Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Technically, JRR Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings as a sequel to The Hobbit. However, while The Hobbit is a great story for upper-elementary-aged children, The Lord of the Rings is a darker story, much more intense and scary. And like The Hobbit, learning how to read The Lord of the Rings will greatly increase... Continue Reading →
My 12-year-old daughter went through my pile of picture books to read before I could, so I asked her which book was her favorite. "Duck at the Door, Mom," she told me. "It's so funny! The duck comes back, with his whole flock!" She was right. Duck at the Door by Jackie Urbanovic is funny. ... Continue Reading →
I will admit to trying to read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien many, many times as a preteen and a teenager. I could not get through the first chapter. It wasn't until I was an adult, and took a class on Tolkien, that I was able to force myself through the book. So why am... Continue Reading →
As a child, I read Beverly Cleary's books over and over and over again. I couldn't get enough of Ramona, Beezus, Henry Huggins and Ralph S. Mouse. Cleary's books reflect childhood wonderfully - a simple childhood, with simple problems, like what are the real words to the national anthem? How will I get this dog... Continue Reading →
Ranofer dreams of becoming a goldsmith in Ancient Egypt. He was well on his way to becoming one too, until his father died. Now Ranofer lives with his truly awful half brother, and instead being apprenticed to a goldsmith, works as a laborer in a goldsmith's shop. He dreams of changing his destiny, but cannot... Continue Reading →
The cover illustration of children riding stone winged lions through the air caught my attention. It looked interesting - and unusual. And Through the Skylight by Ian Baucom certainly was both interesting and unusual. Set in modern-day Venice, siblings Jared, Shireen and Miranda are stuck exploring every. single. art. exhibit. in this Italian city. Their... Continue Reading →
If you have only heard of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but haven't read any of their stories, please do! You don't need to read the original stories in the ancient English. Gerald Morris has done a great job of retelling the old stories for modern ears. The stories are a... Continue Reading →
Hillary is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life - until her neighbor Sara-Kate tells her elves have built a village in her backyard. Could it be true? Hillary isn't sure, but the idea of elves is too interesting to ignore. So against the advice of her friends at school, Hillary ventures through the backyard... Continue Reading →
Some of my kids are afraid to attend the public schools because they've read so much about bullies. It doesn't matter what I say, what their public-schooled siblings say - they have seared into their brains the stories they've read or listened to about bullies at school. Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger will be a... Continue Reading →
You know you have found an excellent book when everyone in your family loves it - including your 15-year-old and your husband who doesn't enjoy listening to audio books. My 10-year-old picked out A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup to listen to in the van. The children and I keep an audio book... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 