I’m always looking for books that will captivate my sons; I found a couple of good ones lately:

Dove by Robin Lee Graham (Harper Perennial)
A true story of a 16-year-old who sailed his 24-foot sloop around the world. Amazingly, Graham becomes convinced of the truth of Christianity in the Galapagos Islands! The very place that Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution after visiting the Galapagos for a whopping six months. Graham’s story was covered by National Geographic; it was the highest readership they ever had.

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski (Multnomah)
Another true story about a 20-ish year old college student from an upper middle class background who chose to spend half a year living among the homeless…as a homeless. The book chronicles his encounters and insights, city by city. A fascinating story, concluding with the disorientation he felt as he re-entered the life he bookmarked.

I know, I know, I thought the same thing after reading both books. “WHAT WERE THOSE PARENTS THINKING?!”

However, they’re great books for teens who are looking for that spark of adventure. My own sons polished them off.