Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
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 →
A friend recommended Dragon’s Gate by Laurence Yep after reading it with her high schooler. I was about to hunt it down at the library when I discovered it on my own bookshelf. Apparently, Dragon’s Gate had been a part of our homeschool curriculum as an independent reader, so I had never read it. I... Continue Reading →
When Roberto decides to sneak away to attend a movie one afternoon, he has no idea that it means he will never see his parents again. German soldiers raid the theater, round up the boys and send them to a work camp. As Roberto and his friend Samuele struggle to survive, they vow to stay... Continue Reading →
Lydia and her brother Charles were determined to keep their little farm going even after their father left to find work in the west and their mother took their younger sisters to their aunt and uncle’s house. Then their mother wrote to let them know she had hired them out to different places to pay... Continue Reading →
Tim loves his big brother, Sam. He knows Sam is smart, brave and always knows the right thing to do. Then Sam enlists in the Revolutionary Army, against the wishes of Tim and Sam’s father, who is loyal to the king. Tim is torn between love for his father and brother. How can he choose... Continue Reading →
Sarah helps her father and brother run their small farm on Long Island, just before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The tensions between the Patriots and the Loyalists in her neighborhood come between her father and brother. When her father tears up the Common Sense pamphlet by Thomas Paine, the local Patriots come hunting.... Continue Reading →
The monks of the Chronicles of Sorrowing fear the goat the most. Answelica has taken a piece of each of them with her sharp teeth and hard head. So when Brother Edik finds a child asleep with Answelica, he is terrified. How did that child get there? And what will that goat do to her?... Continue Reading →
Jennifer A. Nielsen is one of the few authors who I consistently read and gladly purchase. Her newest book, Lines of Courage, is an exploration of life in Europe before and during World War 1. Nielsen follows five children from different countries: Felix, from Austria-Hungary, Elsa, from Germany, Juliette, from France, Kara, from Britain, and... Continue Reading →
Esther just wants her mom to hug her and kiss her. She wants to be sure her mom loves her. Maybe if she keeps track of all the good luck superstitions her mother follows, her mom will love her more. In the midst of the Great Depression her family goes through lots of difficulties -... Continue Reading →
On the eve of World War II, Genevieve impulsively decides to stay in the Alsace region of France with her grandmother. And she doesn't even like her grandmother. Her aunt always says she doesn't think before she acts. Now Gen doesn't know who to trust and must learn how to care for her grandmother, the... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 