Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
How can anyone resist a book with such an adorable puppy on the cover? Not me, that’s who. Plus, one of my favorite authors, Joan Bauer, wrote Raising Lumie, so choosing it at the library was a no-brainer. Olive has done her research. She has saved her money and has started working towards her goal... Continue Reading →
I was surprised to find that Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted) wrote a historical fiction novel, yet was willing to give it a try. Let’s just say my weekend to-do list is still waiting for me because I spent my time reading. Loma loves listening to her Bela’s bedtime stories, learning how to cook and... 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 →
Kate, Michael and Emma grew up in orphanages, but they are not orphans. As the oldest, Kate remembers their parents best. She remembers her mother saying good-bye, promising they would be together as a family again. But that was ten years ago. Ten difficult years. Kate has done her best to keep the memory of... Continue Reading →
By all accounts Taro should be dead. The son of a samurai is always killed when his lord is defeated in battle. But Lord Takeda's soldiers decide to spare him, and take him with them. So Taro becomes a servant in the house of Lord Akiyama, learning how to be a servant. But when his... Continue Reading →
Halima and Atiyah were pledged to each other at birth. Growing up together allowed their love to grow as their tribe traveled the desert. Then Atiyah is torn from his tribe and Halima to study at the great university in Fez. He misses the freedom and challenges of life in the desert, and he misses... Continue Reading →
A German Jew. A fanatic member of the Hitler Youth. Both were victims of the Nazi party - one more obvious than the other. Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer, with Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck, tell the stories of these two young people, born just miles apart. Helen Waterford managed to escape Nazi Germany for... Continue Reading →
Trad is an orphan living with his grandfather, who ignores him most of the time. One day, Trad is out on the moors, and finds a wounded knight. Somehow, Trad realizes he needs to hide the knight from his grandfather, which he manages to do. But as the knight recovers, he feels compelled to complete... Continue Reading →
Nicholas Young was tired of his life in England. He hated school (for good reason - made me shudder!) & when he ran away, his father apprenticed him to a butcher. Even worse than school, if you could believe it. So Nick stowed away on a ship. But not just any ship - the HMS... Continue Reading →
Adam and his father traveled the roads of England in the 1200's as wandering minstrels - and Adam loved every minute of it. At least until the day he was separated from his father. Then his beloved spaniel, Nick, disappears too. Now Adam wanders the roads of England looking for his father and his dog,... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 