Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Sit by Deborah Ellis Sit by Deborah Ellis is little book full of small, but mighty, stories. They all start with a child. Sitting. And all move and end differently. Only two of the stories have the same characters, the rest stand alone. They are moving - some hopeful, some heartbreaking. All are well-written. All... Continue Reading →
William, Edmund and Anna are in a predicament. Their grandmother has died. They suppose they should feel sad, but she was cold and distant and quite frankly rather mean, even though she cared for them since their parents had died. They’d like to stay with their housekeeper, but she’s not going to be staying in... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite stories from childhood is Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John. This is a sweet, difficult story of families living on a mountain in French-speaking Switzerland. Hard feelings and frustrations lead to an unforgettable and unforgivable accident. How the two families, especially the children, work through the ramifications of the... Continue Reading →
These Rabbit Ears productions are amazing, combining celebrity readers with great musicians. When I first listened to them, I was confused because the story was interrupted by music. However, the music adds so much to each story. This particular volume has two stories, The White Cat (read by Emma Thompson) and The Fool and the... Continue Reading →
For all the books I’ve read, I can’t believe I’ve read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl for the first time. Charlie is an unlikely recipient of a golden ticket to see the inside of Mr. Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory. The other children who have golden tickets are spoiled, rotten and selfish.... Continue Reading →
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko Timely. Sensitive. Amazing. All describe If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko. I love this author (of Al Capone Does My Homework, etc.) and how she handles the subject of race, bullying and family in this book. The chapters are short, which... Continue Reading →
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright is a lovely read / listen for all ages. Portia and her younger brother, Foster, visit their cousin Julian every summer. This summer Julian has moved to the country. Portia and Julian explore and find a row of Victorian houses bordering on a swamp. It's a former resort, occupied by... Continue Reading →
My daughter has been telling me to read The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series by Caroline Carlson since she first found it several years ago. I finally listened to Magic Marks the Spot and loved it! It’s a fun story about a girl who wants to become a pirate, her governess and best... Continue Reading →
As I was scrolling through my new-to-me library's Overdrive collection, I found The Magic World by E. Nesbit. I have heard the author's name before, but couldn't place where (& still can't, tho Google tells me she wrote over 60 books - all children's literature). This book is perfect for shorter drives with children. Each... Continue Reading →
Finally coming up for air after several busy weeks moving to a new state. (This was written in 2017.) While busy packing and unpacking, I enjoyed listening to one of my favorite middle grade authors, Andrew Clements. He writes fun, and funny, books which are great for light reading - and for starting discussions, if... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 