Bible Review: The Story Teen Edition

The Story: Teen Edition. Zondervan, 2011, 498 pages (paperback).

Reading Level: Middle Grades ages 10-13

Recommended for: ages 12-15

Bottom Line: This teen edition of “The Story” presents an abridged version of the scriptures arranged to form a continuous narrative accessible for teens.

Not to be confused with The Story: the Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, but very similar–part of the same franchise, in fact.  It’s a continuation of Max Lucado’s “Story” project, all based on the NIV translation, which has expanded to include devotional books, illustrated storybooks, a children’s Bible, and now a “Bible” for teens. I put the word in quotes because it’s not an entire Bible, but a collection of readings strung together with narrative commentary, arranged in 31 chapters. “Flip feature” icons signal the theme of each chapter or plotline; supposedly by flipping through the volume you can follow the theme. Footnotes explain biblical concepts, such as righteous and covenant, and a helpful timeline accompanies each chapter. There are no scripture references anywhere in the body of the text, not even in chapter headings; you have to look up the references in the appendix. The appendix also includes discussion questions for each chapter and a character list. Obviously the use of this particular edition is limited, I would say, to a new Christian or immature reader who needs to get the full picture.

Overall Rating: 3

Categories: Young Adult, Bibles and Bible Storybooks, Christian