Customer Reviews

Breakthrough!: The Bible for Young Catholics

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I have a tweener living in my home and I've finally discovered a wonderful biblical resource just for him. "Tweeners" are a subset of youth, typically between ages 9 and 13. Your typical tweener feels like he is too old for things like ordering off of the children's menu or reading from a children's picture bible. However most of the "youth" bibles I've reviewed may contain issues tweeners are not ready emotionally to digest or understand.

For this reason, I was very pleased to discover Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics
(St. Mary's Press, March 2006, paperback). Employing the Catholic Edition of the Good News Translation, this Bible carries both the Imprimatur and the Nihil Obstat, declaring that the text and articles contained in it are free of doctrinal or moral error.

That said, Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics will appeal to most middle school aged students because of the appealing design and layout of the book. This bible doesn't talk down to them, but rather challenges them to study, pray with and live out the precepts of sacred scripture. Featuring frequent illustrations and the ever popular "anime" style full color drawings and interviews with major biblical characters, this bible is visually interesting and attractive even at first glance. "Catholic Connections" link biblical passages to Church teachings. Each book of the bible is prefaced with an introduction giving helpful thematic and contextual information on the upcoming book. Helpful features at the end of the bible include a glossary, an index and several maps.

In my home, I can see this bible as being the tool that helps my tweener transition from reading the bible to help him with his homework to reading the bible as a part of his own spiritual development. He may find, however, that he has to share his new bible with his mother, as I too find the format both enjoyable to read and thought provoking. The following scripture passage, shared in the opening pages of Breakthrough!, sums up the approach this wonderful resource takes at reaching out to young Catholics:

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith and purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

I have had trouble finding a Bible for my 8-year-old goddaughter that seemed thoroughly Catholic, age-appropriate in its added features and artwork, and in a kid-readable translation. I wanted something that would bridge the gap between the illustrated Bible story collections that are great for new readers, and the teen editions, whose added features are too mature. I discovered this Breakthrough Bible and purchased it as a gift for her First Communion. I have looked through it carefully. I am very pleased with the approach.

From Genesis to Revelation, it highlights the great moments in salvation history, and amplifies the themes of God's truth, love, and mercy, and our purpose and relationship with God. It will appeal to committed Catholics who appreciate the goodness, richness, freedom and beauty of our faith and its hopeful message to the world. This Bible version tries to deliver that message in a fresh, personal, relevant way to children. It presents Church teaching simply and decisively.

The majority of pages have either line art or a short boxed feature. But it is well laid out so that these do not distract visually from the most important content, Scripture itself. The interpretive features that apply scriptural principles seem very relevant to modern kids' situations in the 8-12 age range, including scenarios at school, with peers, and in family life, but are serious and offer honest, wise guidance. The numerous simple line drawings are appealing and interesting, and all have a caption with the chapter and verse they illustrate.

Overall, it is advanced for the average 8-year-old, but some of its features (e.g., the short interviews with Bible characters, with colorful portraits similar in style to a modern Disney film like Aladdin) will appeal to the 8-year-old set, and they will grow into other features over the next five or six years, until they're ready for a teen version. I wish I'd had a Bible like this when I was growing up.

Note that the publisher also offers a companion Breakthrough teacher's guide and student's workbook.

I've always been a fan of the Good News Bible, a modern English translation that is easy to understand but which, unlike some modern translations, also employs dignified religious language to communicate its important message. Especially nice from a Roman Catholic perspective, this translation bears an Imprimatur. The Imprimatur is basically a green light from the Catholic heirarchy (in this case from the Most Rev. William H. Keeler, DD) saying that the text is acceptable for Catholics to read. This is a peace-of-mind factor that should help make Catholic parents and teachers feel comfortable sharing this translation with the young people in their care. Also comforting is the fact that this "Catholic edition" of the Good News Translation includes ALL of the books that constitute the biblical canon for Catholics, not just the 66 books that Protestants consider to be Scripture. This means young people can read about the piety of people from the "intertestamental" period, heroes and heroines of the faith like Tobit, Tobias, Sarah, Judith, Judas Maccabees and his brothers, and Susanna. They can also access the rich wisdom of the Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus). This edition of the Good News Bible includes the many charming and timeless line drawing illustrations of the Swiss artist Annie Vallotton that have been a part of most editions of this translation ever since the New Testament was first published in 1966.

