Specifically targeted at teenagers, the book is relevant, inspiring and fun. Encouraging teens to find out what gifts and talents God has given them and to then put them to use in creative ways to share the love of Jesus with others. Using success stories of other teens and sometimes children to prove that despite age, you can make a difference. Thought-provoking questions to answer, small snippets of information, websites to visit and a fun layout make this book interesting, interactive and engaging.

Chapter 1 sets the stage with 3 thought provoking questions:

Question #1: If you were a German Christian during World War II, would you have taken a stand against Hitler?

Question #2: If you had lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have taken a stand against racism?

Question#3: When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day when 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge what you did to help?

He made you. He made you one-of-a-kind. He made you to make a difference.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Genre: Non-fiction

Target Audience: Girls & Boys 12-18

Subjects: Missions, Purpose

Summary: Do you ever wonder what your purpose in existence is? Do you feel as though you have nothing to give, as though your life is pointless? If so, this book can encourage you. Well-known author Max Lucado with the help of his daughter and Natalie Gillespie wrote this book to talk about your purpose in existence, what your Creator designed you for. The focus is that "You were made to be a world-changer — yes you".

Notes: This book is written in a journal or scrapbook style with little sections here and there. It's designed to look a bit like a bulletin board with notes tacked or stuck to it in various places. It is written directly to the reader, as though they were there having a conversation with the teen. There are sections for journaling and questions to consider, snippets of stories about teens who are currently making a difference in some way, verses to look up and read, and research projects to do. The goal is to get teens to wake up and realize they were created for an amazing purpose and should not let their "youth" stand in the way of doing great things for God.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

1 Timothy 4:12 —Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.

Incredible book!! I actually read it in like two days but I postponed putting out a review right away because I found out that my youth group was doing to video study on Wednesday nights as our curriculum. I wanted to see how it corresponded with the book. I was surprised at how well it corresponded and the way it was presented to catch a teen's attention. Provided practical ideas of how teens, like me, can make a difference in our world by doing seemingly mundane things. Teen's are often made to feel like they can't do anything to change or make a difference in their world. Max and Jenna did a great job at showing how much simple acts can change the world, but not only simple acts, simple acts done by teenagers. It was very insightful and VERY encouraging!!! Awesome book!!

This book follows the same conversational arc that Lucado's adult book Outlive Your Life does, with the book of Acts as the basis for how to make a difference in the world. But the design and copy are teen oriented (although I feel it is geared more for young teens), and the stories told of people making a difference are all about teens and preteens.

The user friendly content and the stories of people their own ages should keep kids interested and hopefully give them confidence that they, too, can change the world. Practical ideas for doing just that decorate the pages, and it also provides ways for teens to raise funds to do God's work. I look forward to sharing You Were Made to Make a Difference with some of the teens in my church. I want to see if it inspires them to do big things for God as they allow him to use them.

As I read the book, it reinforced many of the points that struck me in the adult version of the book, including the idea that we don't have to be anyone more special than we already are (as God's child) to be God's hands and feet in a hurting world.

This passage really hit me:

Prayer is our foundation for making a difference. Trying to change the world without prayer is like trying to use a new iPod without charging the battery. You have to connect to the power source before you can start rockin'

As a teen you can feel that your purpose in the world is of no value. Max, Jenna and Natalie write to inspire youth of their value to a living God. Then they challenge us to stand up and live! With inspiring stories and helpful suggestions they encourage teens to not settle for the hoo hum but instead live up to their potential.

This book is written for pre-teens to young adults. I found this book to be an energnetic read. Jenna and her Dad's passion to show teens that they can make a difference; just leaps off of the page. I loved the catchy graphics and the layout of the pages, the book keep you visually stimulated without be overly done and cheesy. Speaking of cheese, the analogy of the cheese pizza is something that every teen will completely understand! Parents, youth pastors, I think this book would be excellent for your youth to read. Do you have a group of kids who want to do more, be more than they currently are? This is your book. I don't believe any teen could come away unchanged after reading Jenna's words.