Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Esther is determined to join her father in Cuba and work to get the rest of her family out of Poland. She is the oldest child, after all, even if she is a girl. Papa agrees, and Esther travels alone across Europe and the Atlantic to join him in Cuba. Her new home enchants Esther,... Continue Reading →
Gina Filomena has a new neighbor whose wide, welcoming smile catches her off-guard. She like his smile. She likes his imagination, which makes her look at her neighborhood differently. When Antonio shows up at her class, and offers his generous smile to everyone, Gina feels a bit put out. But the tenor of the whole... Continue Reading →
Note: I wrote this review in 2015, but am just now publishing it. Excitement reigned at my house last month. My youngest daughter realized that the library finally had processed the newest book about one of our favorite literary families, the Penderwicks. The day we got the email that her hold was ready, I made... Continue Reading →
Abilene Tucker has only known life on the road. She and her daddy followed the railways, living in camps while her daddy worked odd jobs to keep them fed. Then one day, her daddy sent her away to live in Manifest, Kansas. Manifest, Kansas. Why there? Why now? Abilene feels abandoned. She knows how to... Continue Reading →
Jack Baker has lost his mother and his home all at once. He also gained a father he's not seen since before World War II began. They don't know how to be together without Jack's mom. And now Jack is at a strange boarding school in Maine - a continent away from his home in... Continue Reading →
Bronze and Sunflower are the names of two children in China who become inseparable friends - and eventually family. This sweet story by Cao Wenxuan was translated from Chinese by Helen Wang. Set during the Cultural Revolution, Bronze and Sunflower is a story of love, hardships and family life in the Chinese countryside (and not... Continue Reading →
Here’s a classic I have never read - until this weekend. I found it in the homeschool box, realized the kids all had to read it and thought I’d better read it, too. Who knew Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne would be so captivating? Maybe you did, but I didn’t! This... Continue Reading →
Wayne Grover met the real-life Ali in the mid-1970’s when he was in Saudi Arabia for his job. A lifelong mountain climber, he wanted to explore the deep rifts he’d heard about along the western edge of the Arabian desert. As he explored, he came upon a remote village deep in a rift larger than... Continue Reading →
This short book by John Reynolds Gardiner must have been a reader for my children when we were homeschooling, because I don’t ever remember reading it before this morning. Little Willy is concerned for his grandfather, who suddenly took to his bed and quit talking and laughing with Willy. Doc Smith says nothing is wrong... Continue Reading →
Coronavirus quarantine has me revisiting old friends. I pulled a box of books from the storage unit and my daughter went through it, looking for familiar faces she wanted to re-read. She can’t read them all at once, so I grabbed a few I wanted to read again from her stack. Detectives in Togas by... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 