In addition to the great translation, the Break Through! Bible has many helpful features designed to help young people engage with the biblical stories and teachings: introductions to every book of the Bible (with Headlines and Factoids that call readers' attention to key themes and interesting information); "Live It!", "Study It!", and "Pray It!" text boxes that help young people apply the Bible's lessons to their own lives; "Catholic Connections" text boxes that help readers understand Church doctrine and liturgical practices in light of the Bible; full-color "tip-in" pages with illustrated profiles of Bible characters whose faith choices make them ideal role models for young people living in challenging times and vulnerable to being "seduced" by less pious pop culture icons. This Bible also includes a "Salvation History Timeline," Bible reading plans, a "Where to Find It?" guide to famous Bible passages, suggested readings for Special Occasions, a Word List, a list of the Three-Year Cycle lectionary readings, and color maps.

What's also amazing, this Bible is set in easy-to-read type and is very compact considering how much is packed between its covers. This will fit nicely into a young person's bookbag or backpack. St. Mary's Press has done a wonderful job all around! Buy it! Share it! Read it! Study it! Pray it! Live it!

We bought the books based on recos above; and are happy with it; however a caution about age appropriateness to the careful checkers - e.g. JUDITH feature (color), extra commentary re rape of Dinah: discussion of "sex", "sexual abuse", etc.......... again, not to say this can't be managed, but we found out accidentally when our 9 year old asked what the sex comment meant....... we have requested some clarification from SMP as I think it is marketed a bit young for a few of the features we've come across.

Otherwise a fabulous quality product, all Catholic books are included, and my son loves it already........

I bought this Bible for my 11 year old. I find myself using it because of the many inclusions such as interviews of main characters of the Bible, "Live It" where they apply a reading to current day life, small snips of info or question at the bottom of every other page to encourage further reading, and a list of Bible readings to be used in different times of your life (sad, hopeless, loss of loved one, etc.). The Bible also has a subject index, "Pray It", and "Catholic Connections" to better explain the Bible and how it connects with the Mass or other Catholic traditions. The text is easy to read as well which makes it more practical for a younger person. Overall, I really have enjoyed this Bible and bought three more for relatives.

I bought this book for my "tween", but I've ended up keeping it for myself! (Don't worry, I'll get the kids their own copy)

The language of this version of The Holy Bible makes it so much easier to follow the stories and lessons contained within. Honestly, how many people can say they have read The Bible cover-to-cover? Out of those who have, how many understand it? With this version, I will not only complete reading The Bible cover-to-cover, I will also have a better understanding of the Word of God.

IMHO, God wants The Bible to be a means of communication...if reading this Bible helps an adult understand God's Word better, I'm sure God is OK with that. I am a reader(lector) at my parish and there are often times when I study a reading the night before I'm to read it aloud at Sunday Mass and cannot quite comprehend what is being conveyed. Having this Bible for reference helps me tremendously.

So get it not only for your tweens...get it for your own understanding of The Bible as well.

We bought this bible for our 11 year old. She really enjoys the layout of the bible which includes interviews of biblical characters and factual information about the time period and setting. We also bought the bible for one of her friends and he is enjoying it as well.

The wording in this version is simplified enough that an adult who wants to read the Bible cover to cover for the first time may have an easier time of it. Of course, the scripture has been changed a bit, so it's probably just a first (large) step toward reading the entire New American Bible.

Easy to read, with alot of side information and teaching. Perfect for teenage and young bible studies. Keeps the study interesting.

I have been waiting for this Bible to come out for years!
It is wonderful! Just as the title says, it is "break through".
It is written in a language anyone can understand, even a child.
I am using it for teens and the little additions explaining things such as "Catholic Connections", "Pray it", "Live it" and the short summaries are tremendous! It really makes Scripture easy to understand.