Converting Kate

Kate's father died without ever coming to know and love the Jesus that Rebekah Anderson, Kate's mom, believes in and about whom Kate now has doubts. With her father’s death, Kate is determined to follow in her dad's footsteps and read dangerous books like To Kill a Mockingbird and make up her own mind about various issues. This translates into doing things like going lobster hunting on a boat with a boy who makes her feel oh so secular. Fortunately Kate has her namesake aunt to help deflect attention from her mother’s scrutiny. Her mother also must help manage aunt Kate's bed and breakfast. Kate realizes that people need to meet other people and really learn about them before deciding their worth, even if that person is a gay show more priest. While readers may wonder how and why Kate’s parents ever were married, they will appreciate a story about a girl who is able to question religious upbringing without rancor. This book is at its best when Kate is questioning her religion; this is the part of the novel that teens, I predict, will find most compelling. This is the part of the book that makes me eager to recommend it for high school students. show less

I really liked this book. I think it is a perfect book for the 12-18 year old crowd because it does a great job of exploring religion without bashing it. Like Kate, many people within this age group are starting to question the religion they were raised with and need to find a reason to believe other than the fact that their parents do. Reading this book reminded me of when I was going through this time in life myself and even references my favorite bible verse--1 Cor. 13:12. A truly interesting and thoughtful novel about the growing pains we all feel when we outgrow our parents faith and struggle to find our own.

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

CONVERTING KATE was a thought-provoking story.

Kate has been raised by a mother who is deeply involved with a church called the Church of the Holy Divine. This church influences everything that Kate and her family does. It comes between her mom and dad and they get divorced. After the divorce, her dad has a heart attack and Kate and her mom move to Maine to live with Kate's Aunt Katherine so her mom can manage the inn her aunt owns.

Kate loves to run so she joins the cross country team at the high school and she makes new friends -- but she rejects her mom's church. The conflict between Kate and her mother, and Kate finding her own beliefs, are the focal point of the story.

The church that show more Kate belongs to is a church in the extreme. I would have classified it as a cult. It monitors everything that Kate does. I am quite religious and believe that God is my savior, but my beliefs are joyous and my God is loving and kind. Kate's church believes that only the members of her own church will be saved. This is contrary to the belief that there are many branches to the love of Christ.

I liked the journey that Kate went on but I was sad that she didn't realize that God lives in each of us and that a church can be as flawed as the people that attend it, but that doesn't mean that God can't be there in a lot of its members. I believe that the road that Kate takes is the most important, and that most teens take that path and everyone comes to different conclusions.

Please read CONVERTING KATE if you have any questions about your faith or want to find out about different faiths. show less

Ever since her father died, Kate wants nothing to do with the church she and her mother embraced. Her father was a non-believer, and now she is also questioning. Despite her mother's best efforts and a cross-country move, Kate insists on finding her own identity and discovering more about her dad.

Very sensatively written story of a young woman who leaves

Kate struggles to find friends, truth and insight into what she believes as she moves to her father's home town. Since her father died, she has come to question her mother's faith and where she fits in. A compelling book that makes you want to keep reading.

Although this book deals particularly with religion, I think it would be appreciated by any teen who finds they feel differently about a significant issue than their parents.