Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Penelope's life is scheduled down to the minutes. Even her summers. Her mom is an efficiency expert, and her dad follows the family schedule because it makes his life easier. Penelope feels quite alone in her wish for more free time, time to moodle, think and dream. But her mother's scheduling makes it impossible. Until... Continue Reading →
Nic wasn't always a slave in the mines of the Roman Empire. He remembers when his mother sold him and his sister to the wicked overseer, Sal. He determines to escape one day, and gives himself a freedman's name, Nic Calva, to prove to himself he won't be a slave forever. One day he finds... Continue Reading →
Peter has an unusual pet. He rescued Pax as a kit, and raised him into the fox he is today. But Peter’s father enlisted in the military to fight in the war, so Peter has to go live with Grandfather. Peter’s father insists Grandfather will not want a pet fox, and forces Peter to release... Continue Reading →
Tamaya and Marshall have been walking to and from Woodridge Academy since elementary school. They have to walk the long way around the thick woods between their houses and the school, since the woods are off limits. But one day, Marshall leads Tamaya into the woods to avoid a bully. While there, Tamaya encounters some... Continue Reading →
Jayson must do whatever it takes to get by after his mom dies and her boyfriend leaves. He plans to avoid the foster care system no matter what - and plans to keep playing basketball on his middle school team too. Jayson gets away with it too - until one day he’s discovered and is... Continue Reading →
Lynda Mullaly Hunt wrote One for the Murphys, an audiobook I enjoyed. So when I saw she had written Fish in a Tree, I immediately picked it up to read. I was not disappointed. Ally, the main character, has never done well in school. Usually, she’s able to distract the teacher by acting out. Plus,... Continue Reading →
Rick Riordan’s latest foray into the world of mythology encompasses the Norse gods. In fact, The Sword of Summer is similar to his Percy Jackson series in that Magnus Chase is a demigod - the son of a Norse god and a human. The difference is that Magnus is homeless. He’s living on the streets... Continue Reading →
Felix has lived through quite a lot, as you can imagine any Jewish boy has during World War Two. Now that the war is over, he is struggling to survive in the midst of the destruction in Poland after the war. He has his best friend, and his work. But even though the war is... Continue Reading →
Overnight, Gerta finds her family divided. One night, her father and next older brother went to West Berlin to find supplies for her family. The next morning, she finds East German soldiers building a massive concrete wall, sealing her, her oldest brother and their mother inside East Berlin. Gerta tries to live her life, but... Continue Reading →
Dash Gibson is one of the first people to live on the moon. Cool, right? Dash would be the first to tell you that living on the moon is not the luxurious vacation it's advertised to be. In fact, Dash finds it rather boring. So much so that school is an event to look forward... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 