 43)

“A good story should represent what is real and true, but real means presenting something a reader can build on (hope rather than despair)... Real stories don’t hide what is wrong, but focus on greater truths. The characters live and grow.” (p. 45)

“Good Christian literature should be unconsciously, rather than deliberately and defiantly, Christian... Too often the Christian worldview is packaged as propaganda, rather than a well-written story that engages the mind and asks questions rather than giving answers... Sometimes our standards are not high enough; we are content with books that don’t say anything really important but seem safe.” (p. 49)

“See books for what they are— an expression of the worldview of an author who thinks this is the way the world is.” (p. 60)

“No book will hurt you if you know how to evaluate it and have developed a principled and moral life view. If teens lack the principles to protect themselves, then no rules can keep them safe, because there is too much out there with destructive potential. Rules like ‘Don’t read that; don’t go there; don’t do that’ — are never as effective in guarding life as an inner decision to choose what is good.” (p. 61)

“In good writing, the morality of the story is not laid on top of the narrative; it is woven into the fabric of the story so that whatever is true comes out of the characters actions and the plot of the story. In a fallen world, people are mixtures of good and evil, not one or the other, and the plot of any story should reveal this complexity.” (p. 63)

“All of us need to learn to ask questions of life, of the books we read, of the sermons we hear, of the television programs we watch, of the commercials, and of the newscasts. Don’t be a sponge. Instead, ask yourself, ‘Is this true?’ “ (p. 64)

“It is no small thing that we are able to take these shining symbols known as words and communicate with each other. We have this ability because we are made in the image of God. He created a world with His own speech. He said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And that was only the beginning of the story of creation. He communicates to us with language, and allows us to speak to Him and to each other with words. This is a sacred trust. Just as God created a world for us to live in, so with our speech we also create a world for others to live in.” (p. 66)

“We live in a fallen world. Good literature does not avoid that fact. But it does not revel in it either. In good writing, the author portrays evil behavior as a way of exposing it for what it is.” (p. 69)

“Truth is strengthened, not weakened, by asking questions about it.” (p. 75)

“If teens are free to think and ask questions, they may challenge our own beliefs as parents. This could feel dangerous and threatening. But if our attitude creates an environment of loving acceptance that says, ‘Let’s find truth together,’ we will find ourselves growing along with our teens.” (p. 76)

“It does not do to leave a dragon out of your calculations if you live near him.” — JRR Tolkien (p. 87)

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out because my teenage boys, once avid readers, have cooled considerably in their desire to pick up a book outside of school. It's a good resource with hundreds of great book suggestions, though a parent will still need to use their own discretion to decide whether a book is right for their family. However, it hasn't been updated in the last 15 years. A good book will always be a good book, so I'm still glad to have the recommendations that are included. But, I cringe at the thought of the scores of books that aren't there because they were published more recently. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to working off of the recommended books to find some treasures that both my children and I can enjoy. I especially appreciated the talking points given for the books, as well as the suggested age recommendations. As I discussed some of the suggested books, my 11-year-old heard one that she eagerly wanted to read. Its suggested age was early and mid teens as well as an all ages read aloud, so we read it together. It has now become one of our most favorite books ever. I have a feeling I will be finding many books for myself from this resource as well.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I snagged this when it was on sale on Kindle, and while I like being able to highlight and search, honestly I think I'd prefer this book in hard copy to be used as an occasional reference.

Decent opening to the book, and then I skimmed through the book recommendations (which is why it took me so much longer than usual to complete). I found a few books I'll be adding to *my* TBR list, but honestly I don't see myself using many of these recommendations with our children. Yes, there are some classics on the lists (Dickens, Bronte, Austen), but honestly the vast majority seem rather dated. I'm not saying there are not quality out-of-print books that could lead to good discussions with my kids.... but I personally don't want to have to "sell" books to my teens, and would appreciate some newer books with better cover art and modern situations. And well, Christian historical fiction? I read quite a lot of that as a teen in the 1980s, and honestly I swore off Christian writers for many years as a result of the corny, simplistic storylines -- I can only imagine the mockery that would ensue were I to hand those over to my kids.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful list of books for older children. She includes the classics, several books I read as a teenager, and some new ones to explore. About half the book is commentary and advice about books and teens. The other half is a massive booklist with plot summaries, commentary, and age level ratings. I added several books to my to read list. I found lots of books that I haven't seen anywhere else. (My eighth grade English teacher would have approved of her list! I found at least 20 books she recommended on this list!). The most user friendly part is the last few pages that list books under situational headings, like "if you want a good laugh," "when life isn't perfect," or "mother daughter read aloud."

