Do you know an elementary school student interested in writing? Encourage them to pick up Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan. She's the author of the Sarah, Plain & Tall series, and a number of other books my children and I love. Word After Word After Word is the book that came out... Continue Reading →
The Penderwicks
Our family's new favorite books are about the Penderwick family, written by Jeanne Birdsall. We love each of the four girls, who don't have a mother, but do have a doting and somewhat distracted father. The first book The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy introduces readers... Continue Reading →
The Velvet Room
One book I picked up over and over again over the course of my childhood was The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. It's not as well-known as Anne of Green Gables, but I loved it nearly as much. The Velvet Room tells the story of Robin, the middle child of five. She and her... Continue Reading →
Calico Bush
I imagine Calico Bush by Rachel Field is not at the top of many people's reading lists. But it should be! This is the second time I've read through Calico Bush, but it will certainly not be my last. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this story. Marguerite is an orphaned French girl who... Continue Reading →
Misty of Chincoteague
If the children in your life love horses, they will love Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. (By the way, it's pronounced chink-o-teeg) The story follows Paul and Maureen, two children on Chincoteague Island in Virginia who desperately want to buy a wild horse from Assateaugue (ass-a-teeg) Island. They work very hard, finding odd jobs... Continue Reading →
Anne of Green Gables
An orphan delighted to find a new home on Prince Edward Island - then crushed to discover that her new guardians had wanted a boy. Her bright spirit and delightful chatter wins Matthew over, and he decided they must keep her. Thus began Anne's life with Marilla and Matthew on their farm, Green Gables. Anne... Continue Reading →
The Cay
My seven-year-old pulled the audiobook version of The Cay by Theodore Taylor off the library shelf and wanted to listen to it. The picture on the cover made me hesitate - it's of a black man and boy clinging to a palm tree in the midst of a storm. I wondered if it would be... Continue Reading →
A Long Way from Chicago
My youngest picked up the audio version of A Long Way from Chicago and wanted to listen to it in the van. I had never heard of it before, never read anything by Richard Peck before, and I wasn't sure how appropriate it was for a seven-year-old. But I thought we would give it a... Continue Reading →
The Thieves of Ostia
My children are voracious readers. In search of something that would capture my oldest's attention, I discovered The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence, the first in her The Roman Mysteries series at our local library. I made sure I read it before Nathaniel, because I was concerned about the character treatments, plot, and any... Continue Reading →
Otto of the Silver Hand
When I first started reading Otto of the Silver Hand, written and illustrated by Howard Pyle, I never thought I would include it as one of my favorites. But now that I have finished it, I realized it more than makes the cut. Otto of the Silver Hand is set in Medieval Europe, a time... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 