Dominic Savio is the kind of saint anyone could be best friends with.

Full of laughter and entirely down to earth, he was a normal teenage kid who easily won his classmates’ hearts and was voted second place in a popularity contest at school – not at all the stiff-necked and unapproachable person some may think him to be. Yet beyond the joy spilling out of his character lay an intensely strong ardor and uncompromisingly high set of ideals which continuously pushed him closer and closer toward his first and greatest Friend – God. He never flaunted his virtue but it shone through him everywhere he was.

The kids on the nearby, questionable streets of Turin cut short their profanity when they saw him coming. Bullies and troublemakers turned around almost unfailingly when their teacher strategically seated them near Savio. Even Saint Don Bosco himself often asked his pupil for advice and never regretted taking it. In Dominic Savio, the boys of the Oratory found an example of holiness whom they respected rather than disdained. They wanted to be like him.

Let No Chance Go Unseized: The Life of St. Dominic Savio dives right into the unforgettable scenes of Savio’s life, portraying him as the unquenchably motivated yet completely real young person he was. It brings to life the meaning of sainthood by leading the reader to encounter one of the most fully alive persons this earth has ever known. Dominic Savio had little less than fifteen years to become a saint, and with the grace of God he did it. Perhaps by reading of his simple and inspiring life, more of us will come to understand what sainthood is really about.

Inspire your middle schoolers and teens with this memorable biography. Especially in our times when purity is a virtue so fundamentally challenged and frequently ignored, Dominic’s heroic cry “Death before sin!” rings with special power. His ardent and utter pursuit of the angelic virtue inflamed the hearts of his friends and continues to awaken in people now the necessity of purity for holiness. How much our young people need an example of uncompromising purity like his – and how much more compelling coming from a person their own age!

Written in the captivating style of Louis de Wohl’s saint biographies, this novel portrays a down-to-earth and lively account of Savio’s life in a manner that captures the imagination of young readers in order to help them relate to the saint. In the words of my son (who never gives undeserved compliments), “You won’t be doing anything but reading that book once you start. It’s a hooky book.”

Ultimately the goal of this book is to enkindle a desire for sainthood in young people. Sainthood was the goal of Dominic Savio and is the purpose of our lives – why shouldn’t it be our goal!? In his own words, “If I don’t become a saint, I’m a failure.” Well, he did become one, and now it’s our turn.