[Mh Weyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally picked this up just for the book suggestions. I turned to those and ignored the initial chapters. But then, on a whim, I began to read and found myself appreciating it even more than the book lists. Some of the reasons why we read etc even prompted me to read aloud the chapters to my kids. And the book lists have not failed. I have added many worthwhile books to my reading list thanks to these suggestions. And broadened my genres as well as recapturing some of the old classics I had missed somehow previously. This book is a bit old fashioned and wish there was an update with more recent books but will still be recommending this book to others!

[LOVEROFBOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like it as much as the first one, Honey for a Child's Heart, but that has to do with my values and choices when assigning work for my kids. However, I feel this is a good reference tool not just for teen's but adults too. I have underlined quite a bit in this book and the earlier one and will be keeping them both, even though her lists and values may differ from mine. I still think it is a valuable book.

[Karen Glidden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

I wish I had found this book sooner. I feel much better equipped to help my daughters choose books. I am a home school mom and will use this book to choose read alouds well as books for their literature study.
Another good book from this author is Honey for a Child's Heart

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series it’s got so many ideas for books to read with older children and I liked the encouragement, the author has a great perspective on why good books (living ones) are important and vital to children. The books put into categories was helpful too. I’d love to get a jump start on the teen years pre reading these, will be adding this to our home library for references.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good information. There were quite a few books that were not familiar to me and not found on the many other lists I've seen. I'm not convinced that all of them will be spectacular, but it's nice not to get just the usual suspects.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to copy all the books down. I love books full of book lists!

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to fly through it because I was borrowing it from a friend, but it was insightful and I would recommend it. Warning: it will probably extend your "to read" list a lot. :)

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as Honey for a Child's heart. I felt a little bit like I was being preached to. Some good title recommendations, though. But overall, I was underwhelmed.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book, especially since I'm a book lover! Got lots of ideas for new books to read.

[Wendy Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

so, so good and dreamy on how to use books for your family culture!!

[Karen Beutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes. Hold placed 1/25

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was "Honey for a Child's Heart," but I'd still like to own it. I like a lot of her discussion about religion and knowing what you believe. I had a hard time with some dichotomies the author set up between the religious and secular world that make those particular topics seem either/or when I think there is a middle of the road solution. I had my son (12) read this book and I'm excited to use some of the ideas to have discussions with my kids. What makes a good book? Information on world views. What about reading the Bible/sacred literature? The book list at the end is great too.

[Kameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! Such thought went into Gladys Hunt's introductory chapters and then in Barbara Hampton's individual book/author descriptions. This is a wonderful resource I am glad to own. We've already found some treasures for Jake this summer (age 13) and plan to find many more in our library. I was a little surprised at the inclusion of some books: the Harry Potter series and His Dark Materials trilogy. But the descriptions of these give great encouragement about why these books would be good to read/analyze as a family.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good resource broken down by genres and I appreciate how she gives detailed recommendations on each book and certain authors, appropriate age levels and the author's world views so parents can have conversations with their kids about ideas that may be different from their own. Hunt also reinforces the idea of reading aloud with your teen and the benefits of reading together. I now have lots of books on my "to read" list.

[Annie Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most homeschoolers know about Honey for a Child’s Heart, and recently I read a review of Honey for a Teen’s Heart at the Curriculum Choice. That wonderful review motivated me to look for the book, and as soon as I returned my interlibrary loan copy to the library, I bought it.

It’s that good.

Read my complete review at The Curriculum Choice.