This attractively produced 250 page paperback has been compiled by Martin Saunders, a young man in his 30s, and father of 3 children. The 500 prayers, many written by Martin himself, are mainly in contemporary English, but some older prayers, such as those by St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Theresa of Avila and St. Gregory, are left in their original form. The writer considers the prayers suitable and relevant for ‘people journeying through the alternately marvellous and agonizing teenage years’. Beware of flicking through this book from back to front, as I did. Initially I was off-put by some old and rather long prayers, and I could not imagine the appeal to a teenager of one labelled ‘from the Gelarian Sacramentary (8th century)’. Also in this section is that wonderful prayer of John Henry Newman, containing the lines ‘when the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over and our work is done…’ It is entitled ‘A blessing for the short of breath’ – something teenagers rarely experience! However, if you start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) you will find a fine collection of prayers of thanks, forgiveness, growth, and coping with pain. The sub heading of this book – Prayers for a New Generation - is especially apt for the middle section of the book, where there are excellent prayers dealing with relationships, school life, bullying, starting at college, the environment, and ethics. These prayers are direct and very pertinent to the adolescent years and beyond. The blurb suggests giving 500 Prayers for Young People as a baptism or confirmation present. I view it as especially appropriate for those in the middle teens and upward. This collection of newly-written prayers, peppered with treasured prayers from the past, would also be a most valuable resource for clergy, teachers and youth workers.