Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
My family first discovered The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop as an audio book. We listened to it in the van, as we drove to church, on errands or trips. We all loved it. William does not want Mrs. Phillips to leave. His British housekeeper is going home to England after living with... Continue Reading →
I've never enjoyed ice skating - too cold of a sport for me. But reading Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed almost makes me want to skate. A cross between a picture book, a novella and a memoir, Twelve Kinds of Ice builds the anticipation for all the different kinds of ice for... Continue Reading →
Emmy loves her life in Illinois. She lives close by her grandparents, she helps her mother with the quilting bees, tying off the women's threads (which she doesn't enjoy as much), and she lives in a comfortable farmhouse. But Emmy's pa isn't so happy. He's just home from a trip west to the booming state... Continue Reading →
In The True Gift by Patricia MacLachlan, Lily and Liam are glad to be at their grandparents' farm, preparing for Christmas. They are looking forward to reading lots of books, visiting the "lilac library" in town, and baking Christmas cookies. But then Liam spots the White Cow in the meadow at Gran and Grandpa's farm. ... Continue Reading →
In the modern age of consumerism and materialism at Christmas, Patricia Polacco's An Orange for Frankie tells a beautiful story of gratefulness and generosity. Based upon Polacco's own family history, the picture book tells the story of Frankie, the youngest boy in a large family. It's close to Christmas during the Great Depression, and the... Continue Reading →
Generally, I am not a fan of repackaging beloved stories for marketing purposes, but I make an exception for the Little House story books. (See my review of other Little House story books here.) For the holidays, HarperCollins Publishers pulled out all the Christmas's Laura Ingalls Wilder described in some of her Little House on... Continue Reading →
Author Allen Say takes readers on a very personal journey in Grandfather's Journey. Say recounts his grandfather's journey from Japan to America, the wonders he saw and the adventures he had wandering America's vast and differing land. Say's grandfather ended up moving to California. But as he grew older, he missed his homeland more and... Continue Reading →
When I first came across the My First Little House Books series, I was disgusted. Is there no end to repackaging, marketing and otherwise destroying my favorite books? But curiosity overcame my disgust and I picked up a variety of them and brought them home to read and evaluate. I was pleasantly surprised at... Continue Reading →
The world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity - multiple TV shows, movies, and books. Now author Andrew Lane has delved into Holmes' teen years with his book Death Cloud, the first in a new series Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins. The 14-year-old Sherlock Holmes is forced to spend the... Continue Reading →
The 'trouble twins' have been nothing but trouble since the day they were born. That's what their guardians, Mr. & Mrs. Trepid, have been telling Dallas and Florida since they arrived on the doorstep of the Boxton Creek Home. But then, Tiller and Sairy cross paths with them, and decide to take them home to... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 